Global Blue Launches Global Blue Ventures to Support Its Omnichannel Market Expansion Ambition

• Global Blue Ventures supports Global Blue’s position as the strategic omnichannel technology and payments partner empowering merchants to improve their performance
• Global Blue Ventures focuses on investment and/or partnership with third parties that offer best-in-class RetailTech innovations, enabling Global Blue to expand its product offering and bring more value to its retail clients
• Thanks to Global Blue Ventures, Global Blue has already partnered with a number of leading and fast-growing RetailTech companies, including global returns provider, ZigZag Global, and digital receipt provider, Yocuda

Global Blue, today, announced the launch of Global Blue Ventures, a new entity created to identify, invest in and/or partner with third parties that offer market-leading retail technology solutions.

Global Blue Ventures was initiated in 2019, and officially launched in April 2021, to advance Global Blue’s ambition to be a strategic omnichannel technology and payments partner empowering merchants to improve their performance.

Global Blue Ventures concentrates on innovative and promising new businesses, with best-in-class companies selected to support brands on their omnichannel path.

The Ventures program will focus on add-on technologies that can easily integrate with retailers’ core systems, allowing them to:

• Optimise and digitalise their processes across the entire omnichannel customer journey: online, in store and at home
• Capture customers’ identity and engage with them on a personalised one-to-one basis
• Collect and cross-reference data to provide advisory services and actionable insights

It will focus its efforts on three key verticals and market needs:

• eCommerce: how to boost conversion rates and improve return efficiency
• Store digitalisation: how to digitalise in-store processes and experiences
• Clienteling 2.0: how to engage digitally one-to-one with consumers

RetailTech market experts James Strabo, previously a founding member and Managing Director at Blackhawk Network and Managing Director at Westfield (OneMarket), and Andrew Carroll, Founder of Yocuda and formerly Director of Corporate Development at Westfield (OneMarket) will lead Global Blue Ventures. Their mission will be to pinpoint latest retail market trends, identify the best-in-class technology players for each vertical, test and collect retailers’ feedback and, where appropriate, drive investments in the retail technology partners that can further accelerate Global Blue’s omnichannel market expansion.

Since its inception, Global Blue Ventures has already enabled Global Blue to join forces with several leading players including:

• Yocuda: in October 2020, Global Blue acquired a minority stake in Yocuda, a leading digital receipt provider. Yocuda allows retailers to send content-rich, personalised digital receipts to consumers, whilst capturing data that allows for customer insight, management and engagement. Its technology can also be linked to a brand loyalty programmes. Yocuda is partnered with leading companies such as Marks & Spencer and Argos.
• ZigZag Global: in March 2021, Global Blue announced the acquisition of ZigZag Global, a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology provider. ZigZag replaces the traditional paper-based “label in the box” returns solution with an online portal that enhances the experience for consumers and streamlines the process for retailers across the world. ZigZag is partnered with leading retailers such as Selfridges and Superdry.