Goal is to deliver technology advancements that drive positive
customer experiences and cultivate innovation within the retail space
Teams with IBM on High Value Cloud with BlueMix and Texas A&M
University on Retail and Consumer Technology Research
GRAPEVINE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 25, 2014--
GameStop (NYSE: GME) announced today the launch of the GameStop
Technology Institute (GTI), a new business unit focused on creating
affiliations with leading technology corporations and academic
institutions to discover and deliver business innovation and technology
solutions to better address the needs of today’s empowered consumer.
Joining GameStop as founding partners of GTI are IBM and the Center for
Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School. By
joining forces with these industry leaders, GameStop will leverage GTI
to explore and build best-in-class research and development processes to
create and implement within its global retail locations the next
generation of new, innovative business applications.
“Now more than ever, GameStop’s internal rate of change must continue to
exceed the rate of change occurring within the retail environments in
which we compete,” said Paul Raines, chief executive officer for
GameStop. “The launch of GTI represents GameStop’s commitment to
cultivate innovation within the retail industry, as well as lead the
charge in discovering new technology advancements to drive positive
customer experiences.”
Collaborating with Industry Leaders to Digitize the Physical Space
IBM will bring to GTI its cloud development experience, and design
expertise from the IBM Design Lab. GameStop will leverage IBM’s open
cloud development platform, BlueMix,
to build new mobile and cloud applications that integrate with
GameStop’s existing systems, creating a hybrid cloud environment that
will allow GameStop to add greater context around both in-store and
online customer interactions. By seamlessly linking a customer’s online
and in-store experiences using IBM’s open-standards based, high-value
cloud platform, GameStop will be able to remove the complexity involved
with transactions and improve the level of service that they deliver to
their customers. Harnessing the power of BlueMix enables GameStop
developers to quickly innovate, prototype and connect with their
customers at the right time using APIs for big data, analytics and
mobile.
“We are excited to collaborate with GameStop to bring the power of our
cloud development platforms and design teams to the greater GameStop
community,” said Steve Robinson, General Manager of IBM Cloud Platform
Services. “This cloud partnership will integrate existing systems into a
new class of applications to build even deeper relationships for
GameStop with their clients and will help GameStop lead the next phase
of retailing by restoring the balance between physical and digital
commerce platforms.”
Texas A&M University brings to GTI a specific focus on retail research,
consumer technology and the evolving consumer experience at the
intersection of the two. The Center for Retailing Studies has a 30-year
history of serving retailers, and is one of the only retail education
institutions housed in a business school.
Meeting the Needs of the Consumer
Executives from every retail sector are trying to anticipate what next
innovative technology, mobile app, or virtual store experience will win
over today’s empowered consumer. According to the global ‘Understanding
Leading Merchants’ survey conducted by IBM’s Center for Applied
Insights, 83 percent of the 325 senior-level retail merchants who
responded indicated they were concerned about how to respond to the
shifts in the way customers engage with retailers. In the same survey,
78 percent worried about being able to provide a holistic, cross-channel
experience.
Rooted in GameStop’s strong legacy of technology, understanding customer
needs and ability to deliver exceptional customer service through its
PowerUp Rewards loyalty program, the GTI R&D portfolio will include a
focus on enhancing consumer interaction technologies and developing
business solutions that help drive traffic to all retail channels.
GameStop’s Jeff Donaldson will chair the direction and efforts of the
institute, serving in the role of senior vice president of GTI.
“As GameStop continues to transform its business beyond video gaming and
into the technology space, we formed GTI to address our growing need for
new innovation as a specialty retailer,” said Donaldson. “As we begin
our partnership with IBM and Texas A&M University, GTI’s initial focus
will be on the digitization of the physical retail space which would
allow customers to interact with the brick-n-mortar store environment in
ways that mimic interaction with digital platforms.”
For more information about cloud offerings from IBM, visit http://www.ibm.com/cloud.
For information about the Texas A&M University’s Center for Retailing
Studies, please visit www.crs.mays.tamu.edu.
About GameStop Corp.
GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company
headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, is a global, multichannel video game,
consumer electronics, and wireless services retailer. GameStop operates
more than 6,600 stores across 15 countries. The company’s consumer
product network also includes www.gamestop.com;
www.Kongregate.com,
a leading browser-based game site; Game Informer®
magazine, the world’s leading print and digital video game publication; www.buymytronics.com,
an online consumer electronics trade-in platform; Spring
Mobile, an authorized dealer of AT&T wireless services; and Simply
Mac, the largest certified retailer of Apple’s full line of products.
General information on GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the company's
corporate website. Follow GameStop on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/GameStop and
find GameStop on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/GameStop.
Source: GameStop Corp.
GameStop Corp.
Joey Mooring
817-722-7450
joeymooring@gamestop.com
