Profital: Solution for location-based services

Profital launches Switzerland's first leaflet app and creates new opportunities in the area of location-based services. Users can call up information on all aspects of shopping, such as the latest advertising brochures, local offers and opening hours of stores in their area, in a compact and clear way using the free app and web portal.Profital enables the Swiss retail trade to digitally extend its most important advertising channel - the unaddressed advertising brochure. This cross-media solution reaches end customers who do not wish to receive print advertising, who live outside the distribution area or who prefer digital information channels. In addition to print distribution, Profital thus creates additional reach for local offer communication and offers the opportunity to address consumers in a targeted manner. With Profital, retailers can benefit from the so-called ROPO effect, whereby users find out about new offers online but buy them offline in their nearest stores. This allows retailers to strengthen their brick-and-mortar stores. Brochures and local offers are displayed free of charge via the Profital app and www.profital.ch. Users proactively find out about the offers and products of their favorite retailers on Profital (pull marketing). This ensures that the advertising message is particularly well received and effective, allowing retailers to always reach their customers at the right point in the customer journey - when they are planning their purchase and while they are shopping. In addition, they gain valuable insights into their advertising media, as Profital provides comprehensive evaluations of advertising media usage and impact. Thanks to the use of geotechnology, it is possible for the first time to measure the effect of online advertising on sales in stores.

Billing is based exclusively on usage (i.e. when a brochure is opened or an offer is viewed), which minimizes wastage. The nationwide launch of Profital will be accompanied by a cross-media advertising campaign in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland from mid-November.Raphael Thommen - Managing Director of Profital: "Profital combines the flexibility of online marketing with the strengths of the retail trade - such as geographical proximity and personal customer relationships. With Profital, retailers can for the first time use segmentation and targeting technologies that were previously reserved for online retail. Users benefit from relevant content, constant availability and a compact overview of all important shopping information."About Profital:Profital is a start-up of Direct Mail Company AG (DMC). DMC is one of the largest providers of unaddressed direct mail in Switzerland and a wholly owned subsidiary of Swiss Post. Profital's technology partner is the Offerista Group from Germany. Offerista is a solution provider in the area of location-based services for the stationary retail trade and operator of the barcoo and Marktjagd platforms.