Amsterdam-based Roamler, a company that provides businesses with B2B crowdsourced solutions, has acquired Datlinq – a Netherlands-based data company that specialises in food service and food retail data. The companies offer brands the opportunity to fully automate their sales and marketing activities in the out-of-home and retail market as well as provide real-time insight into the results.
Aim of this acquisition
By joining forces, the two Dutch companies can help manufactures launch their brands in the right location. In addition, with Roamler, FMCGs can monitor how their products are marketed to consumers in each of their outlets.
The aim of this development is to further expand Roamler’s value proposition to FMCGs and CPGs and to enable its clients to build a fully data-driven route-to-market in the out-of-home channel.
As for Datlinq, the acquisition will enable them to further expand its data and insights services as well as develop activities in other European countries. Datlinq will keep its own corporate identity, and CEO Marco van den Ouden will remain in charge.
Datlinq – A combination of data, AI, and flexibility
Datlinq is the partner for data-driven sales and marketing in the out-of-home market. Since its inception in 2000, the company’s online database covers 3 million on and off-trade outlets in Europe.
Over the years, the company claims to have built a database that consists of 2,500,000 OOH foodservice locations in Benelux, France, the UK, Germany, and many more countries. The company gathers relevant data from a range of information resources, such as consumer check-ins and reviews. This data is then enhanced with the millions of offline insights that the Europe-based Roamler community provides.
Datlinq’s in-house data science team continuously refreshes the database to provide clients with complete outlet profiles and accurate CRM data on openings and closures to make informed sales and marketing decisions.
The company also has a service known as – ‘recommendation engine’, which suggests similar prospects and next-level targeting based on AI. The result is a data-driven sales approach that promotes faster and more cost-efficient sales growth.
In addition, Datlinq also offers decision-making and execution support in the form of an insights portfolio and a specific field sales automation app. Its data solutions offer clients insight into the category and brand performance trends, enabling data-driven, go-to-market decision-making in order to promote higher sales volumes across more outlets.
Some of the company’s clients include Unilever, Swinkels Family Brewers, Red Bull, Coca-Cola, Kraft-Heinz, Texel Brewery, FrieslandCampina, Duvel, and Van Geloven.
Out-of-home challenge
According to the press release, the out-of-home (OOH) market is extremely volatile, with openings, closures, and concept changes affecting an average of 35 per cent of outlets every twelve months. To maximise efficiency and ROI, brands must know where to set up shop and what to focus on at each specific location.
Datlinq CEO Marco van den Ouden, says, “Our up-to-date CRM data and supporting AI-driven targeting helps brands invest in areas that are relevant to end-users of their products.”
The press release also suggests that manufacturers generally find it difficult to monitor real channels. They also have to keep tabs on the actual marketing of their products in convenience stores and hospitality and entertainment venues sets; that adds to the complications. This, coupled with the constant budgetary pressure and the recent lack of accessibility of the physical outlets due to pandemic-driven restrictions, makes it really taxing for a consumer brand to sustain.
Therefore, real-time insight into in-store product availability, visibility, and sales provides a competitive advantage for consumer brands.
Jeroen ten Haave, Roamler’s CEO, says, “Brands need to maximise the ROI of their field marketing activities, making sure every visit is a hit. With the acquisition of Datlinq, we can help them drive growth in OOH as well, by implementing data-driven sales and marketing strategies that meet the needs of their consumers, right where they are.”
European expansion
After combining their technologies and expertise, Roamler and Datlinq want to help brands across Europe to optimise their route-to-market in OOH and enhance efficiency through performance-driven outsourcing.
Both companies have already served premium brands in the strategic markets in Europe, and together they aim to expand their activities and reach even further.
About Roamler
Founded in 2011, Roamler provides businesses with B2B crowd-supported solutions by employing a large network of on-demand professionals.
As the company calls them, these “Roamlers” are recruited and organised according to skillset, experience, and physical location before being matched to a variety of ‘tasks’. This helps businesses increase flexibility and provides professionals with a wider range of personal and professional growth opportunities.
The company claims to be the European leader in crowd-based field-marketing activities, performing tasks for the biggest FMCG manufacturers, consumer brands, PCGs, and retail chains.
In 2016, the company launched Roamler Tech to apply crowdsourcing to B2B technical installations in and around the home by independent and certified professionals. In 2018, Roamler launched Roamler Care to increase flexibility and efficiency in the home care and healthcare industries by leveraging the power of a large network of professional caregivers.
In 2020, the company raised €20M to expand its operations and partly used the cash injection to buy Datlinq. In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, Roamler became one of the three fastest-growing scale-ups in Europe.
Roamler’s clients include giant FMCG retailers such as Unilever, Procter & Gamble, and Red Bull. The company also puts its community of independent installation technicians to work on technical installations, maintenance, and repairs at customers’ homes for clients such as Eneco, Ring, and ANWB.
01
Job board for modern workforce: How Remote Talent helps jobseekers find truly remote, distributed work