News & Events
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SKUx, an innovative payments technology and consumer engagement platform, announced it has raised $11 million in Series A funding. This new capital positions the company to scale its current product offerings as SKUx continues its implementations with industry-leading, global organizations spanning retail, consumer packaged goods, payments, and healthcare.
Trisha Asgeirsson, former Head of Mastercard Data & Services has joined the Company’s Board of Advisors. Trisha brings a phenomenal leadership career to SKUx spanning FinTech, payments, and loyalty and she is eager to roll up her sleeves and help us further expand and commercialize our relationships with the card networks, payment processors, and other payment industry stakeholders.
As a testament to SKUx continuing to revolutionize the promotional offers industry with product-based payment-driven solutions, SKUx announces the addition of Jason Sinclair to our Board of Advisors. Jason is the head of strategy for powerhouse digital entertainment and creative agency, Glow.
SKUx 2022 Mobile Consumer Offer Pilot with Apple Pay
SKUx™, an innovative payments technology and consumer engagement platform, announced the results of its 2022 Mobile Consumer Offer Pilot with Apple Pay. SKUx is redefining the way promotional offers are delivered, redeemed, settled, and reported. Based upon the initial campaign data promoting an online purchase of an energy drink mix, when a SKUx promotional offer includes an additional incentive for consumers to complete their payment with Apple Pay, engagement with the brand increased in comparison to other payment methods. The increased engagement included higher order value, increased redemption, greater conversion rates, and additional real-time data insights. This breakthrough study comes at a critical time, as consumer costs increase and value is vital.
SKUx Announces Executive Hire of Timothy Schar as Chief Growth and Administrative Officer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sep. 27, 2022 — SKUx, an innovative fintech platform as a service company redefining the way consumer offers are delivered, redeemed, settled, and reported, today announced the appointment of Tim Schar as Chief Growth and Administrative Officer. Schar joins SKUx as the company revolutionizes consumer offers and first-party data collection for advertisers and brands to enhance their relationship with consumers. Schar served on the Company’s Board of Advisors since August 2020 prior to his new executive level role.
SKUx Welcomes Bryson Hale as VP of Marketing
SKUx is delighted to announce that Bryson Hale has joined our growing team as VP of Marketing. Bryson has over 20 years of extensive marketing, branding and design experience working with startups in various industries, most recently at Dabbl.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Sept. 21, 2022 — Bryson joins the company at a pivotal time as SKUx is revolutionizing the offers industry with product-based, payment-driven solutions that reinvent offers and rewards for consumer brands and retailers. Bryson will focus his expertise on leading the product launch for Buyer (X)ccelerator™, a powerful new solution that transforms traditional, anonymized advertising tactics into secure, serialized, one-to-one, trackable, high-value, mobile offers.
CASE STUDY
A new Energy Drink used their offer to Track, Retarget and Convert along the Buyer’s Journey
SKUx Launches Buyer (X)ccelerator™, Breakthrough Offer Platform That Captures Each Buyer’s Journey From Engagement Through Redemption
Allows Advertisers to Own Powerful First-Party Data and Optimize Campaign Results by Retargeting Consumers Based on Their Response to Offers and Incentives
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., July 12, 2022 — SKUx, an innovative fintech company redefining the way consumer offers are delivered, redeemed, settled and reported, today announced the launch of Buyer (X)ccelerator™, creating the first offer platform to enable the capture of powerful first-party data based on how consumers engage with offers. Near real-time data from Buyer (X) quantifies and optimizes campaign results through precise personalization and retargeting, while the advertisers retain all insights and PII data for future marketing initiatives
CASE STUDY
Can you turn a major sports event into a personalized offer promotion that drives customers to your restaurants?
Objective | Regional casual dining chain wanted to leverage large sporting events to turn fans into customers.
Approach | Promoted free appetizer offer via video screens throughout sports venues. Fans scanned QR code to access branded landing page powered by SKUx Offer (X)ccelerator. Serialized one-time use code could be redeemed from landing page or saved to digital wallets.
Results | Campaign generated high interest and strong affinity with fans. As many as 59% of fans who scanned code claimed the offer. Nearly 70% of claimed offers were saved to wallet. Serialized one-time offers helped prevent fraud and duplicate redemption.
SKUx. Your Offer. (X)ccelerated.
CASE STUDY
Can you activate high-value consumers while mitigating fraud and over-redemption?
