Intelligent Clearing Network

Intelligent Clearing Network (ICN), established in 2008 by co-founders Rich Thibedeau and Brian Schulte, operates as a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider focused on promotion management and coupon validation. The founding team, which also includes Jon Robertson, leveraged their prior experience from Relationship Marketing Group (RMG), a company specializing in one-to-one marketing based on consumer purchase data, which was later acquired by Valassis. Thibedeau's career, with its roots in retail technology and marketing services, and Schulte's background in database platforms and product management at Valassis, provided the foundational expertise for ICN.

The company addresses the retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG), and media industries by offering a unified electronic solution for both digital and paper coupons. ICN's business model is centered on providing a cloud-based platform that facilitates real-time coupon validation, fraud prevention, clearing, and settlement. This approach modernizes the traditionally inefficient and fraud-prone physical coupon clearing process. Revenue is generated by providing these technology solutions to retailers and manufacturers, enabling them to manage promotions more effectively.

ICN’s core service moves the point-of-sale promotion engine to the cloud, allowing for the real-time authentication of coupons. This patented technology can decode GS1 databars to ensure all offer criteria are met, automatically rejecting fraudulent coupons based on manufacturer master files and rule sets. Key benefits for their clients include a significant reduction in coupon fraud, which can cost thousands per store annually, and a drastically shortened reimbursement cycle from manufacturers, often from months to weeks. Furthermore, the platform empowers retailers' marketing teams to create, manage, and track a variety of promotions—including direct-to-card, points programs, and complex multi-product offers—without requiring internal IT resources. In 2021, the company partnered with InComm Payments to integrate its services, making their fraud prevention and electronic clearing solutions more accessible to a wider network of retailers.

Keywords: coupon validation, promotion management, retail technology, CPG marketing, fraud prevention, SaaS, digital coupon, paper coupon clearing, electronic settlement, point of sale technology, trade promotion, loyalty programs, real-time validation, retail analytics, coupon fraud, direct-to-card offers, shopper marketing, marketing services, retail SaaS, consumer promotions