SmartCaptcha was developed after years of sitting across the table with brands and hearing their frustrations and concerns regarding the roll out of their campaign into the retail trade. Now, this POS tracking software has secured a provisional local and global patent on both the concept and technology. It's now possible for brands to monitor the implementation compliance of campaigns that have been pre-booked with retailers and report back live usable data of each display unit in each store. SmartCaptcha's founding partner Marc Darné tells us more...
Explain the name 'SmartCaptcha'?Darné: The brand-name was created based on the technology allowing sales reps and merchandisers to capture vital information of their installations in an easy, seamless manner that is "smart" in nature, mainly because the software makes it easier than this has ever been done before.
How does SmartCaptcha work?Darné: Essentially, the system captures important information regarding each installation of a point-of-sale display and feeds this back effortlessly in a consolidated format to the brand. The technology has also been designed to be fool-proof, meaning the person installing the display unit cannot tamper with or trick the data the system collects.
Why the need for real-time brand management of retail spend?Darné: Retail spend demands a return on investment, and knowing if a campaign is making it into stores in the pre-determined time booked with a retailer is critical. Having real-time updates will empower brands to better manage the day-to-day progress and reality of the roll outs into trade, ensuring a more pro-active and successful implementation, which will have a positive effect on sales and ROI.
Talk us through the development and in-trade testing phasesDarné: The system was created with our development partners in the Netherlands and India, and has been tested both locally and in their trading environments. Due to the innovative nature of the software and the fact that we were creating something that hasn't been done before at this level, the development took two years.
How does SmartCaptcha allows brands to validate POS spend and in-trade roll out?Darné: The system delivers a focused summary and report on exactly what is happening on the ground and the effectiveness of a roll out. This allows brands to better manage and invest going forward.
How does SmartCaptcha help brands with not current and future POS execution and spend?Darné: SmartCaptcha will capture the reality of how many units actually made it into the trade for any given campaign. If the implementation rate is poor and units are not being used, the system will empower brands to better manage the ordering quantities for more efficient or realistic roll-outs going forward, and in turn lower wastage. The system will also be a "big brother" in the trade as the sales teams and merchandisers will know that what they are doing on the ground is being monitored and this will have an immediate and on-going effect on their implementations.
What is the cost to brands?Darné: Costs are relevant to client requirements, so they can only be established based on a client meeting. We believe it is a very affordable cost to brands, especially when you consider how much the system will save brands on wastage and through better implementation going forward.
Will it be available locally and internationally? If so, from when, and how would brands get in contact?Darné: It is available both locally and internationally. Clients can contact me directly and immediately on az.oc.ahctpactrams@craM or +27 76 486 3010. The actual detailed mechanics of the system and demos are restricted to client meetings, to ensure confidentiality.
