In the first major customer relationship management industry consolidation deal of 2002, PeopleSoft Inc. announced plans last Friday to buy privately held marketing automation software developer Annuncio Software Inc.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though the deal will give PeopleSoft Annuncios intellectual property and certain other assets.
Annuncio is best known for so-called “dialog marketing” over e-mail and the Web. Its products include Annuncio Live for campaign automation and Annuncio Bright for e-merchandising and Web personalization.
The Mountain View, Calif.-based company was due to announce later this month a new version of its marketing automation platform, featuring integrated analytics provided by MicroStrategy Inc.
PeopleSoft, of Pleasanton, Calif., plans to add the Annuncio technologies to the CRM Marketing applications in its PeopleSoft 8 CRM suite. Those applications are today focused mostly on direct marketing and telemarketing.
“The expanded functionality will enable companies to build loyal customer relationships, increase revenue, and communicate more effectively through more interactive media – where costs can be lower, more information can be conveyed, and more personalized offers and promotions can be delivered,” said Stan Swete, CRM general manager at PeopleSoft, in a statement.
The acquisition has already been approved by the majority of Annuncio shareholders and is expected to close this quarter.