Objective | A top ten CPG company wanted to drive trial of its new frozen meal brand among online gamers while mitigating over-redemption or fraud.
Approach | Used SKUX Offer (X)ccelerator to target online gamers with a $5-off special offer. SKUx’s serialized, single-use offers allow brands to fight fraud and stay on budget.
Results | Nearly half of the targeted gamers who engaged with the offer tried the product, virtually fraud free, despite the high value.
SKUx. Your Offer. (X)ccelerated.
SKUx Hires Joshua White as Data Decision Leader to Further Power the Future of Data-Rich, Promotional Offers
SKUx Helps Brands and Retailers Better Collect and Utilize First-Party Data While Powering Higher Conversion Rates with Serialized, Trackable, One-to-One, Mobile Offers
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Feb. 9, 2022 — SKUx, an innovative fintech company redefining the way consumer offers are delivered, redeemed, settled and reported, today announced the appointment of data scientist and engineer Joshua White as Data Decision Leader. White joins SKUx as the company transforms consumer offers and first-party data collection and analysis for advertisers and brands to enhance their relationship with their consumers.
SKUx Launches Offer (X)ccelerator™ Delivering Anywhere, Anytime, Secure Offers at Scale
Introducing SKUx Offer (X)ccelerator. Your Offer. Only Better. Powered by SKUx.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., January 26, 2022—SKUx, an innovative fintech company redefining the way promotional offers are delivered, redeemed, settled and reported, today launched SKUx Offer (X)ccelerator ™, a new way for brands and retailers to transform anonymized, traditional advertising tactics into a secure, serialized, one-to-one, trackable, high-value, mobile offer. The Offer (X)ccelerator allows advertisers to run their campaigns on SKU’s patent-pending, data-rich platform, which safely and securely powers cost-effective, high-conversion offers and captures rich consumer data in near real time.
SKUx NEWS
SKUx Appoints Joe Zerella as Director of Client Partnerships as Company Continues Rapid Growth as Leader in Payment-Based Consumer Offers
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., December 1, 2021 – SKUx, an innovative fintech company redefining the way consumer offers are delivered, redeemed, settled and reported, today announced the appointment of Joe Zerella as Director of Client Partnerships. Zerella is an accomplished marketing and sales leader in marketing technology and solutions for consumer brands and retailers.
SKUx Featured at Money 20/20 Las Vegas 2021 Event
Blackhawk Network Customer Journey Panel
SKUx Co-Founder Bobby Tinsley was invited to speak alongside global leaders in payments and incentives at the 2021 Las Vegas, Money 2020 event. This year’s timely discussion focused on driving the customer journey through payments, and how SKUx SKUPay™ is shaping a new category of retail offers to power anywhere, anytime, secure consumer intuitive engagement. Blackhawk Network sponsored the panel with industry leadership from CPG, retail, and payments in attendance.
SKUx & Hedera Interview at Nasdaq
OCT 19, 2021 – SKUx Co-Founder Bobby Tinsley and Hedera Hashgraph Co-Founder and Chief Scientist Dr. Leemon Baird sat down for an indepth interview with CNBC’s Jon Najarian about the synergistic partnership between the two fintech firms.
SKUx Partners with Hedera Hashgraph to Bring Trust, Transparency, and Fraud-free Transactions to Consumer Offers and Settlement
Payment-based Consumer Offer and Settlement System to Run on the Hedera Network, Empowering Retailers and Brands with First Trusted and Transparent Offers and Settlement
St. Petersburg, Florida (Sept. 28, 2021)—SKUx, an innovative fintech company redefining the way consumer offers are delivered, redeemed, settled, and reported, today announced a strategic partnership with Hedera Hashgraph to bring unprecedented levels of trust, transparency, access, and environmental sustainability to payment-based consumer offers.
SKUx NEWS
SKUx Set To Displace Outdated Coupon and Settlement System That Costs Consumers Billions of Dollars in Lost Savings
Fintech Innovator Creates Brand New Category of Payment-based Offers, or SKUPay™, to Virtually End Coupon and Promotional Offer Fraud, Misredemption, Settlement Delays and Marketing Uncertainty. Powering Anywhere, Anytime Offers.
