CREATIVE REALITIES, INC. - Annual Report: 2021 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark one)

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

OR

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ___________ to ___________

Commission file number 001-33169

Creative Realities, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(502) 791-8800

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐  No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates was $25,772,393 as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

As of March 22, 2022, the registrant had 17,124,986 shares of common stock outstanding.

TABLE  OF CONTENTS

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS;

RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

The information in this Report contains various forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Although we believe that, in making any such statements, our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any such statements may be influenced by factors that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different from those projected. When used in the following discussion, the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “projects,” should,” “may,” “propose,” and similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions), are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.

We caution you that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described in this Report occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements.

All forward-looking statements, expressed or implied, included in this Report are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary note. This cautionary note should also be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that we or persons acting on our behalf may issue. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, we disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Report.

A summary of the principal risk factors that make investing in our securities risky and might cause our actual results to differ is set forth below. The following is only a summary of the principal risks that may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. This summary should be read in conjunction with the more complete discussion of the risk factors we face, which are set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this Report.

Risks Related to our Business and our Industry

Risks Related to our Acquisition of Reflect Systems, Inc. (“Reflect”)

Risks Related to our Securities and our Company

General Risk Factors

PART I

ITEM 1 BUSINESS

(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousand, except share and per share amounts.) 

Our Company

Creative Realities, Inc. (“Creative Realities”, or the “Company”) provides digital solutions to enhance communications in a wide-ranging variety of out-of-home environments by providing innovative digital signage solutions for key market segments and use cases, including:

We serve market-leading companies, so there is a good chance that if you leave your home today to shop, work, eat or play, you will encounter one or more of our digital signage experiences. Our solutions are increasingly visible because we help our enterprise clients achieve a wide range of business objectives including:

Through a combination of organically grown platforms and a series of strategic acquisitions, including our recent acquisition of Reflect Systems, Inc. in February 2022, the Company assists clients to design, deploy, manage, and monetize their digital signage networks. The Company sources leads and opportunities for its solutions through its digital and content marketing initiatives, close relationships with key industry partners, equipment manufacturers, and the direct efforts of its in-house industry sales experts. Client engagements focus on consultative conversations that ensure the Company’s solutions are positioned to help clients achieve their business objectives in the most cost-effective manner possible.

When comparing Creative Realities to other digital signage competitors, our customers value the following competitive advantages:

The three primary sources of revenue for the company are:

While hardware sales and support services revenues can fluctuate more significantly year over year based on new, large-scale network deployments, the Company expects to see continuous growth in recurring SaaS revenue for the foreseeable future as digital signage adoption/utilization continues to expand across the vertical markets we serve.

We believe that the adoption and evolution of our digital signage technology solutions will increase substantially in years to come in the industries in which we currently focus and in others; however it has been delayed in recent years. First, our current and potential customer base reduced capital expenditures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including capital expenditures that would be used to implement digital technology solutions. The costs of hardware configurations and software media players used to process and display content have also increased recently. Throughout 2021, we faced significant supply chain challenges which limited the availability of each of these components to our sold solutions and expect the availability of those products to continue to face supply constraints at least through the first half of 2022. Nevertheless, we believe that the costs of such hardware will decrease over time as it has done so historically, and will do so at an accelerating rate. Flat panel displays and players typically constitute a large portion of the expenditure customers make relative to the entire cost of implementing a digital marketing system implementation and can be a barrier to customer deployment. As a result, we believe that the broader adoption of digital marketing technology solutions is likely to increase, although we cannot predict the rate at which such adoption will occur.

Another key component of our business strategy, given the evolving dynamics of the industry in which we operate, is to acquire and integrate other operating companies in the industry in conjunction with pursuing our organic growth objectives. We believe that the selective acquisition and successful integration of certain companies will: accelerate our growth in targeted vertical and operating markets; enable us to cost-effectively aggregate multiple customer bases onto a single business and technology platform; provide us with greater operating scale on a consolidated basis; enable us to leverage a common set of processes and tools, and cost efficiencies company-wide; and ultimately result in higher operating profitability and cash flow from operations. Our management team evaluates acquisition opportunities on an ongoing basis. Our management team and Board of Directors have broad experience with the execution, integration, and financing of acquisitions. We believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected our smaller competitors, and as a result, there may exist acquisition opportunities in the future. We also believe that, based on the foregoing, we can successfully serve as a consolidator of multiple business and technology platforms serving similar markets.

As part of our acquisition strategy, we acquired Allure in 2018, and in February 2022, we consummated our acquisition of Reflect.

Acquisition of Reflect

On November 12, 2021, the Company and Reflect Systems, Inc., or “Reflect,” entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (as amended on February 8, 2022, the “Merger Agreement”) pursuant to which a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Creative Realities, CRI Acquisition Corporation, or “Merger Sub”, merged with and into Reflect, with Reflect surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Creative Realities, , which transaction is referred to herein as the “Merger.” On February 17, 2022, the parties consummated the Merger.

Reflect provides digital signage solutions, including software, strategic and media services to a wide range of companies across the retail, financial, hospitality and entertainment, healthcare, and employee communications industries in North America. Reflect offers digital signage platforms, including ReflectView, a platform used by companies to power hundreds of thousands of active digital displays. Through its strategic services, Reflect assists its customers with designing, deploying and optimizing their digital signage networks, and through its media services, Reflect assists customers with monetizing their digital advertising networks.

Subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, upon the closing of the Merger, Reflect stockholders as of the effective time of the Merger collectively received from the Company, in the aggregate, the following Merger consideration: (i) $16,166 payable in cash, (ii) 2,333,334 shares of common stock of Creative Realities (valued based on an issuance price of $2 per share) (the “CREX Shares”), (iii) the Secured Promissory Note (as described below), and (iv) supplemental cash payments (the “Guaranteed Consideration”), if any, payable on or after the three-year anniversary of the effective time of the Merger (subject to the Extension Option described below, the “Guarantee Date”), in an amount by which the value of the CREX Shares on such anniversary is less than $6.40 per share, or if certain customers of Reflect collectively achieve over 85,000 billable devices online at any time on or before December 31, 2022, is less than $7.20 per share (such applicable amount, the “Guaranteed Price”), multiplied by the amount of CREX Shares held by the Reflect stockholders on the Guarantee Date (subject to the Extension Option described below), subject to the terms of the Merger Agreement.

Creative Realities may exercise an extension option (the “Extension Option”) to extend the Guarantee Date from the three-year anniversary of the Closing Date to six (6) months thereafter if (i) the Extension Threshold Price is greater than or equal to 70% of the Guaranteed Price described above, and (ii) Creative Realities provides written notice of its election to exercise the Extension Option at least ten (10) days prior to the three-year anniversary of the Closing. The “Extension Threshold Price” means the average closing price per share of Creative Realities Shares as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market (or NYSE) in the fifteen (15) consecutive trading day period ending fifteen (15) days prior to the three-year anniversary of the Closing Date. If the Extension Threshold Price is less than 80% of the Guaranteed Price, then the Guaranteed Price will be increased by $1.00 per share.

Business Strategy

We believe that our existing business model is highly scalable and can be expanded successfully as we continue to grow organically and integrate operations with Reflect as a result of the Merger, acquire and integrate other companies in our target markets, strengthen our operational practices and procedures, further streamline our administrative office functions, and continue to capitalize on various marketing programs and activities.

Industry Background

We believe certain digital marketing technology industry trends are creating the opportunity for retailers, brands, venue-operators, enterprises, non-profits and other organizations to create innovative shopping, marketing, and informational experiences for their customers and other stakeholders in various venues worldwide. These trends include: (i) the expectations of technology-savvy consumers; (ii) addressing on-line competitors by improving physical experiences; (iii) a decline in the cost of hardware configurations (primarily flat panel displays) and software media players; (iv) the continued evolution of mobile, social, software and hardware technologies, applications and tools; (v) increasing sophistication of social networking platforms; (vi) increasingly complex customer requirements related to their specific digital marketing technology and solution objectives; and (vii) customers challenging service providers with the delivery of a satisfactory consumer experience with the traditional pressure on reducing installation and ongoing operating costs. 

As a result, a growing number of retailers, brands, venue-operators and other organizations have identified the need and opportunity to implement increasingly cost-effective and “sales-lifting” digital marketing, and interactive experiences to market to their customers. These experiences include creating unique and customized experiences for targeted, timely offerings and relevant promotions; improving engagement resulting in increased sales; and increasing shopping basket size. We believe our clients consider capitalizing on these industry trends to be increasingly critical to any successful “store of the future” retail and brand sales environment, especially where sales staff turnover is high, training outcomes are inconsistent and product knowledge is low.

Companies are implementing various digital marketing technology solutions, which: are implemented in multiple forms and types of configurations and locations; attempt to achieve any of a broad range of individual or combination of objectives; contain various levels of targeting; have the ability to instantly manage single or multiple locations remotely from a customer’s desktop or other connected device at each location; and are built to deliver or contain a standard or customized customer experience unique to and within the customer’s environment. Examples of such solutions include:

Our Markets

We currently market and sell our marketing technology solutions through our direct sales force, inside sales team, and word-of-mouth referrals from existing customers. Select strategic partnerships and lead generation programs also drive business to the Company through targeted business development initiatives. We market to companies that seek digital marketing solutions across multiple connected devices and who specifically seek or could benefit from enhancements to the customer experience offered in their stores, venues, brands or organizations. In addition to our direct sales force, we market our Safe Space Solutions suite of products through a network of distribution and reseller partners through which we have expanded our market presence and reach. Distributors operate on either a consignment or direct drop ship approach and no revenue is recognized until a sale is made and product is delivered.

Our digital marketing technology solutions have application in a wide variety of industries. The industries in which we sell our solutions are established and include automotive, apparel & accessories, banking, baby/children, beauty, CPG, department stores, digital out-of-home (“DOOH”), electronics, fashion, fitness, foodservice/quick service restaurant (“QSR”), financial services, gaming, luxury, mass merchants, mobile operators, and pharmacy retail; however, the planning, development, implementation and maintenance of technology-enabled experiences involving combinations of digital marketing technologies are relatively new and evolving. Moreover, a number of participants in these industries have only recently started considering or expanding the adoption of these types of technologies, solutions and experiences as part of their overall marketing strategies. 

Seasonality

A portion of our customer activity is influenced by seasonal effects related to traditional end of calendar year peak retail sales periods, traditional spring stadium/venue opening seasons, and certain other factors that arise from our target customer base. Nevertheless, our revenues can be materially affected by the launch of new markets, the timing of production rollouts, and other factors, any of which have the ability to reduce or outweigh certain seasonal effects.

