Marketing Tech Co. Posts Record Sales With Joint Venture

Last month, Canada-based retail and technology marketing company VSBLTY Groupe Technologies Corp. (VSBY:CSE; VSBGF:OTC; 5VS:FSE) shared a flurry of news, including the announcement that its joint-venture partnership with Winkel Media had closed a record quarter, posting an 85% increase in programmatic media sales from October to December 2023.

Winkel Media is an in-store media technology company that is a joint venture of VSBLTY, its Latin American partner Retailigent Media, and Anheuser-Busch InBev. It developed the first retail digital out-of-home (DOOH) network in Latin America.

"We are extremely excited to see our programmatic media sales, among top-tier consumer brands, grow so significantly," said Diego Sanchez, Winkel's chief revenue officer. "The largest portion of the network, concentrated in main markets across Mexico, (is) delivering meaningful levels of consumer impressions in-store, where customers are motivated to make an impulse purchase when they see video messages on screens at checkout."

According to VSBLTY, Winkel has deployed VSBLTY's advanced facial detection technology, integrating machine learning with cameras and digital displays in stores to anonymously gather customer demographics, including age and gender and how long they view ads.

Technical Analyst Clive Maund published a detailed analysis of VSBLTY titled "This Tech Co. Has Almost Unlimited Upside."

"We are not surprised to see the uptick in sales as the network has reached critical mass and repeatedly proven its ability to deliver double-digit sales lift," said VSBLTY Chief Executive Officer Jay Hutton. "Brands are also increasing their investments in in-store media as they realize the added value of our computer vision analytics."

VSBLTY's Proactive Digital Display transforms retail and public spaces, as well as place-based media networks, with software-as-a-service (SaaS) based audience measurement and security software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Its technology also integrates with QR codes and mobile apps.

Financing Closed and Collaborations

The company also reported on January 24 the closing of the second tranche of its previously announced private placement of company units, issuing 4,464,200 units at a price of CA$0.13 cents per unit for a total of approximately CA$580,346. When added to the previous tranche of funding, announced on December 19, 2023, the total funding is approximately CA$1.772M.

The funds raised from these offerings will be utilized by the company for various operational needs, such as covering employee salaries, paying consulting, legal, and accounting fees, and managing expenses related to investor relations.

With this, VSBLTY revealed it had hired Triomphe Holdings Ltd. (Capital Analytica) for investor relations and communications services. 

Earlier in January, VSBLTY reported it had enhanced its cutting-edge object recognition software in collaboration with a major global brewing company to authenticate product identification and streamline inventory management at the point of sale, facilitating more comprehensive real-time analysis and reporting. The initial rollout is set to commence in Mexico this January.

"We look forward to receiving the data that will demonstrate the value of our technology. The project will be funded by a major global brewery, and this investment provided demonstrates the industry's continued confidence in VSBLTY's AI software and the future of VSBLTY's Store as a Medium, that BGC identifies as a US$100 billion addressable market," the press release stated. 

Already a Valuable Market Segment

Using AI to make sense of the random collection of shoppers who visit brick-and-mortar retailers on a given day is already a valuable market segment.

According to Insider Intelligence's Retail Media Ad Spending Forecast H1 2023, "We expect advertisers to pour more than US$45 billion into retail media ad spending in 2023." The report projects that spending will expand to some US$106 billion by 2027.

With VSBLTY's technology, retailers and brand builders can identify customer habits and even individual customers, thereby providing uniquely tailored multimedia experiences from end to end along the buying journey in brick-and-mortar locations.

By utilizing facial recognition, age, and gender, VSBLTY said its proprietary technology could effectively enhance retail brand engagement and measurement through customized ads on in-store digital displays at the point of purchase in real time. This technology has proven to increase brand sales by over 25% and provide brands with highly sought-after consumer behavior data collected at the point of sale.

VSBLTY's main products include DataCaptor, VisionCaptor, VSBLTY Vector and VSBLTY Metrics. DataCaptor leverages camera and sensor technology through AI tools, enabling real-time analytics and anonymous audience data. VisionCaptor Content Management System provides a variety of capabilities for bringing proximity-aware, interactive brand messaging to life on any digital screen.

These two key technologies are deployed together to create custom brand experiences for users. However, fewer people are aware of VSBLTY Vector, the company's security-focused software, which makes customers' existing video cameras "smarter" with real-time facial recognition and weapon detection.

In July, Technical Analyst Clive Maund published a detailed analysis of VSBLTY titled "This Tech Co. Has Almost Unlimited Upside."

"You could make many times your investment, and since the technicals indicate that the chance of this happening is better than 50:50, it is considered to be a worthwhile calculated risk," Maund noted.

In another post in August, Maund said he was staying long on the stock and rated VSBLTY "even more of a Buy than when we first looked at it."

Ownership and Share Structure

According to Reuters, 2.01% of VSBLTY's stock is held by management and insiders. Director Thomas Hayes has 0.76%; co-founder, CEO, and president Hutton has 0.36%; and CTO Gary Gibson has 0.28%.

Strategic investor Actus Interactive Holdings Inc., within which Hutton has a minority interest, has 2.26%, and about 0.40% is with institutional investor Palos Management Inc.

The rest is with retail investors.

VSBLTY had a market cap of CA$5.56 million, with 48.5 million shares outstanding. It trades in a 52-week period between CA$2.10 and CA$0.075.

Important Disclosures:

1. VSBLTY Groupe Technologies Corp. has a consulting relationship with an affiliate of Streetwise Reports, and pays a monthly consulting fee between US$8,000 and US$20,000.
2. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of VSBLTY Groupe Technologies Corp.
3. Steve Sobek wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee.
4.  This article does not constitute investment advice and is not a solicitation for any investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her personal financial adviser and perform their own comprehensive investment research. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company. 

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