St. Petersburg, Florida (Sept. 14, 2021) — SKUx, an innovative fintech company redefining the way consumer offers are delivered, redeemed, settled and reported, today announced a game-changing new fintech category of payment-based offers, called SKUPay™. SKUPay is designed to replace today’s archaic world and process of coupons, rebates, promotional offers, and settlement, freeing up billions of dollars in savings for consumers and solving long-term industry challenges for retailers, consumer brands, and marketing agencies.
SKUx NEWS
The Case for ‘Smart Incentives’: A Q&A with SKUx co-founder Bobby Tinsley
By Jon Springer on Jun. 03, 2021
Bobby Tinsley knows a thing or two about how the digital revolution can disrupt an industry. He is a former recording artist, after all. The one-time R&B singer moves to a different beat today. He’s a co-founder and executive VP of SKUxchange, a startup fintech company that he said could be something of an iTunes for retail incentives. Founded in 2018 in St. Petersburg, Fla., “SKUx” brings a new architecture to the origination, distribution, redemption and settlement of digital promotions by utilizing blockchain—or a digital warehouse that serializes each offer and transforms them into a secure, one-time form of payment. As Tinsley explains in an interview, excerpted below, couponing is an area of the retail trade long overdue for a new approach to security and speed that can benefit brands, retailers and shoppers.
Partnership also creates first-of-its-kind technology to improve retailer offers, rebates and incentive delivery and processing in support of new Universal Coupon Standards
SKUx NEWS
Blackhawk Network and SKUx Accelerate Digital Transformation of Promotional Offers and Coupon Standards
PLEASANTON, Calif., March 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Global payments company, Blackhawk Network, and SKUx, a rising fintech company, today announced an expanded partnership intended to transform the offer, rebate, coupon delivery and processing needs for today’s cutting-edge merchants and brands. The partnership is poised to disrupt an industry that has remained relatively unchanged for over 25 years. With first-of-its-kind payments technology, Blackhawk and SKUx will digitize and automate offer delivery, redemption, and settlement—creating a more powerful experience for brands, a less onerous process for retailers, and greater value and ease for consumers.
SKUx NEWS
Karen Webster, CEO of PYMNTS.com, interviews SKUx Co-Founder & EVP Bobby Tinsley
ST. PETERSBURG, FL., December 18, 2020 – Karen Webster, the influential CEO of PYMNTS.com, has interviewed SKUx Co-Founder and EVP Bobby Tinsley about the changing retail landscape and how “smart incentives” from SKUx are perfectly positioned to help brands and retailers drive incremental sales with direct consumer interaction.
The interview was posted today at PYMNTS.com.
SKUx NEWS
Blackhawk Network Partners with Rising FinTech Company SKUx to Power the Future of Retail Promotional Incentives
ST. PETERSBURG, FL., December 18, 2020 – Blackhawk Network, a branded payments provider, is partnering with rising FinTech company SKUx. This innovative partnership will enable Blackhawk’s global network of more than 280,000 retail distribution points with the next-generation of solutions for seamless distribution, redemption, reconciliation, and settlement of promotional incentives and enhanced loyalty promotions.
SKUx RELEASES EXCLUSIVE INDUSTRY REPORT
Welcome to Smart Incentives™
ST. PETERSBURG, FL., October 1, 2020 – The marketing industry is currently undergoing a massive shift in consumer engagement strategies thanks to digital/mobile technologies. New ideas and technology will allow certain brands to flourish amid the changing paradigm, gaining market share and revenue. Others will not do so well. SKUx is proud to announce the Smart Incentives™ Platform as a Service as we help power the future of retail.
SKUx raises $1 million in new funding, $6.5 million since launch
ST. PETERSBURG, FL., Sep 2, 2020 – SKUxchange has raised $1 million in equity financing in a new round of funding. That brings total funding raised by the nearly two-year-old St. Petersburg technology company to more than $6.5 million since it launched, said Bobby Tinsley, co-founder and executive vice president. SKUx will use the new money to support growth, new hires, retail infrastructure and for potential strategic acquisitions, Tinsley said..
SKUx EVENTS
SKUx Co-Founder Bobby Tinsley to Join TiE Tampa Bay Diversity Discussion
ST. PETERSBURG, FL., August 18, 2020 – SKUx Co-founder Bobby Tinsley will join a diverse group of Tampa Bay business leaders to discuss diversity from the perspective of entrepreneurship. The panelists will be sharing their personal journeys, challenges, and how we can collectively work to address these issues as entrepreneurs, leaders, and citizens.
