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CompanyProfile

Easy tools for impressive growth

fter watching family members work hard
to make it in the restaurant industry, and
doing whatever he could to help them market,
A Dyson Barnett had an epiphany. He realized
very few retail and restaurant proprietors are good at
marketing. This aha moment gave Barnett a compelling
idea. "I decided to design an app," he said. In 2011, he
founded Los Angeles-based FanCONNECT, a software- ISO/MLS contact:
as-a-service (SaaS) application created specifically for Dyson Barnett
retailers, restaurateurs and other consumer-dependent
small businesses. Chief Executive Officer

According to Barnett, who serves as the company's CEO, dbarnett@getfanconnect.com
the platform offers mobile loyalty and marketing services 813-490-7255
to help entrepreneurs stay connected with clientele and
offer them incentives to return again. "The application
combines mobile, Wi-Fi, email, stored-value, rewards and viewable through a user-friendly dashboard that enables
white-glove services," Barnett said. "Our services can also the merchant to see "an overall view of the customer base"
be de-bundled, so you only pay for what you use." and drill into metrics on a customer's buying frequency,
spend, latest purchase date and noteworthy occasions,
FanCONNECT now has a portfolio of 1,100 restaurant and Barnett added.
retail merchants. "We've grown to more than 13 million
opted-in consumers, over 275 million messages sent, and A salesperson's dream
1.5 billion in coupons, rewards and promotions," Barnett
said. Barnett indicated that selling FanCONNECT is easy
for ISOs and merchant level salespeople: special offers
Marketing in a box include "a free marketing service for their brick-and-
mortar business, and trials of the marketing suite of
Barnett noted that the FanCONNECT platform offers services." The platform is also available as a private-label
multiple ways to "influence new buyers," including solution. In addition, FanCONNECT was designed to
mobile kiosk, loyalty and Wi-Fi marketing, as well as allow the customer to try it before buying it, which gives
guest-engagement tools. Barnett said FanCONNECT's the salesperson an attractive offering. "We believe you
technology, which gives businesses easy ways to collect can get more attention, or mindshare, if you introduce
customer information, is what distinguishes the company something of value to the merchant," he said.
from others. "For example, we've solved the problem of
building a customer list with a Facebook widget and Wi- And, that's not all. "Believe it or not, we also pay the ISO
Fi access-point marketing," he pointed out. if the customer converts," Barnett said. "You earn 15 to
25 percent in residuals, and some people are sending
FanCONNECT's software also enables proprietors to us well over 50 to 100 leads a month." He also indicated
use proactive automated marketing to conduct surveys, being processor-agnostic and giving a merchant the
communicate benefits and showcase offers or incentives. "opportunity to get mobile loyalty really fast," have
"The platform uses workflow marketing, based on visits, proven to be big sales-side advantages.
to influence buying behavior," Barnett said. "It also has
mobile marketing apps and digital coupons to incentivize, The look ahead
create buying behavior and generate referrals.
Barnett stated the company's growth focus is on strategic
All in the details partnerships and connecting with sales professionals
through LinkedIn. FanCONNEcT also researches industry
With FanCONNECT, an establishment can construct its trends and collects customer data to help determine its
own marketing assets and programs using the drag-and- product road map. "We're getting very excited about
drop interface or using what Barnett calls "done-for-you" our next generation of software," Barnett said. "The holy
assets to take advantage of 60 automated events inside grail to a restaurant is the customer, and they'll be able to
the platform. "We've made it easy for a subscriber to send give consumers the option to buy prepaid memberships
out messages and influence new buyers quickly," Barnett and offers." In total, Barnett said, FanCONNECT is still
said. The application also comes with light-duty customer scaling, but the company is "very happy" with the latest
resource management capabilities, associating customers growth and its clientele.
with mobile numbers and email addresses. These are
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