South Shields PPC company targets international expansion and new North East jobs

A retail technology company is planning continuous international expansion and job creations in the region after exceeding expectations in its first year of business.

Shoptimised, which provides product feed optimisation platforms and price comparison software, has won clients in 15 countries around the world since its launch in February 2018.

The business, based in South Shields, is one of only a handful of similar ventures worldwide, and has built up a following of major e-commerce retailers and digital marketing agencies through its creation of a platform designed for PPC professionals.

On the back of its first-year success - which has seen targets beaten by over 30 per cent - Shoptimised is now looking at the next stage of expansion, which will see it add a number of new roles to its operation as it bids to keep pace with its growth.

Shoptimised is being supported with its legal requirements by law firm Sintons, with Lucy Carlin, a regional specialist tech lawyer, acting for John and his team.

Lucy, senior associate at Sintons, said: “Through using his knowledge of the rapidly- developing PPC market, John and his co-founder John Oram came up with the idea for Shoptimised and even developed software in-house to ensure the business offers exactly what is required to retailers and e-marketers alike.

“The fact Shoptimised’s platforms are being embraced by major names internationally within its first 12 months of business is testament to the innovation and hard work of the team, and its growth looks set to continue apace as it continues to win new work around the world.

“We are very pleased to work with John and his team to support them with their ongoing expansion.”

Further international expansion, including developing a foothold in the United States, is also an aim for Shoptimised - based in South Shields’ One Trinity Green development - as it goes into year two.

John Cave, co-founder of Shoptimised, added: “The vision for the business has always been to make feed optimisation simple and accessible, and we wanted to create the software to make that possible.

“It was a case of scratching our own itch - we knew what we wanted to do, but the platform that was exactly what we wanted wasn’t available, so we built it ourselves.

“We have built up a decent footprint in the UK and are in countries around the world, and we have organically gained a number one ranking on Google for product feed optimisation.

“We expect these levels of growth to continue and we will be creating jobs and expanding our presence in South Tyneside as this expansion goes on.”