SKUx EVENTS
SKUx Co-Founders Speak at G100’s “Startup Series: Digital Incentives”
ST. PETERSBURG, FL., August 17, 2020 – Co-founders James Sampey and Bobby Tinsley will join SKUx Board of Advisor and G100’s Deb Henretta to discuss the company’s patent-pending Smart Incentive™ technology and the multiple ways SKUx is providing innovative digital solutions for Retailers, Brands, and Marketing Agencies.
SKUx EVENTS
Karen Sales, SKUx SVP of Digital Strategy & Channel Partnerships, to join an expert panel of industry thought leaders to discuss the future of the weekly circular
ST. PETERSBURG, FL., August 1, 2020 – As retailers scramble to revamp their promotional activities in response to rapidly changing shopper behavior, many have scaled back or even stopped printing their weekly print circulars. This has led some industry experts to wonder if the shift toward digital commerce has made the traditional circular obsolete?
CNBC Market Analyst and SKUx Board of Advisors Member, Jon Najarian interviews company Co-Founder & EVP, Bobby Tinsley and newly hired SVP of Digital Strategy & Channel Partnerships, Karen Sales
TAMPA, Fla., April 14, 2020 — Great conversation discussing the company’s patent-pending tech, new category of FinTech digital incentives, and how SKUx is positioning to serve the marketplace post COVID-19.
Shopper Marketing Hall of Fame Inductee Joins Leadership Team of Rising FinTech Company Leveraging Blockchain and AI to Transform Retail
ST. PETERSBURG, FL., March 24, 2020 – Recognized as a “Top Ten Mover and Shaker in Retail,” Karen Sales has joined the leadership team at SKUx as Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy & Channel Partnerships.
“I am thrilled to join an incredible leadership team at SKUx that is delivering innovative and extremely valuable retail solutions,” Sales said. “I’ve spent my entire career seeking to build value for my clients and partners. This new solution will solve much of what they’ve been waiting for. When you truly understand the technology that SKUx has developed, you realize it holds the potential to transform our industry, unlocking billions of dollars in value back to retailers and brands.”
SKUx Founders Speak at BlockSpaces Event “The Fintech Revolution: Talents, Rebels and Disruptive Technology”
TAMPA, Fla., Feb 20, 2020 — Fintech is rapidly advancing as new, disruptive companies bring innovative solutions to the market and challenge the status-quo. This was the theme of “The Fintech Revolution: Talents, Rebels and Disruptive Technology.“
The ticketed event was hosted by BlockSpaces, a specialized education and development hub designed to be responsive to the needs of the rapidly emerging blockchain technology industry.
Tampa Bay Inno names SKUx as one of the Top Startups to Watch in 2020
TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 19, 2020 — Tampa Bay Inno named SKUx to their inaugural ‘Startups to Watch’ list. The list showcases some of the most exciting and fastest growing companies in the state of Florida. SKUx was recognized by Tampa Bay Inno at their February 19th event, held at the newly opened Embarc Collective.
RapidRMS President Peter Ingram joins SKUxchange Advisory Board
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., (July 26, 2019) – RapidRMS President Peter Ingram has joined the SKUxchange Advisory Board. Ingram is a highly respected industry thought-leader for the Petroleum and C-Store Industry. He has over 30 years experience working with Fortune 500 companies in retail marketing, operations, technology and payments.
Phillipa Greenberg, a leader in the Big Pharma analytic innovation space, and CEO of one of the fastest growing big data platforms, joins the Skuxchange Advisory Board
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., June 21, 2019 – Phillipa Greenberg spent a majority of her career consulting within the privatized sector of clinical research organizations and continued her career within Fortune 50 pharma, leading and growing their Portfolio Bio-Asset Analytics center of excellence. Converting her extensive knowledge of decision science and predictive and prescriptive data engineering, she has narrowed her focus on consumer behavior predilection within the ecommerce/retail sectors, working with Fortune 50 enterprise grocers and ecommerce stores.
St. Pete Catalyst, April 11, 2019
St. Pete blockchain startup aims to shake up the promotions industry
Four veterans of the advertising and technology industries have joined forces to solve the pain points in the nearly $1 trillion promotional offers industry. SKUxchange is a blockchain company based in St. Petersburg that aims to eliminate fraud and create more transparency for retailers, brands and other businesses that deal with digital offers.