Effect of General Economic Conditions on our Business

We believe that demand for our services will increase in the future in part because of new construction and remodeling activities of pre-existing retail, convenience store, stadium and event venues. While we do see reductions in retail footprints across the U.S., we see a continued focus on integration of digital into the retail marketplace and a focus on digital refreshes within the retail space to stay relevant in an evolving e-commerce marketplace. Recent general economic improvements generally make it easier for our customers to justify decisions to invest in digital marketing technology solutions. A change in the macroeconomic trend in the U.S. could have a negative impact on our customers’ ability and/or willingness to advance their digital initiatives.

Effect of Supply Chain Constraints

A key component of our business includes the sale of digital media players and digital displays supplied by third parties, each of which require semiconductors to complete the manufacturing process. Throughout 2021, we experienced disruptions and delays related to fulfillment of inventory purchases from vendors, which represent the key components to our digital signage solutions, because of a global shortage of semiconductor chips. In instances in which inventory was available, we experienced delays in transportation of these goods from manufacturers to the Company, and in delivery of our solutions to our customers. We expect the availability of these products to continue to face supply constraints at least through the first half of 2022.

Regulation

We are subject to regulation by various federal and state governmental agencies. Such regulation includes radio frequency emission regulatory activities of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, the consumer protection laws of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, product safety regulatory activities of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and environmental regulation in areas in which we conduct business. Some of the hardware components that we supply to customers may contain hazardous or regulated substances, such as lead. A number of U.S. states have adopted or are considering “takeback” bills addressing the disposal of electronic waste, including CRT style and flat panel monitors and computers. Electronic waste legislation is developing. Some of the bills passed or under consideration may impose on us, or on our customers or suppliers, requirements for disposal of systems we sell and the payment of additional fees to pay costs of disposal and recycling. Presently, we do not believe that any such legislation or proposed legislation will have a materially adverse impact on our business.

Competition 

While we believe there is presently no direct competitor with the comprehensive offering of technologies, solutions and services we provide to our customers, there are multiple individual competitors who offer pieces of our solutions. These include digital signage software companies such as Stratacache and Four Winds Interactive; marketing services companies such as Sapient Nitro or digital signage systems integrators such as SageNet. Some of these competitors may have significantly greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do and may be able to respond more rapidly than we can to new or emerging technologies or changes in customer requirements. We believe that our holistic sales and business development capabilities, network operations / field service management capabilities, our comprehensive offering of digital signage technology and solutions, brand awareness, and proprietary processes are the primary factors providing our competitive advantage.

Major Customers

We had two (2) customers that accounted for 41.1% and 27.8% of revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

We had two (2) customers that in the aggregate accounted for 56.6% and 42.6% of accounts receivable as of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.

Decisions by one or more of these key customers to not renew, terminate or substantially reduce their use of our products, technology, services, and platform could substantially slow our revenue growth and lead to a decline in revenue. Our business plan assumes continued growth in revenue, and it is unlikely that we will become profitable without a continued increase in revenue.

Territories

We sell products and services primarily throughout North America, with limited software licensing agreements operating in other international jurisdictions.

Human Capital

We have a workforce comprised of approximately 105 employees as of March 22, 2022, which represents a 40% year-over-year increase in employee headcount, driven primarily by our acquisition of Reflect in February 2022, which is further discussed in Recent Developments in Item 7 of this Annual Report. We do not have any employees that operate under collective-bargaining agreements.

Our principal offices are located at 13100 Magisterial Drive, Ste 100, Louisville, Kentucky 40223, and our telephone number at that office is (502) 791-8800. We have additional offices in the Dallas, TX, Atlanta, GA, and Windsor, Ontario (Canada) metro areas.

Corporate Organization

We originally incorporated and organized as a Minnesota corporation under the name “Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc.” in March 2003 and focused on our expertise in digital media marketing solutions, including digital signage, interactive kiosks, mobile, social media and web-based media solutions. We acquired the interactive marketing technology business that we currently operate in a 2014 merger with Creative Realities, LLC. Shortly after that merger, we changed our corporate name from “Wireless Ronin Technologies, Inc.” to “Creative Realities, Inc.” On October 15, 2015, we acquired the systems integration and marketing technology business of ConeXus World Global, LLC. On November 20, 2018, we acquired Allure, an enterprise software development company. On February 17, 2022, we acquired Reflect pursuant to the Merger.

ITEM 1A RISK FACTORS  

Our business involves a high degree of risk. In evaluating our business, you should carefully consider the specific risks described below, and any risks described in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Any of the risks we describe below could cause our business, financial condition, results of operations or future prospects to be materially adversely affected. In addition, some of the following statements are forward-looking statements.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS AND OUR INDUSTRY

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may in the future have, a significant adverse impact on our advertising revenue and also exposes our business to other risks. 

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in authorities implementing numerous preventative measures to contain or mitigate the outbreak of the virus, such as travel bans and restrictions, limitations on business activity, quarantines, and shelter-in-place orders. These measures have caused, and are continuing to cause, business slowdowns or shutdowns in certain affected areas, both regionally and worldwide, which have significantly adversely impacted our business and results of operations.

For example, for the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, our revenue was $18,437 and $17,457, representing a reduction of 42% and 45% as compared to the year ended December 31, 2019 revenue, respectively. The Company’s four-year average revenue growth rate was 29.1% from 2015 to 2019, and 2020 represented the first revenue reduction for the Company since the merger with ConeXus World Global, LLC in October 2015. This reduction was driven by a combination of factors, including, but not limited to, a decrease in revenues generated from (1) installation services following a significant increase in suspended, delayed, and cancelled customer projects, initiatives, and capital expenditures as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) management services related to contracts with customers which were partially or permanently closed during the year(s), and (3) reductions in new customer acquisition, each of which were directly attributable, either in whole or in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic. While we grew revenue 5.6% in 2021, this growth rate is below our historic average.

While we have seen improved revenue generation and customer activity in the second half of 2020 and in 2021, there can be no assurance that it will not decrease again as a result of the effects of the pandemic. In addition, we believe that the pandemic has contributed to an acceleration in the shift of commerce from offline to online, potentially altering customer demand for our products and services as our customers evaluate the most effective approach to capture consumer demand.

The demand for and pricing of our services may be materially and adversely impacted by the pandemic for the foreseeable future, and we are unable to predict the duration or degree of such impact with any certainty. In addition to the impact on our installation and managed services business, the pandemic exposes our business, operations, and workforce to a variety of other risks, including:

Any of these developments may adversely affect our business, harm our reputation, or result in legal or regulatory actions against us. The persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the preventative measures implemented to help limit the spread of the illness, have impacted, and will continue to impact, our ability to operate our business and may materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We have generally incurred losses, and may never become or remain profitable.

We have incurred historical net losses, and we have had negative cash flows from operations. While we have been able to achieve profitability in 2021, it is uncertain whether we will be able to sustain or increase our profitability in successive periods.

We have formulated our business plans and strategies based on certain assumptions regarding the acceptance of our business model and the marketing of our products and services. Nevertheless, our assessments regarding market size, market share, market acceptance of our products and services and a variety of other factors may prove incorrect. Our future success will depend upon many factors, including factors beyond our control and those that cannot be predicted at this time. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also caused a significant increase in suspended, delayed, and cancelled customer projects, initiatives, and capital expenditures, and it is not known when these opportunities will be revived for the Company, if at all.

Our digital marketing business is evolving in a rapidly changing market, and we cannot ensure the long-term successful operation of our business or the execution of our business plan.

Our digital marketing technology and solutions are an evolving business offering and the markets in which we compete are rapidly changing and the evolution has slowed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, our prospects must be considered in light of the risks, expenses and difficulties frequently encountered by growing companies in new and rapidly evolving markets. We may be unable to accomplish any of the following, which would materially impact our ability to implement our business plan:

Our business strategy may be unsuccessful and we may be unable to address the risks we face in a cost-effective manner, if at all. If we are unable to successfully accomplish these tasks, our business will be harmed.

Adequate funds for our operations may not be available, requiring us to raise additional financing or else curtail our activities significantly.

During February of 2022, the Company completed a Debt Financing and Equity Financing (as further described in this Annual Report), which resulted in gross proceeds to the Company, prior to deducting placement agent and other offering fees, of approximately $20,000.

The net proceeds from the forgoing financings were used to pay the cash portion of the merger consideration payable to former stockholders of Reflect in connection with our acquisition of Reflect in February 2022. As a result, we may be required to raise additional funding through public or private financings, including equity financings, through 2022 and beyond. We have an “at-the-market” offering in place, pursuant to which we may direct Roth Capital Partners, our sale agent, to sell shares of our common stock to investors in the market, subject to the terms and conditions of a sales agreement. These sales are dilutive to shareholders. Any additional equity financings may also be dilutive to shareholders and may be completed at a discount to the then-current market price of our securities. Debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants on our operations or pertaining to future financing arrangements. Nevertheless, we may not successfully complete any future equity or debt financing. Adequate funds for our operations, whether from financial markets, collaborative or other arrangements, may not be available when needed or on terms attractive to us. If adequate funds are not available, our plans to operate our business may be adversely affected and we could be required to curtail our activities significantly and/or cease operating.

We do not have sufficient capital to engage in material research and development, which may harm our long-term growth.

In light of our limited resources in general, we have limited material investments in research and development over the past several years. This conserves capital in the short term. In the long term, as a result of our failure to invest in research and development, our technology and product offerings may not keep pace with the market, and we may lose any current existing competitive advantage. Over the long term, this may harm our revenues growth and our ability to become profitable.

We are reliant on the continued support of a related party for adequate financing of our operations.

As of March 22, 2022, our largest shareholder and investor, Slipstream Communications LLC (“Slipstream”) is the holder of 87% of our outstanding debt instruments, including two term loans, and has beneficial ownership of approximately 47.57% of our common stock (on an as-converted, fully diluted basis including conversion of outstanding warrants, and assuming no other convertible securities, options and warrants are converted or exercised by other parties). Slipstream has also provided us with a continued support letter through March 31, 2023. If we are unable to extend the maturity or replace our existing financing agreements in the future, our plans to operate our business may be adversely affected and we could be required to curtail our activities significantly and/or cease operating.

There has been, and we expect that there will continue to be, significant consolidation in our industry. Our failure or inability to lead that consolidation would have a severe adverse impact on our access to financing, customers, technology, and human resources.

