GameStop Technology Institute Builds On IT Technology Innovation To Drive Positive Customer Experiences

GameStop (NYSE: GME), a family of specialty retail brands that makes consumers' favorite technologies affordable and simple, announced today that its GameStop Technology Institute (GTI) business unit has entered into strategic partnerships with Shelfbucks, BestFit Mobile and Dynamic Signal to further extend its focus on driving technological innovation and change within its store environments.

Dedicated to harnessing the power of new and emerging technologies to better address the needs of today’s empowered and informed consumer, GTI was launched by GameStop to pursue an open innovation strategy whereby the Company partners with leading organizations and institutions to explore and build best-in-class research and development capabilities.

GTI was created to understand the drivers surrounding the evolution of the retail industry and advance the pace of change – always keeping the customer experience in mind. With these new partnerships the company is further executing against this overarching goal to create and implement, within its global retail locations, the next generation of business applications for the sector as a whole.

Ongoing Commitment to Innovation to Meet Evolving Needs of Consumers

Working to develop retail solutions that create a positive in-store experience is a key priority for GTI. With this focus in mind, GameStop is partnering to bring Shelfbucks’ iBeacon Platform and BestFit Mobile’s ProxDK solution, into to its brick and mortar retail locations. Through the deployment of these new communication capabilities, the retailer is launching a big differentiator in consumer engagement technology – putting the customer in control of the shopping experience. While today’s customers are traditionally bombarded with promotional offers the minute they enter a retail location, GameStop shoppers will need to take proactive steps, moving smartphones close to beacons installed on store shelving to instantly receive real-time, customized offers via the retailer's app. As a result, customers will be able to receive digital content that is specifically tailored to their areas of interest when they need it most – shopping inside a physical GameStop store.

Under the terms of the agreement with GTI, the Shelfbucks iBeacon Platform will provide the configuration, deployment and ongoing operation/support for the in-store beacons, as well as the platform to integrate with GameStop’s promotions; while BestFit’s Mobile ProxDK solution will enable for seamless consumer engagement based on a user’s proximity to beacons. Moving forward the collaboration between the three technology providers will also serve as a basis for future retail innovations related to enhancing customer experiences in physical stores.

“Digitization of the physical retail space has always been a top priority of GTI as we look to further GameStop’s evolution as a technology provider,” said Charlie Larkin, senior director, technology innovation at GameStop. “Through our partnership with Shelfbucks and our initial deployment of their iBeacon Platform, there are numerous ways to leverage the emerging technology to deliver a next-generation shopping experience.”

Beginning this September, GTI will formally deploy the iBeacon Platform in approximately 36 locations in its Austin and College Station, Texas test markets. Following the initial test period, GameStop will assess the customer adoption and business value of the promotional capabilities with the potential for the possibility of an additional roll-out in another 60 stores by the end of the year.

Amplifying the Employees’ Voice Via Social Media Initiatives

Since the first GameStop opened twenty years ago, store employees have always played a critical role as informal ambassadors for the retailer’s brand. Today, recognizing the need for a more sophisticated approach to managing the GameStop conversation externally, GTI is partnering with Dynamic Signal to deploy a cloud-based solution designed to amplify the voice of employees online while taking into account the unique nature of content management at GameStop.

Leveraging Dynamic Signal’s VoiceStream technology, GameStop is able to unite with interested employees to drive awareness, reach and engagement in an easy-to-use, brand-safe environment. Moving forward, GTI will now rely upon the VoiceStream platform to facilitate every aspect of this process – helping to identify, recruit and engage advocates and providing them with the tools to share GameStop approved content via web and mobile devices.

“The development and deployment of traffic driving technology is a critical component of GTI’s focus on innovation and interaction at the store level,” said Jeff Donaldson, senior vice president of GameStop Technology Institute. “Recognizing that the interaction between our employees and the customers in the local community is the most valuable type of relationship, we committed to working with Dynamic Solutions to put a technology platform in place that amplifies those conversations beyond the brick and mortar location to create lasting value for all parties involved.”

For more information about Shelfbucks’ leading iBeacon promotion platform, visit http://www.shelfbucks.com. For information about the Dynamic Signal’s VoiceStream technology platform, please visit http://dynamicsignal.com.

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; and www.buymytronics.com, an online consumer electronics trade-in platform. In addition, our Technology Brands segment includes our Simply Mac, Spring Mobile and Cricket stores. Simply Mac, www.simplymac.com, operates 23 stores, selling the full line of Apple products, including laptops, tablets, smartphones and offering Apple certified warranty and repair services. Spring Mobile, http://springmobile.com, sells post-paid AT&T services and wireless products through its 210 AT&T branded stores. Cricket Wireless, www.cricketwireless.com, is a new AT&T brand offering pre-paid wireless services, devices and related accessories. We operate 37 Cricket stores in select markets throughout the United States.

General information about 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.