Tyco minds the store with latest acquisition

Security technology specialist Tyco International plc is continuing to expand its focus on providing store analytics to retailers.



Tyco has reached a definitive agreement to acquire ShopperTrak, a global provider of retail consumer behavioral data and location-based analytics, for approximately $175 million in cash.



Based in Chicago, ShopperTrak provides customer traffic and related intelligence to more than 1,200 retailers in 97 countries.



ShopperTrak’s offerings include solutions for perimeter traffic counting, in-store consumer behavior analytics and industry benchmarking. The addition of ShopperTrak to Tyco's recent acquisition of FootFall, a global provider of retail traffic analytics based in the U.K., will capture data from 35 billion shopper visits annually.



"Tyco is working with the world's leading retailers to meet their omnichannel needs and respond to changing consumer behavior,” said Girish Rishi, Tyco's executive VP North America integrated solutions & services and global retail solutions. “The ShopperTrak acquisition will enable us to help retailers effectively improve the shopper's experience, thus enhancing their revenues and profitability."



Tyco is promoting both the ShopperTrak and FootFall acquisitions as expanding the inventory visibility and loss prevention capabilities it offers retailers, while also leveraging Tyco’s core strategy of capturing data through Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices.



With this acquisition so closely following Tyco’s July 2015 FootFall purchase, it is clear that Tyco is widening its focus from security and loss prevention to in-store analytics and customer experience. Other major in-store analytics providers, such as RetailNext, will need to keep a close eye on Tyco and possibly consider some expanded functionality of their own.



This transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, is expected to close in Tyco's fiscal second quarter.