Walmart is buying San Francisco-based ad tech startup Polymorph Labs as it looks to compete with online rival Amazon in targeting shoppers online.
The world’s largest retailer has been building its own ad business though Amazon has significantly outpaced Walmart in this area.
“Polymorph’s technology … will make advertising with Walmart easier for thousands of brands while delivering more relevant digital ads to consumers,” Walmart Media Group’s vice president and general manager, Stefanie Jay, wrote in a statement posted to the company’s website.
Walmart said Polymorph’s technology will make advertising with the discounter easier for thousands of brands while delivering more relevant digital ads to consumers faster.
Polymorph’s technology platform, which includes a high-speed ad server, will enable Walmart advertisers to quickly select audience segments based on shopping behavior. For example, brands that advertise could quickly identify cat food buyers versus dog food buyers, and then measure whether their ads influenced a sale.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.