Our industry is currently composed of a large number of relatively small businesses, no single one of which is dominant or which provides integrated solutions and product offerings incorporating much of the available technology. Accordingly, we believe that substantial consolidation may occur in our industry in the near future. We believe that our prior acquisitions of Allure and Reflect illustrate acquisition opportunities that exist in our industry. If we do not play a positive role in that consolidation, either as a leader or as a participant whose capability is merged in a larger entity, we may be left out of this process, with product offerings of limited value compared with those of our competitors. Moreover, even if we lead the consolidation process, the market may not validate the decisions we make in that process.

Our success depends on our interactive marketing technologies achieving and maintaining widespread acceptance in our targeted markets.

Our success will depend to a large extent on broad market acceptance of our interactive marketing technologies among our current and prospective customers. Our prospective customers may still not use our solutions for a number of other reasons, including preference for static advertising, lack of familiarity with our technology, preference for competing technologies or perceived lack of reliability. We believe that the acceptance of our interactive marketing technologies by prospective customers will depend primarily on the following factors:

Our interactive technologies are complex and must meet stringent user requirements. Some undetected errors or defects may only become apparent as new functions are added to our technologies and products. The need to repair or replace products with design or manufacturing defects could temporarily delay the sale of new products and adversely affect our reputation. Delays, costs and damage to our reputation due to product defects could harm our business.

Our financial condition and potential for continued net losses may negatively impact our relationships with customers, prospective customers and third-party suppliers.

Our financial condition and potential for continued net losses may cause current and prospective customers to defer placing orders with us, to require terms that are less favorable to us, or to place their orders with our competitors, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. On the same basis, third-party suppliers may refuse to do business with us, or may do so only on terms that are unfavorable to us, which also could cause our expenses to increase.

Because we do not have long-term purchase commitments from our customers, the failure to obtain anticipated orders or the deferral or cancellation of commitments could have adverse effects on our business.

Our business is characterized by short-term purchase orders and contracts that do not require that purchases be made by our customers. This makes forecasting our sales difficult. The failure to obtain anticipated orders and deferrals or cancellations of purchase commitments because of changes in customer requirements, or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have experienced such challenges in the past and may experience such challenges in the future.

Our continued growth and financial performance could be adversely affected by the loss of several key customers.

We had two (2) customers that accounted for 41.1% and 27.8% of revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Decisions by one or more of these key customers to not renew, terminate or substantially reduce their use of our products, technology, services, and platform could substantially slow our revenue growth and lead to a decline in revenue. Our business plan assumes continued growth in revenue, and it is unlikely that we will become profitable without a continued increase in revenue.

Most of our contracts are terminable by our customers with limited notice and without penalty payments, and early terminations could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

Most of our contracts are terminable by our customers following limited notice and without early termination payments or liquidated damages due from them. In addition, each stage of a project often represents a separate contractual commitment, at the end of which the customers may elect to delay or not to proceed to the next stage of the project. We cannot assure you that one or more of our customers will not terminate a material contract or materially reduce the scope of a large project. The delay, cancellation or significant reduction in the scope of a large project or a number of projects could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

It is common for our current and prospective customers to take a long time to evaluate our products, most especially during economic downturns that affect our customers’ businesses, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lengthy and variable sales cycle makes it difficult to predict our operating results.

It is difficult for us to forecast the timing and recognition of revenue from sales of our products and services because our actual and prospective customers often take significant time to evaluate our products before committing to a purchase. Even after making their first purchases of our products and services, existing customers may not make significant purchases of those products and services for a long period of time following their initial purchases, if at all. The period between initial customer contact and a purchase by a customer may be years with potentially an even longer period separating initial purchases and any significant purchases thereafter. During the evaluation period, prospective customers may decide not to purchase or may scale down proposed orders of our products for various reasons, including:

Our prospective customers routinely require education regarding the use and benefit of our products. This may also lead to delays in receiving customers’ orders.

Our industry is characterized by frequent technological change. If we are unable to adapt our products and services and develop new products and services to keep up with these rapid changes, we will not be able to obtain or maintain market share.

The market for our products and services is characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, changes in customer needs, heavy competition and frequent new product and service introductions. If we fail to develop new products and services or modify or improve existing products and services in response to these changes in technology, customer demands or industry standards, our products and services could become less competitive or obsolete.

We must respond to changing technology and industry standards in a timely and cost-effective manner. We may not be successful in using new technologies, developing new products and services or enhancing existing products and services in a timely and cost-effective manner. Furthermore, even if we successfully adapt our products and services, these new technologies or enhancements may not achieve market acceptance.

A portion of our business involves the use of software technology that we have developed or licensed. Industries involving the ownership and licensing of software-based intellectual property are characterized by frequent intellectual-property litigation, and we could face claims of infringement by others in the industry. Such claims are costly and add uncertainty to our operational results.

A portion of our business involves our ownership and licensing of software. This market space is characterized by frequent intellectual property claims and litigation. We could be subject to claims of infringement of third-party intellectual-property rights resulting in significant expense and the potential loss of our own intellectual property rights. From time to time, third parties may assert copyright, trademark, patent or other intellectual property rights to technologies that are important to our business. Any litigation to determine the validity of these claims, including claims arising through our contractual indemnification of our business partners, regardless of their merit or resolution, would likely be costly and time consuming and divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel. If any such litigation resulted in an adverse ruling, we could be required to:

Our proprietary platform architectures and data tracking technology underlying certain of our services are complex and may contain unknown errors in design or implementation that could result in system performance failures or inability to scale.

The platform architecture, data tracking technology and integration layers underlying our proprietary platforms, our contract administration, procurement, timekeeping, content and network management, network services, device management, virtualized services, software automation and other tools, and back-end services are complex and include specially developed software and code. This software and code are developed internally, licensed from third parties, or integrated by in-house personnel and third parties. Any of the system architecture, system administration, integration layers, software or code may contain errors, or may be implemented or interpreted incorrectly, particularly when they are first introduced or when new versions or enhancements to our tools and services are released. Consequently, our systems could experience performance failure, or we may be unable to scale our systems, which may:

Our business may be adversely affected by malicious applications that interfere with, or exploit security flaws in, our products and services.

Our business may be adversely affected by malicious applications that make changes to our customers’ computer systems and interfere with the operation and use of our products or products that impact our business. These applications may attempt to interfere with our ability to communicate with our customers’ devices. The interference may occur without disclosure to or consent from our customers, resulting in a negative experience that our customers may associate with our products and services. These applications may be difficult or impossible to uninstall or disable, may reinstall themselves and may circumvent other applications’ efforts to block or remove them. The ability to provide customers with a superior interactive marketing technology experience is critical to our success. If our efforts to combat these malicious applications fail, or if our products and services have actual or perceived vulnerabilities, there may be claims based on such failure or our reputation may be harmed, which would damage our business and financial condition.

We compete with other companies that have more resources, which puts us at a competitive disadvantage.

The market for interactive marketing technologies is generally highly competitive and we expect competition to increase in the future. Some of our competitors or potential competitors may have significantly greater financial, technical and marketing resources than us. These competitors may be able to respond more rapidly than we can to new or emerging technologies or changes in customer requirements. They may also devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products than us.

We expect competitors to continue to improve the performance of their current products and to introduce new products, services and technologies. Successful new product and service introductions or enhancements by our competitors could reduce sales and the market acceptance of our products and services, cause intense price competition or make our products and services obsolete. To be competitive, we must continue to invest significant resources in research and development, sales and marketing and customer support. If we do not have sufficient resources to make these investments or are unable to make the technological advances necessary to be competitive, our competitive position will suffer. Increased competition could result in price reductions, fewer customer orders, reduced margins and loss of market share. Our failure to compete successfully against current or future competitors could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Our future success depends on key personnel and our ability to attract and retain additional personnel.

Our key personnel include:

If we fail to retain our key personnel or to attract, retain and motivate other qualified employees, our ability to maintain and develop our business may be adversely affected. Our future success depends significantly on the continued service of our key technical, sales and senior management personnel and their ability to execute our growth strategy. The loss of the services of our key employees could harm our business. We may be unable to retain our employees or to attract, assimilate and retain other highly qualified employees who could migrate to other employers who offer competitive or superior compensation packages.

We are subject to cyber security risks and interruptions or failures in our information technology systems and will likely need to expend additional resources to enhance our protection from such risks. Notwithstanding our efforts, a cyber incident could occur and result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

We depend on digital technologies to process and record financial and operating data and rely on sophisticated information technology systems and infrastructure to support our business, including process control technology. At the same time, cyber incidents, including deliberate attacks, have increased. The U.S. government has issued public warnings that indicate that energy assets might be specific targets of cyber security threats. Our technologies, systems and networks and those of our vendors, suppliers and other business partners may become the target of cyberattacks or information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of proprietary and other information, or other disruption of business operations. In addition, certain cyber incidents, such as surveillance, may remain undetected for an extended period. Our systems for protecting against cyber security risks may not be sufficient. As the sophistication of cyber incidents continues to evolve, we will likely be required to expend additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to cyber incidents. Additionally, any of these systems may be susceptible to outages due to fire, floods, power loss, telecommunications failures, usage errors by employees, computer viruses, cyber-attacks or other security breaches or similar events. The failure of any of our information technology systems may cause disruptions in our operations, which could adversely affect our revenues and profitability.

Our reliance on information management and transaction systems to operate our business exposes us to cyber incidents and hacking of our sensitive information if our outsourced service provider experiences a security breach.

Effective information security internal controls are necessary for us to protect our sensitive information from illegal activities and unauthorized disclosure in addition to denial of service attacks and corruption of our data. In addition, we rely on the information security internal controls maintained by our outsourced service provider. Breaches of our information management system could also adversely affect our business reputation. Finally, significant information system disruptions could adversely affect our ability to effectively manage operations or reliably report results.

Because our technology, products, platform, and services are complex and are deployed in and across complex environments, they may have errors or defects that could seriously harm our business.

Our technology, proprietary platforms, products and services are highly complex and are designed to operate in and across data centers, large and complex networks, and other elements of the digital media workflow that we do not own or control. On an ongoing basis, we need to perform proactive maintenance services on our platform and related software services to correct errors and defects. In the future, there may be additional errors and defects in our software that may adversely affect our services. We may not have in place adequate reporting, tracking, monitoring, and quality assurance procedures to ensure that we detect errors in our software in a timely manner. If we are unable to efficiently and cost-effectively fix errors or other problems that may be identified, or if there are unidentified errors that allow persons to improperly access our services, we could experience loss of revenues and market share, damage to our reputation, increased expenses and legal actions by our customers.

We may have insufficient network or server capacity, which could result in interruptions in our services and loss of revenues.

