Gridsum Launches AI-Driven Intelligent CRM Solution

Beijing, China /PRNewswire/ - Gridsum Holding Inc. ("Gridsum" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: GSUM), a leading provider of cloud-based big-data analytics and enterprise focused artificial intelligence ("AI") solutions in China, today announced that it has launched its AI-driven, Software as a Service ("SaaS"), Intelligent CRM Solution for the Chinamarket.

The Intelligent CRM Solution is a cloud-based, marketing-centric CRM solution tailor-made for both multinational and local companies operating in China. The solution leverages Gridsum's expertise in big data analytics and AI, combining Gridsum's "best of breed" marketing technology with leading sales intelligence technologies spanning multiple customer devices and integrating with key social networking platforms. The solution will also leverage Blockchain technologies in a number of specific areas going forward. It sets Gridsum apart from its competitors in a China SaaS CRM market expected to grow from an estimated RMB5.59 billion (US$0.85 billion) in 2017 to an estimated RMB15.1 billion (US$2.28 billion) by 2020[1], representing a CAGR of 39.3%.

Mr. Guosheng Qi, Chief Executive Officer of Gridsum, commented, "We are excited to launch our Intelligent CRM Solution after substantial research, development and real world operation. As the number of online and offline points of contact with consumers multiply, it has become infinitely more difficult for companies to identify and win potential customers in the most efficient manner. As Chinese consumers increasingly embrace 'new retail', our solution will help our clients to automate and, through machine learning, efficiently acquire, develop and manage both potential and existing customers through a variety of activities. By converging a client's business intelligence data with Gridsum Prophet and our marketing automation suite, we will be able to substantially drive sales efficiency with significant, immediate and quantifiable KPI enhancement for our clients. The market opportunity in China for marketing-centric CRM solutions is huge given the proliferation of mobile devices, the deep penetration that social media networks have, and the emergence of a new era of retail. The development of this product is another step in our strategy to leverage our core platform and capabilities into other areas of our clients' organizations, and to cross-sell and upsell our existing products and services to create greater value for clients."

Leveraging Gridsum's core competency and competitive advantages in big data analytics and AI, the Company combined cutting edge marketing and sales intelligence technology to create a CRM solution that specifically caters to enterprises operating in China. Both multinational companies and leading local companies in China have tended to use process-centric, system-heavy, legacy on-premises CRM systems that focus on tracking historical client contacts rather than leveraging advanced cloud-based solutions that are marketing-centric and focus on driving sales. This creates a substantial market opportunity for Gridsum which has already begun to cross-market and upsell the solution to its impressive existing portfolio of marketing automation and other clients.

Gridsum's Intelligent CRM Solution allows its clients to leverage both online and offline data derived from their digital marketing and sales divisions and customers' digital footprints, to drive sales and close orders in a more efficient and KPI-enhancing manner. The solution leverages Gridsum's AI Engine, the "Gridsum Prophet", and its marketing automation suite, as well as Gridsum's deep experience in seamlessly interfacing its marketing automation suite with its clients' sales infrastructure and systems, to create a ground breaking and tailor-made marketing-centric CRM solution for the China market.

Gridsum's Intelligent CRM solution will allow clients to automate and increase sales efficiency across their entire businesses by marketing to individual customers rather than broader demographics. The solution is designed and optimized as a powerful and complete standalone CRM solution. It also has advanced "plug and play" dynamics allowing it to seamlessly integrate with a client's legacy systems where necessary. With machine learning, Gridsum's clients will be able to automate the identification, prioritization and "valuation" of promising leads and relationships and sort through massive amounts of data related to multiple areas of their business - from marketing and sales, to loyalty programs, e-commerce, promotions, and more - to easily track customers throughout the different stages of the customer lifecycle. By seamlessly integrating multiple social platforms, Gridsum clients will also be able to create a "social map" of their customers' professional and social networks, matching this to their own organizations, to further drive the sales process.

Additionally, Gridsum's Intelligent CRM Solution will increasingly leverage key Blockchain technology features going forward to: accelerate and automate the often cumbersome contractual processes associated with sales and customer support; facilitate customer loyalty program modules built into the solution; support our clients' ecommerce; and integrate over the longer term into corporate ERP systems to effectively turn the supply chain into a "demand chain" profit center. This distinguishes Gridsum as an early mover and pioneer in this area in the China market. The company expects these features to grow in importance as the use of blockchain technology becomes more widespread in the China market and globally.

About Gridsum
Gridsum Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: GSUM), is a leading provider of cloud-based big-data analytics and AI solutions for multinational and domestic enterprises and government agencies in China. Gridsum's core technology, the Gridsum Big Data Platform, is built on a distributed computing framework and performs real-time multi-dimensional correlation analysis of both structured and unstructured data. This enables Gridsum's customers to identify complex relationships within their data and gain new insights that help them make better business decisions. The Company is named "Gridsum" to symbolize the combination of distributed computing (Grid) and analytics (sum). As a digital intelligence pioneer, the Company's mission is to help enterprises and government organizations in China use data in new and powerful ways to make better informed decisions and be more productive.

Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to" and similar statements. Among other things, quotations from management in this announcement, statements in this announcement about the capabilities of Gridsum's Intelligent CRM Solution, and about the China SaaS CRM addressable market are forward-looking statements, as well as Gridsum's strategic and operational plans contain forward-looking statements. Gridsum may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Gridsum's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: unexpected difficulties in Gridsum's pursuit of its goals and strategies; the unexpected developments, including slow growth, in the digital intelligence market; reduced demand for, and market acceptance of, Gridsum's solutions; difficulties keeping and strengthening relationships with customers; potentially costly research and development activities; competitions in the digital intelligence market; PRC governmental policies relating to media, software, big data, the internet, internet content providers and online advertising; and general economic and business conditions in the regions where Gridsum provides solutions and services. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Gridsum's reports filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Gridsum undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please visit http://www.gridsum.com/.

[1] According to data from Analysys, a leading China research company.
Source: https://www.analysys.cn/analysis/trade/detail/1000275/
The original source RMB data was converted to USD at the rate of RMB6.6088 to US$1.00.