E-commerce software company acquired to expand to operations beyond key European countries to service over 100 international retailers
E-commerce software company acquired to expand to operations beyond key European countries to service over 100 international retailers
E-commerce targeting and marketing software company, Fredhopper today announces it is being acquired by global information management solutions provider, SDL as it embarks on a global roll out of its product suite.
The deal will allow Fredhopper, which counts Clarks, Toys R Us, B&Q, Waitrose and Otto Group among its stable of over 100 large international retail customers, to expand operations into the US and Asia. The company currently operates in four European countries – the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands.
Fredhopper will become an independent business unit of SDL that will be named ‘SDL eCommerce Technologies’. Fredhopper said its current management team will lead the new unit and remain focused on providing targeting and marketing software for online retailers.
Deal to add scale and mutual opportunity
“This is extremely positive news for our company and increases the value we deliver to our customers in a number of ways,” said Joris Beckers, Fredhopper chief excecutive. “Joining forces with SDL allows us to take our technology to customers in the US and Asian markets, leveraging SDL’s global operational scale. Competing in more markets will give us the opportunity to partner with more premier retail brands which will enhance our products further, making them better for all customers.”
Publicly listed SDL stated it had acquired Fredhopper to make a strategic entry into the online retail market, where it already has over 600 online marketing customers, including HP, Canon, Toyota, Reebok and AIG.
“We looked at a number of e-commerce platforms and consider this the finest in the industry, making it an ideal addition to our online marketing capabilities,” said Mark Lancaster, chairman and chief executive of SDL. “Fredhopper adds another essential building block to SDL‘s Global Information Management platform and reaffirms our strategy and commitment to delivering best of breed solutions to manage online customer interaction.”
Extending online targeting to new markets
The deal will also enable Fredhopper to launch its online targeting technology into new vertical sectors – namely financial services, insurance, and manufacturing, through SDL’s existing web content management product portfolio.
Beckers continued: “Cross fertilisation across verticals always brings out new insights that will again deepen our products for the benefit of all our customers. Fredhopper's mission has always been to offer superior tools to optimise every digital interaction. With SDL, we will achieve more of this faster.”