Our operations are dependent in part upon: network capacity provided by third-party telecommunications networks; data center services provider owned and leased infrastructure and capacity; our dedicated and virtualized server capacity located at its data center services provider partner and a geo-redundant micro-data center location; and our own infrastructure and equipment. Collectively, this infrastructure, equipment, and capacity must be sufficiently robust to handle all of our customers’ web-traffic, particularly in the event of unexpected surges in high-definition video traffic and network services incidents. We (and our service providers) may not be adequately prepared for unexpected increases in bandwidth and related infrastructure demands from our customers. In addition, the bandwidth we have contracted to purchase may become unavailable for a variety of reasons, including payment disputes, outages, or such service providers going out of business. Any failure of these service providers or our own infrastructure to provide the capacity we require, due to financial or other reasons, may result in a reduction in, or interruption of, service to our customers, leading to an immediate decline in revenue and possible additional decline in revenue as a result of subsequent customer losses.

Our business operations are susceptible to interruptions caused by events beyond our control.

Our business operations are susceptible to interruptions caused by events beyond our control. We are vulnerable to the following potential problems, among others:

The occurrence of any of the foregoing could result in claims for consequential and other damages, significant repair and recovery expenses and extensive customer losses and otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The markets in which we operate are rapidly emerging, and we may be unable to compete successfully against existing or future competitors to our business.

The market in which we operate is becoming increasingly competitive.  Our current competitors generally include general digital signage companies, specialized digital signage operators targeting certain vertical markets (e.g., financial services), content management software companies, or integrators and vertical solution providers who develop single implementations of content distribution, digital marketing technology, and related services. These competitors, including future new competitors who may emerge, may be able to develop a comparable or superior solution capabilities, software platform, technology stack, and/or series of services that provide a similar or more robust set of features and functionality than the technology, products and services we offer. If this occurs, we may be unable to grow as necessary to make our business profitable.

Whether or not we have superior products, many of these current and potential future competitors have a longer operating histories in their current respective business areas and greater market presence, brand recognition, engineering and marketing capabilities, and financial, technological and personnel resources than we do. Existing and potential competitors with an extended operating history, even if not directly related to our business, have an inherent marketing advantage because of the reluctance of many potential customers to entrust key operations to a company that may be perceived as new, inexperienced or unproven. In addition, our existing and potential future competitors may be able to use their extensive resources to:

If we are unable to compete effectively in our various markets, or if competitive pressures place downward pressure on the prices at which we offer our products and services, our business, financial condition and results of operations may suffer.

Our Safe Space Solutions products may no longer be marketable.

On April 28, 2020, we announced the joint launch of an AI-integrated non-contact temperature inspection kiosk known as the Thermal Mirror with our partner, InReality, for use by businesses as COVID-19 related workplace restrictions are reduced or eliminated. While the product and its launch were successful and recouped our initial investment, we still maintain $1,750 of inventory as of December 31, 2021 that is solely used in deploying our Safe Space Solutions which may not be saleable elsewhere should the market for these products reduce or eliminate as a result of the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has recorded a reserve of $426 for this inventory in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR ACQUISITION OF REFLECT SYSTEMS, INC.

The loss of the services of certain key management personnel at Reflect could impair our ability to execute our business strategy and as a result, reduce our sales and profitability.

We depend on the continued services of certain key personnel from Reflect’s senior management team. As we integrate and combine Reflect’s with our business, the loss of key personnel at Reflect could have a material adverse effect on our ability to execute our business strategy and on our financial condition and results of operations. Reflect does not maintain key-person insurance for members of its senior management team and we do not anticipate obtaining any such insurance.

We may be unable to successfully integrate Reflect with our business, which could cause our business to suffer.

Our acquisition of Reflect is significant, and we may be unable to successfully integrate and combine the operations, personnel and technology of Reflect with our operations. If we fail to successfully manage the integration of Reflect, we may experience interruptions in our business activities, a deterioration in our employee and customer relationships, increased costs of integration and harm to our reputation, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The types of integration issues we face may include difficulties in combining corporate cultures, maintaining employee morale and retaining key employees. The integration process is likely to impose substantial demands on our management. Other challenges involved in integrating Reflect with Creative Realities include, but are not limited to, the following:

There is no assurance that improved operating results will be achieved as a result of the Reflect acquisition or that we successfully integrate the businesses of Reflect in a timely manner, if at all.

We may not realize the growth opportunities that are anticipated from our acquisition of Reflect.

The benefits we expect to achieve as a result of the Reflect acquisition will depend, in part, on our ability to realize anticipated growth opportunities. Our success in realizing these growth opportunities, and the timing of this realization, depends largely on the successful integration of Reflect’s business and operations with our business and operations. Even if we are able to integrate our business with Reflect’s business successfully, this integration may not result in the realization of the full benefits of the growth opportunities we currently expect from this integration within the anticipated time frame or at all. While we anticipate that certain expenses will be incurred, such expenses are difficult to estimate accurately, and may exceed current estimates. Accordingly, the benefits from the acquisition may be offset by costs incurred or delays in integrating the companies, which could cause our revenue assumptions to be inaccurate.

The acquisition of Reflect may fail to achieve beneficial synergies.

We consummated the acquisition of Reflect with the expectation that the acquisition will result in beneficial synergies, such as cost reductions and improving the stability of the combined company’s revenues. Achieving these anticipated synergies and benefits will depend largely on our success in integrating our existing business with Reflect’s business. Potential risks from an unsuccessful integration include:

Even if the two companies are able to effectively integrate operations, there can be no assurance that the anticipated synergies will be achieved. The failure to achieve such synergies could adversely affect the business, results of operations and financial condition of the combined company.

The assumption of unknown liabilities in the acquisition of Reflect may harm our financial condition and results of operations.

Because we acquired all of the capital stock of Reflect, we obtained ownership of Reflect subject to all of its liabilities, including contingent and unknown liabilities. Although the definitive merger agreement includes representations and warranties and indemnity covenants from the sellers of Reflect capital stock that may offer us some contractual remedies for breaches or certain other undisclosed or unknown liabilities, there are limitations and conditions to our ability to recoup any liabilities, and there may be other unknown obligations for which we have no contractual remedy. In such a case, our business could be materially and adversely affected. We may learn additional information about Reflect’s business that adversely affects us, such as the existence of unknown liabilities, or issues that could affect our ability to comply with applicable laws. If Reflect’s liabilities are greater than expected, or if there are material obligations of which we do not become aware until after the acquisition or we have no recourse against the Seller, our business could be materially and adversely affected. If we become responsible for substantial uninsured liabilities, such liabilities may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We have incurred and will continue to incur significant transaction and integration costs in connection with the acquisition of Reflect.

We have incurred significant costs associated with completing the acquisition of Reflect, and expect to incur additional significant costs integrating the operations of the two companies. The substantial majority of these costs will be non-recurring expenses and will consist of transaction costs (e.g., legal, accounting), facilities and systems consolidation costs and employment-related costs. Additional unanticipated costs may be incurred in the integration of our businesses. Although we expect that the elimination of duplicative costs, as well as the realization of other efficiencies related to the integration of the businesses, may offset incremental transaction and acquisition costs over time, this net benefit may not be achieved in the near term, or at all.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR SECURITIES AND OUR COMPANY

The variable sales cycle of our products will likely make it difficult to predict operating results.

Our revenues in any quarter depend substantially upon contracts signed and the related shipment and installation or delivery of hardware and software products in that quarter. It is therefore difficult for us to accurately predict revenues and this difficulty also will affect the Company. It is difficult to forecast the timing of large individual hardware and software sales with a high degree of certainty due to the extended length of the sales cycle and the generally more complex contractual terms that may be associated with our products that could result in the deferral of some or all of the revenue to future periods.

Accordingly, large individual sales have sometimes occurred in quarters subsequent to when we anticipated or not at all. If we receive any significant cancellation or deferral of customer orders, or it is unable to conclude license negotiations by the end of a fiscal quarter, our operating results may be lower than anticipated. In addition, any weakening or uncertainty in the economy may make it more difficult for the Company to predict quarterly results in the future, and could negatively impact our business, operating results and financial condition for an indefinite period of time.

Our largest shareholder possesses controlling voting power with respect to our common stock, which will limit your influence on corporate matters.

As of the date of this Annual Report, our largest shareholder, Slipstream Communications, LLC, has beneficial ownership of 11,658,469 shares of common stock, including common shares that are beneficially owned by its affiliate Slipstream Funding, LLC, and including warrants not yet exercisable. As a result, Slipstream Communications, LLC has significant influence on our management and affairs, including the election and removal of our Board of Directors and all other matters requiring shareholder approval, including the future merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This stockholder position could discourage others from initiating any potential merger, takeover or other change-of-control transaction that may otherwise be beneficial to our shareholders. Furthermore, this concentrated ownership will limit the practical effect of your participation in Company matters, through shareholder votes and otherwise.

Our Articles of Incorporation grant our Board of Directors the power to issue additional shares of common and preferred stock and to designate other classes of preferred stock, all without shareholder approval.

Our authorized capital consists of 250,000,000 shares of capital stock, 50,000,000 of which is undesignated preferred stock. Pursuant to authority granted by our Articles of Incorporation, our Board of Directors, without any action by our shareholders, may designate and issue shares in such classes or series (including other classes or series of preferred stock) as it deems appropriate and establish the rights, preferences and privileges of such shares, including dividends, liquidation and voting rights, provided it is consistent with Minnesota law. The rights of holders of other classes or series of stock that may be issued could be superior to the rights of holders of our common shares. The designation and issuance of shares of capital stock having preferential rights could adversely affect other rights appurtenant to shares of our common stock. Furthermore, any issuances of additional stock (common or preferred) will dilute the percentage of ownership interest of then-current holders of our capital stock and may dilute our book value per share.

We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future.

We do not plan to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. Earnings of the business will be reinvested in future growth strategies or utilized to repay outstanding debt.

We do not have significant tangible assets that could be sold upon liquidation.

We have nominal tangible assets. As a result, if we become insolvent or otherwise must dissolve, there will be no tangible assets to liquidate and no corresponding proceeds to disburse to our shareholders. If we become insolvent or otherwise must dissolve, shareholders will likely not receive any cash proceeds on account of their shares.

We can provide no assurance that our securities will continue to meet Nasdaq listing requirements. If we fail to comply with the continuing listing standards of the Nasdaq, our securities could be delisted.

If we fail to comply with the continuing listing standards of the Nasdaq, our securities could be delisted. A failure to remain listed on Nasdaq could have a material adverse effect on the liquidity and price of our common stock.

General Risk Factors

Unpredictability in financing markets could impair our ability to grow our business through acquisitions.

