Retain

What Retain does

Retain (legal name: Retain Branding Solutions) is a privately held, founder-owned customer loyalty and retention marketing firm founded in 1995 and headquartered in Canton, Ohio. The company operates a cloud-based platform that combines personalized photo-based physical gifts (laminated calendars, whiteboards, postcards) with automated digital communications (email, SMS, social media posts) to help businesses stay top-of-mind with customers after the initial sale. Its primary go-to-market targets automotive dealers and real estate professionals, with secondary reach into service-based businesses, delivered across all 50 U.S. states through direct sales and a reseller program that grants exclusive territory rights.

The underlying technology stack comprises a mobile app (iOS and Android) for capturing customer photos at point of sale, CRM/DMS integrations for data flow, an in-house printing operation for physical fulfillment, and a patent-pending photo-based follow-up method that sequences the production of personalized gifts with automated multi-channel messaging. The platform supports modules including Follow-Up Texts, Loyalty Points Program, Social Media Integration (Facebook and Twitter), Custom Email & Calendar campaigns, and a Calendar Refill subscription shop, all operated on a no-contract, one-week onboarding model with 24/7 support.

Retain generates revenue through subscription fees for platform access, professional printing services, points-based loyalty program management, and a reseller channel where partners earn commissions on territory sales. The company is operationally aligned with Best Version Media as a parent/branding entity. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company has stated it has reached over one million customers through its loyalty program and is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding.

Name

Retain

Legal name

Retain Branding Solutions

Website

https://retainloyalty.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Retain is a Canton, Ohio-based customer loyalty platform founded in 1995 that combines personalized photo-based physical gifts with automated email, SMS, and social media follow-up to help automotive dealers, real estate professionals, and service-based SMBs drive repeat business and referrals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Customer Loyalty & Retention Software

NAICS

Direct Mail Advertising (54186)

SIC

Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331)

akta.pro primary industry

Loyalty, Rewards & Retention Platforms (BPAFAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer Retention, Win-Back & Churn Reduction Programs (MPAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Customer loyalty software
• Marketing automation platform
• Photo-based follow-up
• Referral marketing service
• Automated retention marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Massillon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SaaS Platform Subscription: Monthly/annual subscription for access to the loyalty platform, mobile app, automated marketing tools, and CRM integration. No contracts required.
2. Professional Printing Services: In-house printing of photo calendars (one-year and two-year laminated with magnetic backing), whiteboards, postcards, and other branded materials. Integrated into automated campaigns.
3. Loyalty Points Program: Points-based loyalty system that rewards repeat visits and referrals. Customizable rules for earning and redeeming points.
4. Reseller Program: Turnkey business opportunity for entrepreneurs to resell Retain's loyalty solutions in protected territories. Low fee with no royalty until 3rd month.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Retain provides a photo-based customer loyalty and retention platform for small and mid-sized businesses. Clients submit a single photo of a buyer or customer, and the system automates personalized physical mailings (laminated calendars, whiteboards, postcards) and digital touchpoints (email, SMS, social media posts) to drive repeat business and referrals. The platform targets automotive dealers, real estate professionals, and other service-based local businesses across the United States.

Product overview

Retain is a unified customer loyalty and retention platform combining personalized photo-based physical gifts (laminated calendars, whiteboards, postcards) with automated digital communications (email, SMS text, social media posting) and a points-based loyalty rewards program. The platform centers on a mobile app (iOS/Android) for capturing customer photos at the point of sale, which triggers integrated follow-up workflows including in-house printing, automated message delivery, and social media posting. Key modules include Follow-Up Texts, Loyalty Points Program, Professional Printing, Social Media Integration (Facebook and Twitter), and Custom Email & Calendar campaigns. The platform integrates with existing CRM/DMS systems and operates on a no-contract, done-for-you model with one-week onboarding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million customers have been reached through the Retain loyalty program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Best Version MediaminorOthersParent company branding visible on Retain website. Best Version Media appears to be the parent company providing branding and operational infrastructure for Retain.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Regional players

• Real Geeks: Real estate CRM and lead-nurture platform for real estate agents/brokers. Comparable as a competitor in Retain's real estate vertical — both aim to drive repeat business and referrals through automated follow-up, but Real Geeks is software-only (no physical gifting).

Direct peers

• Zinrelo: Cloud-based customer loyalty and retention platform for retail, ecommerce, and SMBs. Comparable because both offer subscription-based retention automation (points, referrals, automated follow-up) for growing businesses.
• LoyaltyLion: Loyalty and retention platform purpose-built for independent retailers and DTC brands. Directly comparable to Retain's recurring subscription loyalty product targeting smaller merchants.
• Smile.io: Loyalty rewards platform focused on Shopify SMB merchants with points programs, referral, and VIP tiers. Highly comparable to Retain's loyalty points program offering and SMB sales motion.
• Yotpo: Cloud-based loyalty and retention platform for SMB and mid-market e-commerce/retail brands. Directly comparable because both Retain and Yotpo package a SaaS loyalty engine (points, rewards, automated messaging) sold to SMB customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• Annex Cloud (Annexa): Enterprise-grade loyalty and customer engagement platform with broader scale, advanced analytics, and enterprise integrations. Comparable because it operates in the same loyalty/retention space as Retain but serves larger customers with a wider product portfolio.
• Keap (Infusionsoft): SMB-focused CRM and marketing automation platform with built-in follow-up email/SMS workflows. Comparable because it provides small businesses with automated retention/follow-up capabilities that overlap directly with Retain's messaging automation module.
• Square Loyalty (Block): Built-in loyalty program bundled with Square's POS platform for SMB merchants. Comparable because it targets the same small-business retention use case as Retain and is sold into the same SMB market, but at much greater scale as a feature of a payments platform.
• VinSolutions (Cox Automotive): CRM platform purpose-built for automotive dealers with customer follow-up, equity mining, and retention tools. Highly comparable to Retain's automotive-dealer vertical solution and represents a well-funded incumbent in Retain's largest target segment.
• Constant Contact: Established SMB email marketing and automated engagement platform with a similar target buyer (small/mid-market businesses). Comparable as a broader incumbent in the customer engagement communications layer that Retain's automated email/text features compete against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/retainllc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Retain