Australian technology that gathers real-time, location-aware customer data and behavioural insights in return for free high-speed wi-fi and an enhanced, tailored shopping centre experience has attracted a multimillion-dollar investment from Blue Sky Private Equity.

Shopper Media Group, Australia’s fastest growing digital out-of-home (OOH) media business, was set up in 2015 by former oOh! Media executives Ben Walker and Ed Couche and already counts blue chips like Coca Cola, Lion, Goodman Fielder, American Express and Johnson & Johnson as clients.

The company will use the funds from Blue Sky to support its plan to double its national footprint by installing its Smartlite TM digital advertising panels into more than 300 Australian shopping centres.

The panels, which are already installed in 150 shopping centres, currently reach more than 2.8 million shoppers per week, who have accessed the free high-speed wi-fi that captures key consumer demographics and behaviours. With the ability to ask shoppers specific questions, Shopper Media Group’s targeted data analytics and real-time consumer insights enable advertisers and shopping centres to deliver tailored information to improve consumers’ overall shopping experience.

Shopper Media Group currently hosts a database of more than 100,000 unique shoppers and plans to become Australia’s largest shopping centre consumer database in the near future.

Recognised in APAC CIO Outlook’s Top 10 Digital Technology Companies for 2017, Shopper Media Group’s intelligent Smartlite TM technology is at the forefront of worldwide location-aware wi-fi analytics, and primed to take advantage of the ‘peak smartphone environment’ forecast for Australia.

Recent Deloitte research found Australians are interacting with their smartphones 480 million times a day – an increase of more than eight per cent on 2015,^[1] while 59 per cent prefer to connect their smartphone using wi-fi instead of their mobile network.^[2]

Shopper Media Group CEO Ben Walker said Blue Sky immediately understood how the company was disrupting Australia’s very established OOH advertising market with innovative technology.

“Blue Sky is an innovative company like us, and the private equity and venture capital divisions have an established and proven 10-year track record with investments in successful tech businesses such as Vinomofo and Alcidion,” Walker said.

Blue Sky Private Equity investment director Nick Miller said Shopper Media Group fitted Blue Sky’s portfolio as a tech-based company in a high-growth industry.

“Digital OOH media is Australia’s fastest growing media market, with 50 per cent per annum growth driven by digitisation, audience reach and performance,” Mr Miller said.

“Shopper Media Group has established itself as a player with 100 per cent digital reach in 150 shopping centres. Its experienced management team has launched the sector into a new phase with market leading technology that adds value for shopping centres and media buyers.”

Blue Sky Private Equity is a division of ASX 300 listed Blue Sky Alternative Investments Limited (ASX: BLA).

^[1] 2016 Deloitte Mobile Phone Consumer Survey