We anticipate that opportunities to acquire similar businesses will materially depend on, among other things, the availability of financing alternatives with acceptable terms. As a result, poor credit and other market conditions or uncertainty in financial markets could materially limit our ability to grow through acquisitions since such conditions and uncertainty make obtaining financing more difficult.

Because of our limited internal resources, we may not have in place various processes and protections common to more mature companies and may be more susceptible to adverse events.

We have limited internal resources. As a result, we may not have in place systems, processes and protections that many of our competitors have or that may be essential to protect against various risks. For example, we have in place only limited resources and processes addressing human resources, timekeeping, data protection, business continuity, personnel redundancy, and knowledge institutionalization concerns. As a result, we are at risk that one or more adverse events in these and other areas may materially harm our business, financial condition, and results from operations.

General global market and economic conditions may have an adverse impact on our operating performance and results of operations.

Our business has been and could continue to be affected by general global economic and market conditions. Any downturn in the United States and worldwide economy could have a negative effect on our operating results, including a decrease in revenue and operating cash flow. To the extent our customers are unable to profitably leverage various forms of digital marketing technology and solutions, and/or the content we create, deliver and publish on their behalf, they may reduce or eliminate their purchase of our products and services. Such reductions in traffic would lead to a reduction in our revenues. Additionally, in a down-cycle economic environment, we may experience the negative effects of increased competitive pricing pressure, customer loss, slowdown in commerce over the Internet and corresponding decrease in traffic delivered over our network and failures by our customers to pay amounts owed to us on a timely basis or at all. Suppliers on which we rely for equipment, field services, servers, bandwidth, co-location and other services could also be negatively impacted by economic conditions that, in turn, could have a negative impact on our operations or revenues. Flat or worsening economic conditions may harm our operating results and financial condition.

In addition, our business could be adversely affected by the effects of a widespread outbreak of contagious disease, including the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 respiratory illness. A significant outbreak of contagious diseases in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could affect demand for our products, our ability to collect against existing trade receivables and our operating results. Specifically, such event may cause us, our customers or suppliers to temporarily suspend operations in the affected city or country, and customers may suspend or terminate capital improvements including in-store digital deployments or refresh projects, all of which may have a material adverse effect on our business.

Significant issuances of our common stock, or the perception that significant issuances may occur in the future, could adversely affect the market price for our common stock.

Significant actual or perceived potential future issuance of our common stock could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Generally, issuances of substantial amounts of common stock in the public market, and the availability of shares for future sale, could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock and could cause the market price of our common stock to remain low for a substantial amount of time.

We cannot foresee the impact of potential securities issuances of common shares on the market for our common stock, but it is possible that the market for our shares may be adversely affected, perhaps significantly. It is also unclear whether or not the market for our common stock could absorb a large number of attempted sales in a short period of time, regardless of the price at which they might be offered.

There may not be an active market for shares of our common stock.

In general, there has been minimal trading volume in our common stock. Small trading volumes would likely make it difficult for our shareholders to sell their shares as and when they choose. Furthermore, small trading volumes are generally understood to depress market prices. As a result, you may not always be able to resell shares of our common stock publicly at the time and prices that you feel are fair or appropriate.

ITEM 2 PROPERTIES

(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.)

Our headquarters is located at 13100 Magisterial Drive, Suite 100, Louisville, KY 40223. There, we have approximately 17,500 square-feet of office space and 6,500 square-feet of warehouse space, which we believe is sufficient for our projected near-term future growth. The monthly lease amount is currently $27 and escalates 1% annually through the end of the lease term in December 2023, should the Company elect to retain the entire space. We restructured this lease during 2020, which allowed the Company to right to surrender approximately 9,100 square feet of space and reduce the monthly rent expense by $6 per month beginning in July 2021. The restructured lease also provided the Company deferred payment terms of approximately $6 monthly between July 2020 and June 2021, resulting in $84 that was ultimately added to the headquarters lease. The Consolidated Balance Sheet includes accrued rental payments related to this deferral of $68 as of December 31, 2021.

The corporate phone number is (502) 791-8800.

We also lease office space of approximately 6,000 square feet to support our Canadian operations at a facility located at 4600 Rhodes Drives, Unit 3& 4, Windsor, Ontario under a lease that expires November 30, 2025 and with a monthly rental, inclusive of CAMS and related realty taxes, of $9 CAD per month.

We also lease office space of approximately 900 square feet to support our Atlanta operations at a facility known as Northridge Center II and having as its street address at 375 Northridge Road, Atlanta, GA 30350. This property is under lease until March 31, 2022 with a monthly rental of $2. In November 2021, the Company entered into a lease for office space of approximately 4,500 square feet to support our Atlanta operations at a facility known as Northridge Center II and having as its street address at 365 Northridge Road, Atlanta, GA 30350. This property lease is expected to begin in March 2022 and be under lease until March 2027 with a monthly rental of $8, escalating 3% annually.

As a result of the acquisition of Reflect, we also lease office space of approximately 15,350 square feet to support the Reflect operations at a facility located at 2221 Lakeside Blvd, Richardson, TX 75082 under a lease that expires March 2024 and with a monthly rental, inclusive of CAMS and related realty taxes, of $38 per month.

ITEM 3 LEGAL PROCEEDINGS  

Information regarding legal proceedings can be found in Note 9 Commitments and Contingencies to the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report.

ITEM 4 MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5 MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.)

Market Information

Our common stock is listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Markets (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “CREX”. The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Limited, 401 2nd Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401. 

Shareholders

As of March 22, 2022, we had 419 holders of record of our common stock. The actual number of stockholders is greater than this number of record holders, and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held in street name by brokers and other nominees. This number of holders of record also does not include stockholders whose shares may be held in trust by other entities.

Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, to operate and expand our business and to finance the development and expansion of our business. We do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any payment of cash dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon our results of operations, earnings, capital requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors.

Holders of our common stock are entitled to share pro rata in dividends and distributions with respect to the common stock when, as and if declared by our Board of Directors out of funds legally available therefor. Our future dividend policy is subject to the sole discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon a number of factors, including future earnings, capital requirements and our financial condition.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.

ITEM 6 [RESERVED]

Not applicable.

ITEM 7 MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

(All currency is rounded to the nearest thousands, except share and per share amounts.) 

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, which are included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains statements that are forward-looking. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risk, uncertainties and other factors. These statements are often identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “estimate,” or “continue,” and similar expressions or variations. Actual results could differ materially because of the factors discussed in “Risk Factors” elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other factors that we have not identified.

Overview

Creative Realities, Inc. (“Creative Realities”, or the “Company”) transforms environments through digital solutions by providing innovative digital signage solutions for key market segments and use cases, including:

We serve market-leading companies, so there is a good chance that if you leave your home today to shop, work, eat or play, you will encounter one or more of our digital signage experiences. Our solutions are increasingly visible because we help our enterprise customers achieve a range of business objectives including:

Through a combination of organically grown platforms and a series of strategic acquisitions, including our recent acquisition of Reflect Systems, Inc. in February 2022, the Company assist clients to design, deploy, manage, and monetize their digital signage networks. The Company sources leads and opportunities for its solutions through its digital and content marketing initiatives, close relationships with key industry partners, specifically equipment manufacturers, and the direct efforts of its in-house industry sales experts. Client engagements focus on consultative conversations that ensure the Company’s solutions are positioned to help clients achieve their business objectives in the most cost-effective manner possible.

When comparing Creative Realities to other digital signage providers, our customers value the following competitive advantages:

The three primary sources of revenue for the company are:

While hardware sales and support services revenues can fluctuate more significantly year over year based on new, large-scale network deployments, the Company expects to see continuous growth in recurring SaaS revenue for the foreseeable future as digital signage adoption/utilization continues to expand across the vertical markets we serve.

Recent Developments

Acquisition of Reflect

On November 12, 2021, the Company and Reflect Systems, Inc., or “Reflect,” entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (as amended on February 8, 2022, the “Merger Agreement)” pursuant to which a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Creative Realities, CRI Acquisition Corporation, or “Merger Sub,” would merge with and into Reflect, with Reflect surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Creative Realities, , which transaction is referred to herein as the “Merger.” On February 17, 2022, the parties consummated the Merger.

Reflect provides digital signage solutions, including software, strategic and media services to a wide range of companies across the retail, financial, hospitality and entertainment, healthcare, and employee communications industries in North America. Reflect offers digital signage platforms, including ReflectView, a platform used by companies to power hundreds of thousands of active digital displays. Through its strategic services, Reflect assists its customers with designing, deploying and optimizing their digital signage networks, and through its media services, Reflect assists customers with monetizing their digital advertising networks.

Subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, upon the closing of the Merger, Reflect stockholders as of the effective time of the Merger collectively received from the Company, in the aggregate, the following Merger consideration: (i) $16,166 payable in cash, (ii) 2,333,334 shares of common stock of Creative Realities (valued based on an issuance price of $2 per share) (the “CREX Shares”), (iii) the Secured Promissory Note (as described below), and (iv) supplemental cash payments (the “Guaranteed Consideration”), if any, payable on or after the three-year anniversary of the effective time of the Merger (subject to the Extension Option described below, the “Guarantee Date”), in an amount by which the value of the CREX Shares on such anniversary is less than $6.40 per share, or if certain customers of Reflect collectively achieve over 85,000 billable devices online at any time on or before December 31, 2022, is less than $7.20 per share (such applicable amount, the “Guaranteed Price”), multiplied by the amount of CREX Shares held by the Reflect stockholders on the Guarantee Date (subject to the Extension Option described below), subject to the terms of the Merger Agreement.

Creative Realities may exercise an extension option (the “Extension Option”) to extend the Guarantee Date from the three-year anniversary of the Closing Date to six (6) months thereafter if (i) the Extension Threshold Price is greater than or equal to 70% of the Guaranteed Price described above, and (ii) Creative Realities provides written notice of its election to exercise the Extension Option at least ten (10) days prior to the three-year anniversary of the Closing. The “Extension Threshold Price” means the average closing price per share of Creative Realities Shares as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market (or NYSE) in the fifteen (15) consecutive trading day period ending fifteen (15) days prior to the three-year anniversary of the Closing Date. If the Extension Threshold Price is less than 80% of the Guaranteed Price, then the Guaranteed Price will be increased by $1.00 per share.

In connection with the Merger, the Company adopted a Retention Bonus Plan and raised capital to, among other things, pay the cash portion of the Merger consideration, all of which is summarized below.

