Shift7 Digital

Canaccord Genuity Advises Salesforce B2B Commerce Consultancy Shift7 Digital on its Sale to Merkle, a subsidiary of Dentsu

Shift7 will Bolster Merkle’s Global Experience and Commerce Practice

Canaccord Genuity is pleased to announce it has advised Salesforce B2B commerce consultancy Shift7 Digital, a portfolio company of RLH Equity Partners, on its sale to Merkle, a leading technology-enabled, data-driven customer experience management company within Dentsu Group Inc. (TSE: 4324). Shift7 was previously a portfolio company of RLH Equity Partners and Salesforce Ventures.

Shift7 helps B2B companies modernize the marketing and sales process by optimizing customer touchpoints and delivering a seamless self-service experience. By shifting the way manufacturers and distributors engage with customers online, the company enables brands to increase sales, improve profitability, and forge long-lasting customer relationships. Shift7 is headquartered  in New York, with offices in Chicago and Los Angeles. The company’s leadership team and employees will join Merkle as part of its Experience and Commerce practice in the Americas.

The acquisition will bolster Merkle's position as a leading experience partner for B2B transformation. A Salesforce Crest Partner, Shift7 adds strong B2B Salesforce multi-cloud capabilities and will bring more than 129 Salesforce certifications to the Merkle team, while expanding its existing offering in Salesforce B2B commerce, sales, and service cloud capabilities. Merkle formally announced the creation of its Experience and Commerce practice in 2022, which comprises a team of more than 4,000 experts globally across experience and product design, technology, commerce transformation, strategy and operations, digital messaging, loyalty, and promotions.

Merkle specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of customer portfolios. The company's heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive hyper-personalized marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in consulting, creative, media, analytics, data, identity, customer experience, commerce, technology, loyalty, and promotions drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. Merkle has more than 16,000 employees in 30+ countries throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.

Dentsu is the network designed for what's next, helping clients predict and plan for disruptive future opportunities, and create growth in the sustainable economy. As part of Dentsu Group Inc, the business is headquartered in Tokyo with more than 69,000 employees working across four regions (Japan, Americas, EMEA, and APAC).

Canaccord Genuity, with a team led by Sanjay Chadda and Rohan Sura, served as the exclusive financial advisor to Shift7 Digital and RLH Equity Partners.