Text-message advertising startup Placecast is partnering with Location Labs to potentially extend the reach of Placecast’s ShopAlerts service to over 180 million potential consumers in the US. Location Labs offers developers an API that gathers location data from carriers such as AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile.
Location Labs’ API will be used for Placecast’s ShopAlerts, which are location-triggered mobile text messages sent from brands to consumers. Consumers can opt-in to receiving text messages in a variety of ways—at the store, online, via text-message, mobile websites or on Facebook.
Once the technology has been activated, consumers will be alerted when they are near a location that they are interested in or when the brand is offering sales and specials. ShopAlerts’ technology uses “geo-fences,” which are virtual boundaries that can be targeted via location-based marketing. Retailers can customize alerts to fit their brand and strategy.
Location Labs’ APIs will allow Placecast access carrier location for both feature and smartphones of opted-in users. Placecast will source location data is from Location Labs’ wireless carrier partners. Of course, access to Lovation Labs’ APIs come at a price, but Placecast declined to reveal the financial terms of the agreement.
Placecast says that North Face, which was a pilot partner of ShopAlerts, is already using the new service. While Placecast is betting big on SMS as an effective marketing campaign for stores and brands, other startups, such as recently launched Shopkick, are using location-based mobile apps to help consumers find deals in retail stores, including Best Buy.