Retention Bonus Plan

On February 17, 2022, in connection with the closing of the Merger, the Company adopted a Retention Bonus Plan, pursuant to which the Company is required to pay to key members of Reflect’s management team an aggregate of $1,333 in cash, which was paid 50% at the closing of the Merger (the “Closing”), and subject to continuous employment with Reflect or Creative Realities, 25% on the one-year anniversary of Closing and 25% on the two-year anniversary of the Closing. The future cash payments due on the one-year and two-year anniversaries of the Closing have been deposited into an escrow agreement. The Retention Bonus Plan also requires the Company to issue Common Stock having an aggregate value of $667 to the plan participants as follows: 50% of the value of such shares were issued at the Closing, and subject to continuous employment with Reflect or Creative Realities, 25% of the value of such shares will be issued on the one-year anniversary of Closing and the remaining 25% of the value of such shares will be issued on the two-year anniversary of the Closing. The shares issued on the Closing were valued at $2.00 per share, and the shares to be issued after the Closing will be determined based on dividing the value of shares issuable on such date divided by the trailing 10-day volume weighed average price (VWAP) of the shares as of such date as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

Upon the resignation of a participant’s employment for “good reason,” or termination of the employment of a participant without “cause,” each as defined in the Retention Bonus Plan, the participant will be fully vested and will receive all cash and shares allocated to such participant under the Retention Bonus Plan. Any amounts unpaid by reason of a lapse in continuous employment or otherwise will be reallocated among the remaining Retention Bonus Plan participants.

Equity Financing

On February 3, 2022, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”) with a purchaser (the “Purchaser”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell to the Purchaser, in a private placement priced at-the-market under Nasdaq rules, (i) 1,315,000 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”) and accompanying warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,315,000 shares of Common Stock, and (ii) pre-funded warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 5,851,505 shares of Common Stock (the “Pre-Funded Warrants”) and accompanying warrants to purchase an aggregate of 5,851,505 shares of Common Stock (collectively, the “Private Placement”). The accompanying warrants to purchase Common Stock are referred to herein collectively as the “Common Stock Warrants.” Under the Securities Purchase Agreement, each Share and accompanying warrants to purchase Common Stock were sold together at a combined price of $1.535, and each Pre-Funded Warrant and accompanying warrants to purchase Common Stock were sold together at a combined price of $1.5349, for gross proceeds of approximately $11,000 before deducting placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The net proceeds from the Private Placement were used to fund, in part, payment of the closing cash consideration in the Merger.

Each Pre-Funded Warrant has an exercise price of $0.0001 per share, is exercisable immediately until the Pre-Funded Warrant is exercised in full. The Common Stock Warrants expire five years from the date of issuance, have an exercise price of $1.41 per share and are exercisable immediately.

On February 17, 2022, in connection with obtaining a waiver of certain restrictions in the Securities Purchase Agreement in order to consummate the financing contemplated by the Credit Agreement (defined below), the Company paid consideration to such investor in the form of a warrant (the “Purchaser Warrant”) to purchase 1,400,000 shares of Company common stock. The number of shares of Company common stock subject to the Purchaser Warrant is equal to the waiver fee ($175) divided by $0.125 per share. The exercise price of the Purchaser Warrant is $1.41 per share, and the Purchaser Warrant is not exercisable until August 17, 2022. The Purchaser Warrant expires five years from the date of issuance.

Debt Financing

On February 17, 2022, the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Borrowers”) refinanced their current debt facilities with Slipstream, pursuant to a Second Amended and Restated Credit and Security Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”). The Borrowers include Reflect, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company as a result of the closing of the Merger. The debt facilities continue to be fully secured by all assets of the Borrowers.

The Company raised $10,000 in gross proceeds, or $9,950 in net proceeds, from entry into a new, 36-month senior secured term loan (the “Acquisition Loan”) with Slipstream as part of the Credit Agreement, which matures on February 17, 2025 (the “Maturity Date”). The Acquisition Loan has an interest rate of 8.0%, with 50.0% warrant coverage (or 2,500,000 warrants). On the first day of each month, commencing March 1, 2022 through February 1, 2025, the Borrowers will make interest-only payments on the Acquisition Loan (estimated to be $67 per monthly payment). No principal payments on the Acquisition Loan are payable until the Maturity Date.

The Credit Agreement also provides that the Company’s outstanding loans from Slipstream, consisting of its pre-existing $4,767 senior secured term loan and $2,418 secured convertible loan, with an aggregate of $7,185 in outstanding principal and accrued and unpaid interest under such loans, were consolidated into a term loan (the “Consolidation Term Loan”). The Consolidation Term Loan has an interest rate of 10.0%, with 75.0% warrant coverage (or 2,694,495 warrants). On the first day of each month, commencing March 1, 2022 through February 1, 2025, the Borrowers will make interest-only payments on the Consolidation Term Loan (estimated to be $60 per monthly payment). Commencing on September 1, 2023, and on the first day of each month thereafter until the Maturity Date, the Borrowers will make a payment on the Consolidation Term Loan, in an equal monthly installment of principal sufficient to fully amortize the Consolidation Term Loan in eighteen equal installments (estimated to be $399 per monthly installment).

In connection with the Acquisition Loan and Consolidation Term Loan warrant coverage, the Company issued to Slipstream a warrant to purchase an aggregate of 5,194,495 shares of Company common stock (the “Lender Warrant”). The Lender Warrant has a five-year term, an initial exercise price of $2.00 per share, subject to adjustments in the Lender Warrant, and is not exercisable until August 17, 2022.

Secured Promissory Note

On February 17, 2022, pursuant to the terms of the Merger, the Company issued to RSI Exit Corporation (“Stockholders’ Representative”), the representative of Reflect stockholders, a $2,500 Note and Security Agreement (the “Secured Promissory Note”).

The Secured Promissory Note accrues interest at 0.59% (the applicable federal rate) and requires the Company and Reflect to pay equal monthly principal installments of $104 on the fifteenth (15th) day of each month, commencing on March 17, 2022. Any remaining or unpaid principal shall be due and payable on February 15, 2023. All payments under the Secured Promissory Note will be paid to the escrow agent in the Merger Agreement to be placed into the escrow account to secure the Reflect stockholders’ indemnification obligations until released on the one-year anniversary of the closing of the Merger, at which time any remaining proceeds not subject to a pending indemnification claim will be paid to the exchange agent for payment to the Reflect Stockholders. The obligations of the Company and Reflect set forth in the Secured Promissory Note are secured by a first-lien security interest in various contracts of Reflect, together with all accounts arising under such contracts, supporting obligations related to the accounts arising under such contracts, all related books and records, and products and proceeds of the foregoing. Slipstream subordinated its security interest in such collateral, and the recourse for any breach of the Secured Promissory Note by the Company or Reflect will be against such collateral.

Our Sources of Revenue

We generate revenue through digital signage solution sales, which include system hardware, professional and implementation services, software design and development, software licensing, deployment, and maintenance and support services.

We currently market and sell our technology and solutions primarily through our sales and business development personnel, but we also utilize agents, strategic partners, and lead generators who provide us with access to additional sales, business development and licensing opportunities.

Our Expenses

Our expenses are primarily comprised of three categories: sales and marketing, research and development, and general and administrative. Sales and marketing expenses include salaries and benefits for our sales, business development solution management and marketing personnel, and commissions paid on sales. This category also includes amounts spent on marketing networking events, promotional materials, hardware and software to prospective new customers, including those expenses incurred in trade shows and product demonstrations, and other related expenses. Our research and development expenses represent the salaries and benefits of those individuals who develop and maintain our proprietary software platforms and other software applications we design and sell to our customers. Our general and administrative expenses consist of corporate overhead, including administrative salaries, real property lease payments, salaries and benefits for our corporate officers and other expenses such as legal and accounting fees.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our management is responsible for our financial statements and has evaluated the accounting policies to be used in their preparation. Our management believes these policies are reasonable and appropriate. The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements included within Part II, ITEM 8 of this Annual Report. The following discussion identifies those accounting policies that we believe are critical in the preparation of our financial statements, the judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of those policies and the possibility that materially different amounts will be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires that management make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of commitments and contingencies at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Our actual results could differ from those estimates.

Revenue Recognition

We recognized revenue in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”). Under ASC 606, we account for revenue using the following steps:

See Note 2 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 4 Revenue Recognition in our Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part II, ITEM 8 of this Annual Report, for a complete discussion of our revenue recognition policies.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

We have not made any material changes in the accounting methodology we use to measure the estimated liability for doubtful accounts during the past two fiscal years. The Company’s methodology for calculating the allowance for doubtful accounts consists of (1) reserving for specific receivables which (a) are known to be facing serious financial problems, (b) have a trade dispute with the Company, or (c) are significantly aged and/or unresponsive, and (2) a general reserve for unaged accounts receivable based on a percentage of revenue each period. We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to establish the liability for doubtful accounts. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.

Goodwill

Goodwill is evaluated for impairment annually as of September 30 and whenever events or circumstances make it more likely than not that impairment may have occurred. We have no other indefinite-lived intangible assets. We test goodwill for impairment by comparing the book value to the fair value at the reporting unit level. We have only one reporting unit, and therefore the entire goodwill is allocated to that reporting unit. The fair value of the reporting unit is determined by using a discounted cash flow analyses consisting of various assumptions, including expectations of future cash flows based on projections or forecasts derived from analysis of business prospects and economic or market trends that may occur. We use these same expectations in other valuation models throughout the business. In addition to the discounted cash flow analysis, we utilize a leveraged buy-out model, trading comps and market capitalization to ultimately determine an estimated fair value of our reporting unit based on weighted average calculations from these models. We base our fair value estimates on assumptions we believe to be reasonable but that are unpredictable and inherently uncertain. If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, further analysis is performed to measure the impairment loss.

In addition, our market capitalization could fluctuate from time to time. Such fluctuation may be an indicator of possible impairment of goodwill if our market capitalization falls below its book value. If this situation occurs, we perform the required detailed analysis to determine if there is impairment.

During the first quarter of 2020, we determined that the reduced cash flow projections and the significant decline in our market capitalization as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic during the three months ended March 31, 2020 indicated that an impairment loss may have been incurred during the period. We qualitatively assessed and concluded that it was more likely than not that goodwill was impaired as of March 31, 2020. We reviewed our previous forecasts and assumptions based on our updated projections that were subject to various risks and uncertainties, including: (1) forecasted revenues, expenses and cash flows, including the duration and extent of impact to our business and our alliance partners from the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) current discount rates, (3) the reduction in our market capitalization, (4) changes to the regulatory environment and (5) the nature and amount of government support that will be provided. As a result of this qualitative assessment, we concluded that indicators of impairment were present. The subsequent quantitative interim impairment assessment of our goodwill as of March 31, 2020 resulted in recording an impairment of $10,646 as of March 31, 2020.

