Walmart Media Group to acquire advertising startup Polymorph Labs

In a move to strengthen its in-house ad business, Walmart has announced plans to acquire the technology and assets of Silicon Valley-based advertising startup Polymorph Labs. The acquisition will aim to expand and improve the Walmart Media Group, which offers data-backed advertising to brands that are available in Walmart stores and online.

Polymorph will bring a high-speed ad server, a self-serve interface and server-side header bidding to Walmart Media Group, combining with Walmart’s existing omni-channel ad targeting and measurement solution. The superstore chain hopes with the additional equipment, Walmart’s platform will eventually be able to offer real-time auctions across multiple ad-pricing models (cost per click, cost per impression, cost per conversion).

“With 90 per cent of America shopping at Walmart every year and nearly 160m visitors to our stores and web sites every week, Walmart Media Group enables brands to reach more customers at scale and measure advertising effectiveness across the entire shopping journey,” wrote Stefanie Jay, VP and GM of Walmart Media Group. “Simply put, we can help brands understand if someone saw their ad on Walmart’s platform or across the Internet, and then purchased the product in-store or online. No one else can do this at scale like Walmart.”

“Ultimately, the acquisition of Polymorph technology will enable both existing and new advertisers to control their ad spending with us and reach their desired audiences more effectively. We’re thrilled to have the talented team at Polymorph Labs join Walmart Media Group to help us do just that,” concluded Jay.