Intelligent SME.tech Issue 35 | Page 7

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Phone leasing unleashed : Uswitch and Raylo break the contract cycle

Mobile phone users interested in securing the latest devices every year can now swap owning for leasing their handset , following a new partnership between Uswitch . com , a UK comparison and switching service , and Raylo , a sustainable start-up .

Sprout Social acquires Tagger Media

Sprout Social , an industryleading provider of social media management software , announced the acquisition of Tagger Media , a leading influencer marketing and social intelligence platform . This acquisition will further establish Sprout as a leader in the social media software market with a comprehensive platform that empowers brands to execute a holistic social strategy at scale . the next generation of social insights to our customers to fuel business strategy and measure the full ROI of holistic social investments .”

Tagger Media was founded in 2015 to make influencer marketing more effective and accessible for all brands .

Raylo is disrupting the ‘ buy-and-dispose ’ cycle with its device leasing service , offering customers more flexibility and low monthly pricing compared to traditional device ownership . The subscriptions are available for one , two or three years , with the option to upgrade to a new phone at the end of each subscription term – and with nothing to pay upfront .

The affordability of Raylo ’ s leasing plans makes it an attractive alternative to purchasing a new phone . For instance , customers can access a new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 in Graphite starting from £ 30.80 per month for one year , compared to the hefty £ 959 price tag when buying outright .

“ As influencer marketing has changed the way brands build awareness and connection , our customers are increasingly demanding to break the workflow silos between core social media strategies ,” said Justyn Howard , Sprout Social ’ s CEO and Co-founder . “ By bringing Tagger ’ s influencer marketing software into Sprout ’ s suite of solutions , we have the opportunity to deliver

Lopay teams up with TrueLayer to offer merchant-friendly instant payouts

TrueLayer , one of Europe ’ s leading open banking payments networks , has announced that Lopay , one of the UK ’ s highest-rated point-of-sale ( POS ) solutions , now offers its real-time settlement solution to its 20,000 businesses .

With thousands of happy customers and a near-perfect rating of 4.9 in the Apple App Store , Lopay is known as the point-ofsale platform that gives small businesses more . Combined with low fees for using its service – typically less than half of some of its closest competitors – Lopay aims to help the businesses it serves keep more of their hard-earned money .

Typically , point-of-sale providers offer next business day settlement on any payments collected . This delay can cause cash flow issues , particularly for SMBs . One of Lopay ’ s core differentiators is offering completely instant settlement . They wanted a fast , reliable and scalable platform to support their needs across the UK and Europe and selected TrueLayer as the partner that could offer this .