No additional impairment was recorded during the remainder of 2020, nor as a result of our annual assessment completed as of September 30, 2021, and no indicators of impairment were identified as of December 31, 2021.

We have not made any material changes in our reporting units or the accounting methodology we used to assess impairment of goodwill since September 30, 2021. The valuation of goodwill is subject to a high degree of judgment, uncertainty and complexity. We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to test for impairment losses on goodwill. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to an impairment charge that could be material.

Income Taxes

Accounting for income taxes requires recognition of deferred tax liabilities and assets for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements or tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities. These deferred taxes are measured by applying the provisions of tax laws in effect at the balance sheet date, including the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) enacted on December 22, 2017.

We recognize in income the effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities in the period that includes the enactment date.

As of December 31, 2021, a full valuation allowance is recorded against our deferred tax. The valuation allowance is based, in part, on our estimate of future taxable income, the expected utilization of federal and state tax loss carryforwards, and credits and the expiration dates of such tax loss carryforwards. Significant assumptions are used in developing the analysis of future taxable income for purposes of determining the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets which, in our opinion, are reasonable under the circumstances.

Impact of Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 3 Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements in our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, ITEM 8 of this Annual Report, for a full description of recent accounting pronouncements, including the expected dates of adoption and estimated effects on results of operations and financial condition, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Results of Operations

Note: All dollar amounts reported in Results of Operations are in thousands, except per-share information.

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020

The tables presented below compare our results of operations from one period to another, and present the results for each period and the change in those results from one period to another in both dollars and percentage change.

Sales

Sales increased by $980, or 6%, in 2021 as compared to 2020 driven by an increase of $459 in hardware sales as compared to the same period in 2020, despite a decrease of $2,135 in the sale of our Safe Space Solutions products year-over-year, which launched in April 2020. Core digital signage sales (inclusive of hardware, installation, and services) expanded by $3,115 in 2021 despite constraints and headwinds due to limited supply chain availability of semiconductor chips delaying the delivery of digital displays and media players to the Company. The supply disruption for digital displays prevented the Company from delivery of hardware and execution of installation activities during the year. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had customer purchase orders for equipment and installation activities in excess of $1,000 which were delayed as a result of product availability. The Company expects to experience continued disruptions and delays related to fulfillment of inventory purchases from vendors during 2022, but we expect a full recovery in the timely availability of equipment no later than the end of the second quarter of 2022.

Gross Profit

Gross profit increased $236 in absolute dollars to $8,357 in 2021 from $8,121 in 2020, or 3% through a combination of a 6% increase in revenue and a 1.2% reduction in gross margin percentage, driven by an increase in revenue from hardware revenue, which typically is a lower margin revenue stream than our services, as a percentage of total revenue in 2021 as compared to the prior year.

Sales and Marketing Expenses

Sales and marketing expenses generally include the salaries, taxes, and benefits of our sales and marketing personnel, as well as trade show activities, travel, and other related sales and marketing costs. Sales and marketing expenses decreased by $523, or 31%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020 driven by (1) a current year Employee Retention Credit of $232 related to the retention and payment of salaries to sales personnel throughout 2020 and 2021, which was all recorded when filed in 2021, (2) reduction of $105 in sales lead generation tools, and (3) the result of reduced personnel costs, partially offset by an increase of $47 on trade show activity and related travel costs following a return to participation in industry trade shows and events after the elimination of such costs in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses decreased by $533, or 49%, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020 as the result of (1) a current year Employee Retention Credit of $196 related to the retention and payment of salaries to development personnel throughout 2020 and 2021, which was all recorded when filed in 2021, (2) a reduction in personnel costs during the period following reduced headcount and salary reductions in March 2020 through salary reinstatements in October 2021, and (3) an increase in capitalization of development activities for new features/functionality.

General and Administrative Expenses

Total general and administrative expenses decreased by $867, or 10%, in 2021 compared to 2020. The decrease was driven by $694 of Employee Retention Credits related to the retention and payment of salaries to sales personnel throughout 2020 and 2021, each of which were recorded in 2021 when the tax credits were filed. Excluding the consideration of those Employee Retention Credits recorded in the period, total general and administrative expenses decreased $173, or 2%, during 2021 as compared to 2020. The comparable year-over-year expenses included reductions of (a) $262 in non-ERC-related personnel costs, including salaries, benefits, and travel-related expenses, (b) $334 in rent expense following closure, downsizing, or restructuring of four leases during 2020, and (c) reductions in legal expenses of $366 following settlement of the Amended and Restated Seller Note, partially offset by an increase in stock compensation amortization expense of $1,213 related to incremental employee and directors’ awards granted during 2020, which are being amortized over a nineteen (19) month remaining vesting period, and 2021, which are being amortized over twelve (12) and (24) month vesting periods, based on the grant date fair value calculated using the Black Scholes method. Personnel costs were reduced following completion of a reduction-in-force and salary reductions for remaining personnel in March 2020.

Bad Debt

Expenses related to the Company’s allowance for bad debts decreased by $1,105, or 133%, in 2021 as compared to 2020. This decrease was primarily driven by a cash recovery of $555 in 2021 related to a customer bankruptcy for which the Company previously recorded a reserve beginning in second quarter 2020. The remaining reduction was the result of reduced credits and cancellations in 2021 as compared to the prior year in which the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in material customer closures.

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses

Depreciation and amortization expenses decreased by $110, or 7%, in 2021 compared to 2020. This decrease was the result of a trade name asset becoming fully amortized during 2020, while no amortization was recorded during the 2021. Depreciation was consistent in both periods. 

Lease Termination Expense

On December 31, 2020, we exited our office facilities located in Dallas, TX. In ceasing use of these facilities, we recorded a one-time non-cash charge of $18. There were no such lease terminations during 2021.

Goodwill impairment

See Note 7 Intangible Assets, Including Goodwill to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of the Company’s interim impairment test and the non-cash impairment charge recorded in 2020.

Interest Expense

See Note 8 Loans Payable to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of the Company’s debt and related interest expense obligations. 

Gain on Settlement of Obligations

During 2021, (i) the full principal amount of the PPP Loan and the accrued interest of $1,552 were forgiven and recorded as a gain on settlement, (ii) the Company settled the Amended and Restated Seller Note and related accrued interest for $100, recording a gain on settlement of $1,624, representing $1,538 related to the Amended and Restated Seller Note and $86 of related interest thereon, and (iii) the statute of limitations passed related to the remaining liability on a lease abandoned by the Company in 2015, resulting in a gain of $256.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company settled and/or wrote off obligations of $348 for aggregate cash payments of $139 and recognized a gain of $209 related to legacy accounts payable deemed to no longer be legal obligations to vendors.

Supplemental Operating Results on a Non-GAAP Basis

The following non-GAAP data, which adjusts for the categories of expenses described below, is a non-GAAP financial measure. Our management believes that this non-GAAP financial measure is useful information for investors, shareholders and other stakeholders of our Company in gauging our results of operations on an ongoing basis. We believe that EBITDA is a performance measure and not a liquidity measure, and therefore a reconciliation between net loss/income and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA has been provided. EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net loss/income as an indicator of performance or as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities as an indicator of cash flows, in each case as determined in accordance with GAAP, or as a measure of liquidity. In addition, EBITDA does not take into account changes in certain assets and liabilities as well as interest and income taxes that can affect cash flows. We do not intend the presentation of these non-GAAP measures to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures should be read only in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements prepared in accordance with GAAP that are included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We produced net income and positive cash flows from operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 but incurred a net loss and had negative cash flows from operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $2,883 and a working capital surplus of $2,913.

Equity Financing

As described more fully in the Recent Developments section above, on February 3, 2022, the Company entered into the Securities Purchase Agreement pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell 1,315,000 shares of the Company’s common stock and Common Stock Warrants to a Purchaser in a Private Placement transaction for gross proceeds of $11,000 before deducting placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The net proceeds from the Private Placement were used to fund, in part, payment of the closing cash consideration in the Merger.

Debt Financing

On February 17, 2022, the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Borrowers”) refinanced their current debt facilities with Slipstream, pursuant to the Credit Agreement, and raised $10,000 in gross proceeds with a maturity date of February 1, 2025.

The Credit Agreement also provides that the Company’s outstanding loans from Slipstream, consisting of its pre-existing $4,767 senior secured term loan and $2,418 secured convertible loan, with an aggregate of $7,185 in outstanding principal and accrued and unpaid interest under such loans, were consolidated into a Consolidation Term Loan with a maturity date of February 1, 2025. On February 17, 2022, in connection with the closing of the acquisition of Reflect, the Company issued to RSI Exit Corporation (“Stockholders’ Representative”), the representative of Reflect stockholders, a $2,500 Note and Security Agreement (the “Secured Promissory Note”).

The Secured Promissory Note accrues interest at 0.59% (the applicable federal rate) and requires the Company and Reflect to pay equal monthly principal installments of $104 on the fifteenth (15th) day of each month, commencing on March 17, 2022, for twelve months with any remaining or unpaid principal due and payable on February 15, 2023.

Management believes that, based on (i) the execution of the Equity Financing, (ii) the refinancing of our debt as part of the Debt Financing, including extension of the maturity date on our term loans, and (iii) our operational forecast through 2022 following completion of the Reflect Acquisition, that we can continue as a going concern through at least March 31, 2023. However, given our historical net losses and cash used in operating activities, we obtained a continued support letter from Slipstream through March 31, 2023. We can provide no assurance that our ongoing operational efforts will be successful which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.

See Note 8 Loans Payable to the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Recent Developments section earlier in Item 7 for an additional discussion of the Company’s debt obligations and further discussion of the Company’s refinancing activities subsequent to December 31, 2021.

Operating Activities

The cash flows provided by / (used in) operating activities were $471 and $(3,530) for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Removing the effect of non-cash items, cash provided by operations in 2021 was $1,723, driven by an (1) increase in net customer/vendor deposits of $901 related to upfront cash collections/payments for large-scale projects, (2) increase in net accounts receivable and payables of $196 related to the timing of collections and payments for ongoing hardware and installation sales and purchases, and (3) a decrease in inventory of $471 as Safe Space Solutions inventory purchased in the prior year was sold in 2021, partially offset by a $338 decrease in deferred revenue.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2021 was $1,159 as compared to $657 for the same period in 2020. Uses of cash in the current and prior period relate primarily to internal and external costs associated with software development. We currently do not have any material commitments for capital expenditures as of December 31, 2021; however, we anticipate an increase in our capital expenditures of approximately $430 in excess of our historical trends through the first half of 2022 to maintain and enhance the software platform for our customers and to enhance revenue generating activities through the platform.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 was $1,745 and $3,479, respectively. The current year results were driven by completion of the Company’s registered direct offering, while the prior year results were driven by our receipt of a PPP Loan of $1,552 and proceeds from our at-the-market offering of $1,831, partially offset by no debt proceeds during the year. 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

During the year ended December 31, 2021, we did not engage in any off-balance sheet arrangements set forth in Item 303(a) (4) of Regulation S-K.

