Montreal-based local marketing automation company SweetIQ is about to test the waters in the US market.

The startup bought the local marketing division of Burbank, California-based Connectivity, a direct to business local marketing firm based in Burbank, California that works with over 20,000 brick-and-mortar locations across the United States.

The all-cash purchase will accelerate SweetIQ’s ongoing expansion in the US market. SweetIQ has also opened a new office in Irvine, California to accommodate its growing US customer base, which includes the newly-acquired customers from Connectivity. The company said it’s adding 30 sales reps to support its US market growth.

“We are looking forward to working with the clients… from Connectivity and improve their local performance,” said CEO Mohannad El-Barachi.

“After receiving multiple offers it became clear very quickly that the SweetIQ platform, service, and product vision are second to none,” added Connectivity’s founder, Emad Fanous. “Our clients’ transition to the SweetIQ platform has been seamless, and the company is well positioned to become a key player in the local marketing space.”

Founded in 2010, SweetIQ works with over 200 Fortune 500 brands and marketing agencies across North America. The company helps digital marketing teams understand the performance of their physical stores online, powering them with the tools they need to generate and execute local marketing campaigns, and measure their offline, in-store impact.

According to the startup, the new acquisition speaks to a “growing shift in the local marketing industry toward complex, analytics-driven products that allow brands to better connect with hyper-local consumers. A competitive market environment is pushing national brands and agencies to move beyond basic listings products in an effort to drive higher performance from their local marketing initiatives.”

“SweetIQ is well-positioned to maneuver these industry shifts, and this acquisition is indicative of our ability to anticipate what our clients need, both now and in the future” said El-Barachi. “We are reviewing several other expansion opportunities and hope to make additional announcements soon.”