Ascential acquires US e-commerce start-up Oneclickretail.com

Events and publishing group Ascential has acquired US-based e-commerce analytics specialist OneClickRetail.com for an initial $44m in cash plus earn-out payments based on future profits that could take the total to $225m.

The addition of One Click, which helps major brands including Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestle and Panasonic improve sales via Amazon and other online retail channels, is expected to be enhancing to adjusted earnings per share in the first full year of ownership, with the purchase funded by existing cash resources.

Founded in 2013 by former Amazon and Walmart executive Spencer Millerberg, One Click generated a 59% increase in revenue to $4.9m and 78% growth in adjusted operating profits to $3.4m in calendar 2015, with revenue generated predominantly through recurring annual subscriptions to the company's Dashboard product which provides insights to help customers drive sales through Amazon and elsewhere.

Its continued strong growth in 2016 has seen annualised subscription contracts last month climb to $10.1m.

Having identified e-commerce as an attractive vertical, Ascential chief executive Duncan Painter said One Click was a business the company has been "tracking for some time in an exciting part of the retail vertical", which the group believes it can help accelerate globally through cross-selling their products to existing clients of Ascential and other means.

"As a high-growth, globally scalable subscription information service product, One Click Retail fits with Ascential's strategy of owning scalable, global market-leading products and we look forward to helping its talented management team to accelerate its growth."