ASX-listed customer analytics company Skyfii has acquired US-based marketing services business Causely in a deal worth $3.5 million, that also sees a former Kentucky governor and founding chief executive of fast-food giant KFC join it as an adviser.

Skyfii is best known as the company that gleans customer intelligence, such as foot traffic, shops visited and behavioural habits from patrons who log on to its free Wi-Fi networks in shopping malls, but it is expanding into working with clients in other public spaces and increasingly providing consultancy services.