ITEM 7A QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Not applicable.

ITEM 8 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements on Page F-1.

ITEM 9 CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None

ITEM 9A CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

An evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) and Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer), of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act (“Exchange Act”), as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report. Based on that evaluation, our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2021, and designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the Securities and Exchange Commission and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their control objectives.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 based on the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Based on our assessment and those criteria, management believes that we maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2021, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B OTHER INFORMATION

Earnings Release

On March 22, 2022, the Company issued a press release announcing its financial condition and results of operations for the three months and year ended December 31, 2021. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference into this Item 9B in lieu of separately furnishing such press release under Item 2.02 of Form 8-K. This disclosure, including Exhibit 99.1 hereto, shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any of the Company’s filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS.

Not applicable.

PART III

ITEM 10 DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Our Board of Directors consists of Dennis McGill (Chairman), Richard Mills (CEO), David Bell, Donald Harris, and Stephen Nesbit.

The following table sets forth the name and position of each of our current directors and executive officers.

The biographies of the above-identified individuals are set forth below:

Dennis McGill joined our Board of Directors in November 2019. Over the course of a 45-year career, Mr. McGill has served as a director, Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of various public and private companies. From June 2015 to October 2017, Mr. McGill served as the President and CEO of ReCommunity Holdings II, Inc., the largest independent recycling processing company in the US, processing over 1.8 million tons of material annually and employing a team of 1,600 members. Mr. McGill served on the Board of Directors for Lighting Science Group Corp. (“LSGC”) from March 2015 to July 2017 while the company was publicly traded. Mr. McGill also served as the LSGC’s Interim Chief Operating Officer from June 2014 to September 2014 and as LSGC’s Interim Chief Financial Officer from July 2014 to December 2014. Mr. McGill joined Pegasus Capital as an operating advisor in December 2014 and remains in that capacity today. Since June 2014, Mr. McGill has also served on the board of directors of DGSE Companies, Inc., a company listed on the NYSE MKT that buys and sells jewelry, diamonds, fine watches, rare coins and currency (“DGSE”). Mr. McGill previously served on the board of directors of DGSE, ReCommunity Holdings, LP and Fiber Composites, LLC and served as the chairman of DGSE’s audit committee. From February 2013 to October 2013, Mr. McGill served as executive vice president and Chief Financial Officer of Heartland Automotive Services, Inc., where he actively participated with the senior management team to develop and roll-out a new business model. From September 2010 to February 2013, Mr. McGill served as executive vice president and Chief Financial Officer of Blockbuster LLC and was responsible for directing and managing various aspects of the Chapter 11 process. From March 2005 to July 2010, Mr. McGill served as executive vice president and Chief Financial Officer of Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc., during which time he led the company’s merger and acquisition efforts and grew the company from $0 to $160 million in EBITDA during his tenure. Mr. McGill holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Accounting and Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California, Berkeley and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of California.

David Bell joined our Board of Directors in August 2014 in connection with our acquisition of Creative Realities, LLC. Mr. Bell brings over 40 years of advertising and marketing industry experience to the board, including serving as CEO of three of the largest companies in the industry–Bozell Worldwide, True North Communications and The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. Since 2007, Mr. Bell has led Slipstream Communications, LLC which is an international company providing strategic branding, digital marketing, and public relations services and served as a Senior Advisor to Google Inc. from 2006 to 2009. Mr. Bell previously served as an Operating Advisor at Pegasus Capital Advisors. He is currently a Senior Advisor to AOL and has also served on the boards of multiple publicly traded companies, including Lighting Science Group Corporation and Point Blank Solutions, Inc., and Primedia, Inc., and served as President and CEO of The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc. from 2003 to 2005. Mr. Bell served as an independent director on the Board of Directors of Time, Inc. from June 2014 to January 2018.

Donald A. Harris was appointed to our Board of Directors in August 2014 in connection with our acquisition of Broadcast International, Inc. He has been President of 1162 Management, and the General Partner of 5 Star Partnership, a private equity firm, since June 2006. Mr. Harris has been President and Chief Executive Officer of UbiquiTel Inc., a telecommunications company organized by Mr. Harris and other investors, since its inception in September 1999 and also its Chairman since May 2000. Mr. Harris served as the President of Comcast Cellular Communications Inc. from March 1992 to March 1997. Mr. Harris received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy and an MBA from Columbia University. Mr. Harris’s experience in the telecommunications industry and his association with private equity funding is valuable to the Company.

Richard Mills is currently our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board of Directors. Mr. Mills possesses over 32 years of industry experience. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of ConeXus World Global, a leading digital media services company, which he founded in 2010, and which was acquired by the Company. Prior to founding ConeXus, Mr. Mills was President and Director at Beacon Enterprise Solutions Group, Inc., a public telecom and technology infrastructure services provider. Previous to that, he joined publicly traded Pomeroy Computer Resources, Inc. in 1993 and served as Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors from 1995 until 1999. Mr. Mills helped grow sales at Pomeroy during his time there from $100 million to $700 million. Mr. Mills was also a founder of Strategic Communications LLC.

Stephen Nesbit has been in the digital signage and digital advertising industry for over 20 years. He is currently the Managing Director of Prestonwood Trail Holdings LLC and has provided advisory services for companies in the Digital Signage and Digital Media Industry for the past 10 years. He has directed and advised projects in North America, Europe, Asia proper, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia and Africa. Prior to founding Prestonwood Trail, Mr. Nesbit was the President/COO at Reflect Systems, a prominent software and services company in the Digital Signage business. He joined Reflect after serving as President/COO of MarketForward, the Global Digital Media Division owned by the Publicis Groupe S.A. in Paris France. Mr. Nesbit began his career in Digital Signage as the EVP Global Operations & GM International Business for Next Generation Network. NGN was one of the first Digital Place Based Advertising companies in the industry before its sale to Anschutz Investments where the company changed its name to National Cinemedia (NASDAQ: NCMI). He began his career at IBM in the Data Processing Division holding various field and HQ management positions. Mr. Nesbit also held management and executive positions at Wang Labs and BBN Communications Inc., the communications company that was the original architect of the Internet. Mr. Nesbit holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and earned an MBA from the Indiana University Kelly Graduate School of Business.

Will Logan joined the Company as VP of Finance in November 2017 and was promoted to the position of Chief Financial Officer effective May 16, 2018. From January 2007 until November 2017, Mr. Logan was employed by Ernst & Young in the assurance services group where he primarily served large public companies, including a two-year international rotation in London, UK in the asset management practice. He brings over ten years of experience in SEC reporting, technical accounting matters and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance expertise as well as expertise in initial public offerings, acquisitions and integration. He has B.A. degrees in Accounting and Economics from Bellarmine University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Under our corporate bylaws, all of our directors serve for indefinite terms expiring upon the next annual meeting of our shareholders.

When considering whether directors and nominees have the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills to enable the Board of Directors to satisfy its oversight responsibilities effectively in light of our business and structure, the Board of Directors focuses primarily on the industry and transactional experience, in addition to any unique skills or attributes associated with a director. With regard to Mr. McGill, the Board of Directors considered his background and experience with running and accelerating growth at public companies. With regard to Mr. Bell, the Board considered his deep experience within the advertising and marketing industries and his prior management of large enterprises. With regard to Mr. Mills, the Board of Directors considered his extensive background and experience in the industry. With regard to Mr. Harris, the Board of Directors considered his extensive experience in the telecommunications industry and association with private equity investors. Finally, with regard to Mr. Nesbit, the Board of Directors considered his extensive experience in the digital signage industry, having run several companies in the industry and acted as a consultant broadly for digital signage companies over the past twenty years.

The Board of Directors has determined that there are presently three “independent” directors as such term is defined in Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq listing rules, each of whom also meets the criteria for independence set forth in Rule 10A-3(b)(1) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The directors whom the board has determined to be independent are Messrs. Bell, Harris, and Nesbit.

The Board of Directors has determined that at least two members of the Board, Mr. McGill and Mr. Bell, qualify as an “audit committee financial expert” as that term is defined in Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Each of Mr. McGill and Mr. Bell’s relevant experience in this regard is detailed above, which includes past employment experience in finance and through various Director roles at public companies, including experience on the Audit Committee for other publicly traded companies. Mr. Bell is deemed to be independent of the Company. The Board of Directors has determined that each director is able to read and understand fundamental financial statements.

Board Committees

Our Board of Directors has created a standing Compensation Committee and Audit Committee. Messrs. Nesbit, Harris, and Bell serve on the Compensation Committee. Messrs. Bell, Harris and Nesbit serve on the Audit Committee. In the case of the Compensation Committee, Mr. Nesbit serves as chair, and in the case of the Audit Committee, Mr. Bell serves as chair. The Board of Directors has determined that at least one member of the Audit Committee, Mr. Bell, is an “audit committee financial expert” as that term is defined in Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Mr. Bell’s relevant experience in this regard is detailed above. Mr. Bell, Mr. Harris and Mr. Nesbit qualify as “independent” member of the board as described above. The Board of Directors has determined that each director serving on the Audit Committee is able to read and understand fundamental financial statements.

The Board of Directors has not created a separate committee for nomination or corporate governance. Instead, the entire Board of Directors shares the responsibility of identifying potential director-nominees to serve on the Board of Directors. Nevertheless, nominees to serve as directors on our Board of Directors are selected by those directors on our board who are independent.

Communications with Board Members

Our Board of Directors has provided the following process for shareholders and interested parties to send communications to our board and/or individual directors. All communications should be addressed to Creative Realities, Inc., 13100 Magisterial Drive, Ste. 100, Louisville, KY 40223, Attention: Corporate Secretary. Communications to individual directors may also be made to such director at our company’s address. All communications sent to any individual director will be received directly by such individuals and will not be screened or reviewed by any company personnel. Any communications sent to the board in the care of the Corporate Secretary will be reviewed by the Corporate Secretary to ensure that such communications relate to the business of the company before being reviewed by the board.

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of our employees, officers (including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, and persons performing similar functions) and directors. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics satisfies the requirements of Item 406(b) of Regulation S-K. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available, free of charge, upon written request to our Corporate Secretary at 13100 Magisterial Drive, Ste. 100, Louisville, KY 40223.

ITEM 11 EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Executive Compensation

Summary Compensation Table