Spotler Group expands with acquisition of CRM specialist Really Simple Systems

Dutch martech group Spotler has acquired UK CRM specialist Really Simple Systems in a transaction originated by CapEQ.

Founded in 2004, Hampshire-based Really Simple Systems’ easy-to-use cloud-based CRM is primarily used by marketing teams in the UK, Europe, Australia, and the USA, with customers including The British Museum, Royal Academy of Arts, and British Red Cross among others.

The acquisition follows Spotler Group’s €30m (£25.9m) capital raise led by CNBB Equity Partners, with Really Simple Systems the fifth brand to join the Rotterdam-headquartered group.

Helen Armour, General Manager of Really Simple Systems said: “I’m delighted that our team and our customers are joining the Spotler Group.

“We share the same values in supporting ambitious marketing teams, and by bringing our technologies together, we will significantly strengthen the value to our customers.

“The vision that drives our technology development, R&D and acquisition strategy has always been to build a data-driven, AI-powered marketing automation platform, and this is another step in realising this goal as marketing technologists recognise that implementing a CRM is key to their effectiveness.”

The extensive Spotler marketing suite already includes automated omnichannel marketing, web and email personalisation, social media management, visitor intelligence, brand monitoring and intelligent chatbots. And while this does not indicate an end to the acquisitions by the group, adding Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to the Spotler martech stack is seen as a key piece of the puzzle.

With the strategic acquisition of Really Simple Systems, Spotler continues to invest in a strong B2B offering to the market founded on marketing data and actionable audience insight.

Lee Chadwick, CEO of Spotler Group, commented: “I believe that marketing science is in the data, not just in the message and I’m excited by what the team at Really Simple Systems and their technology will bring to the group in delivering on that, what this will mean for our customers and the strength of our combined offering in the market.”

The addition of CRM functionality to the Spotler marketing suite creates a complete set of marketing technology, or a one-stop shop for ambitious marketing teams, specifically in the mid-market, who enterprise vendors poorly serve in terms of modularity and cost.

The shareholders of Really Simple Systems were advised by CapEQ (corporate finance) and HCR Law (legal). Spotler was advised by McCarthy Denning (law). The price and terms are undisclosed.

CapEQ Partner Doug Edmunds added: “It’s been a pleasure working with Really Simple Systems founder John Paterson and the team at Spotler. It’s a great business combination which will benefit customers, staff and partners, and we wish everyone the best for the future.”