IoT smart product company EVRYTHNG has announced a partnership with consumer engagement firm Connected Fanatics.
EVRYTHNG offers technology known as the EVRYTHNG Product Cloud to give items of clothing unique product identifiers. The partnership with Connected Fanatics means those physical products can become digital “access points” for fans, allowing them to access exclusive experiences in community-based channels.
“At EVRYTHNG we have a long history of working with apparel brands to solve problems like counterfeit and transparency. What we have found is that there is an opportunity for brands to transform the relationship with the people that wear their clothes. As well as delighting the customer, these projects also mean rich first-party data for the brand, usually for the first time,” said Cyrus Gilbert-Rolfe, president and managing director, EMEA & Oceania, EVRYTHNG.
Intended for use by sports clubs, brands and bands, data intelligence integration allows product engagement and interaction information to be stored within CRM software, thus adding a digital value to physical merchandise. The approach also gives businesses a more holistic understanding of customers and their needs.
“Connected Fanatics is the perfect example of that. They tap into the desire we all feel to build a deeper relationship with a brand we already have an emotional connection to, like a football team or a band,” said Gilbert-Rolfe. “The vision of Connected Fanatics, delivering exciting services like ticketing, exclusive content, direct access, and much more – literally by touching your phone to your shirt – is perfectly aligned with how EVRYTHNG sees digital twin technology evolving. Delivering those services doesn’t just take the fanbase to a new place, it also gives the brand insight that they have never had.”
The exclusive communities created by this approach also allow companies to bypass third-party social media channels to connect directly with their most loyal fans.
“By simply churning out product after product without embracing their potential as active digital access points, businesses are deaf, dumb, and blind when it comes to their key consumer touchpoints, their products. They need to evolve their merchandising and marketing practices to keep up with consumers, technology, and the needs of the planet, or face the consequences,” said Matt Hymers, co-founder, and CEO, Connected Fanatics. “By partnering with EVRYTHNG we’re able to bring clubs, brands, athletes, sponsors, artists, fans, and consumers together in a way that offers new value and challenges the status quo by incentivising a more sustainable approach.”
