San Francisco, CA, July 10, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SK Planet, Inc., the U.S.-based mobile commerce subsidiary affiliated with wireless giant SK Telecom, today announced its beta launch of the first touch-less, beacon-enabled shopping experience through its Slyde mobile app. Slyde, which can be easily downloaded from iTunes and GooglePlay under the name SlydeNow, began its pilot in Berkeley, Calif., and is currently in use at a dozen eateries, including the popular ice cream establishment, CREAM.
With Slyde, anyone can pay for goods, redeem coupons, and get loyalty credits without ever having to take one's phone or wallet out of his/her pocket. This innovative customer loyalty, marketing and payment technology is the next evolution of mobile commerce for small to medium size businesses. Slyde enables a more personalized, rewarding and convenient shopping experience for consumers and a vastly improved integrated sales and marketing solution for brick and mortar businesses.
Consider the following scenario: walking down the street around noon, a customer receives a notification via Slyde on her phone regarding a lunch special as she walks by a popular restaurant. When the customer enters the eatery, Slyde recognizes her arrival and after eating, the bill is automatically paid, a coupon is redeemed, and loyalty points are accrued- all without her phone (or credit card) ever leaving her pocket. Before now, this wasn't possible in the States.
Unlike any other mobile shopping app in the U.S., Slyde will be the first to manage every stage of a consumer's retail experience, including the ability to identify when a customer is nearby and offer customized promotions, automatically checking him/her into the store upon entry, mobile redemption of e-coupons and purchasing, and finally, a touch-less payment experience.
"Our goal with Slyde is simple. We want to facilitate connections between small businesses and their customers. Slyde is about more than just coupons and deals, it's about deepening the relationship between shoppers and the stores they love. It's about a great overall experience that starts before the customer even enters the store," said Kihyun Jung, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer of SK Planet, Inc. "We're proud to test this groundbreaking beacon shopping technology in the U.S. market."
HOW SLYDE WORKS
The iOS and Android app allows a consumer to receive personalized deals and rewards, all with the simplicity of being able to pay without taking out their phone or wallet. Once a consumer has downloaded the app and linked their credit card, the beacon technology securely gives store owners the necessary information via their point-of-sale (POS) system to reward and incent their customers; the phone can stay in the shopper's pocket while the owner completes the transaction even when it's time to pay (the customer is recognized via photo). The shopper receives a receipt via email and the information is available for reporting to the store owner.
Slyde recognizes consumer loyalty by accruing points for the consumer and turning them into rewards via their app on their mobile device. Customers and merchants alike will save time and energy that would otherwise be wasted in clipping coupons, punching cards and redeeming offers.
For the first time in the U.S., small businesses can receive CRM-level data at point of sale, enabling merchants to generate on-the-spot rewards and benefits for their most loyal customers, all while creating a more personal and engaging shopping experience. Merchants can market to customers based on accurate statistics, such as customer visit frequency, product preferences and purchasing patterns, in turn maximizing marketing efficiency while lowering cost. Merchants can also increase coupon redemption rates by offering the right discount or benefit at the right time.
Slyde currently integrates with DoubleBeam's GoPago POS system to enable loyalty program software and secure touch-less payment technology within a single, comprehensive system.
Broader availability of Slyde is scheduled for Fall 2014. For more information about Slyde and information on how to become a partner visit www.slydenow.com.
About Slyde
Slyde is the first beacon-enabled, all-in-one, loyalty shopping service available in the U.S. As a smartphone-based, personal shopping concierge, Slyde provides consumers with a more rewarding, convenient and personal mobile shopping experience while fostering deeper customer relationships and increasing customer loyalty. For more information please visit www.slydenow.com or follow Slyde on Instagram, Facebook or twitter.
About SK Planet, Inc.
SK Planet, Inc. is the U.S.-based mobile commerce subsidiary affiliated with S. Korean wireless giant SK Telecom. SK Planet, Inc. is focused on U.S.-centric mobile apps and solutions to enhance the everyday consumer experience on mobile devices. Based in Seoul, Korea, SK Planet, Inc.'s parent company operates that country's most successful cross-channel web and mobile platforms, including Ok Cash Bag, which is the largest consumer rewards program with 37 million members and 50,000 partnering merchants, T-Store, which is the world's third largest mobile app store, and 11th street, which is the most popular virtual mobile commerce marketplace. For more information about SK Planet, Inc. visit http://www.skplanetinc.com.