In-Store Retail Media Needs Audience Intelligence: Advertima

Advertima is a real-time in-store retail media solution that transforms physical retail environments and stores into revenue-generating retail media channels. 

Q: Retail Media has been growing online for years, but physical stores are now entering the conversation. Why is in-store retail media becoming strategically critical?

A: In e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, advertising investment is substantial. Brands compete to appear as sponsored search results, featured products, or promoted items within the shopping journey. However, despite the growth of digital commerce, about 80% of consumer purchases in Latin America still take place in physical stores, while advertising investment continues to shift disproportionately toward online channels due to ease of measurement, performance tracking, and customer insights.

Advertima, a Switzerland-based technology startup, believes the physical world can offer the same advantages as digital advertising — granular measurement, audience segmentation, forecasting, and activation — directly inside the store. By identifying audience demographics and behaviors in real time, retailers can improve the in-store experience and deliver far more relevant brand communications. In essence, Advertima brings the logic of digital media buying into the physical retail environment.

Q: How does this technology change the way brands are perceived through in-store advertising compared to traditional formats?

A: Advertima has developed a proprietary audience intelligence technology powered by in-store sensors. As part of the rollout with our partnership with Walmart Connect Mexico, this solution is being deployed across Walmart Supercenters to identify not only foot traffic but also detailed audience insights, such as gender, age ranges, group composition, interaction patterns, and navigation paths within the store.

Compared to traditional ads that relied on static formats, real-time technology enables brands to run campaigns targeted to specific audiences and measure outcomes such as reach, impressions, engagement, product interaction, and eventual purchase behavior. The sensor data can inform different in-store media, including digital screens and physical placements, creating greater value for both brands and shoppers. This real-time adaptation allows brands to deliver communications that feel more personal and relevant, increasing resonance and effectiveness. It also gives brands greater flexibility to test different creative approaches based on audience segments rather than relying on one-size-fits-all messaging.

Q: Privacy is a central concern for consumers, regulators, and brands. How does Advertima balance advanced targeting with strict privacy compliance?

A: Advertima’s system is based on 3D computer vision technology, using high-resolution sensors capable of covering large in-store areas, detecting up to 30+ shoppers simultaneously. The sensors do not store images, do not function as security cameras, and do not capture personally identifiable information. 

The process consists of three core steps: capture, segment, and activate. First, the sensor detects individuals within a defined area. It then segments the audience by analyzing anonymous attributes such as estimated age range, gender, group composition, and movement patterns. Finally, based on this segmentation, the ecosystem can determine whether a relevant message or creative asset should be activated on a nearby screen or medium.

This approach enables advertisers and retailers to measure how audiences interact with content, whether they engage with products, and how those interactions influence purchasing behavior. Advertima’s Audience Intelligence provides secure, anonymous data that informs media strategies without compromising customer privacy.

Q: In e-commerce platforms, brands can retarget customers who abandon their carts. Is there an equivalent capability in physical retail?

A: No, and this distinction is intentional. Advertima does not identify individuals or connect in-store behavior to personal data such as loyalty profiles, phone numbers, or email addresses. Even if a shopper uses a loyalty program, their physical presence is never linked to personal identity.

This approach is driven by privacy considerations and customer experience. Following individuals through the store or retargeting them after they leave would be intrusive and counterproductive. Advertima’s focus is on activating relevant audiences in the moment, not tracking individuals over time.

Q: How has the retail, e-commerce, and advertising landscape changed in recent years, and where is it headed?

A: Retailers operate in an environment of extremely thin margins. To remain competitive, they have increasingly diversified their revenue streams through services such as advertising, financial products, and telecommunications. Retail media has emerged as a key revenue opportunity over the past five to six years, initially driven by e-commerce. However, because the majority of purchases still occur in physical stores, Latin American retailers have naturally focused on in-store retail media solutions.

Historically, in-store promotions ranged from pallet displays to QR codes and bundled offers, with little insight into what truly drove performance. Data-driven feedback loops are now replacing assumptions. Brands can now test, learn, and optimize campaigns based on real audience behavior and measurable outcomes. As this ecosystem matures, creativity and innovation will prevail. Retailers and brands will gain access to data that was previously unavailable, enabling smarter strategies and more effective collaboration.

Q: Advertima is entering Mexico first in Latin America. Why Mexico, and how does the market differ from the European Union or the United States?

A: Mexico is a large, dynamic, and highly agile market with a strong willingness to experiment and innovate. While the US retail media ecosystem is heavily oriented toward e-commerce and home delivery, Mexico and much of Latin America retain a strong cultural preference for physical shopping experiences.

Mexican retailers combine learnings from the United States with local market realities. This requires adaptation rather than direct replication. Retail leaders in the region tend to be more open to risk-taking and innovation, recognizing that solutions successful elsewhere may not translate directly.

Q: What are Advertima’s objectives for 2026 and its longer-term vision?

A: Advertima’s goal is to help reshape how the retail and advertising industries collaborate. There has been a disconnect between advertisers, who think in terms of media buying and audience reach, and retailers, who focus on product sales and store operations. Retail media sits at the intersection of these two worlds.

The long-term vision is standardization, making physical retail media as accessible, measurable, and integrated into media planning as digital channels. Advertima aims to enable brands to plan campaigns holistically across digital, radio, television, and physical retail, using the same audience definitions, metrics, and performance expectations.

Advertima’s goal is to bring this standardized, data-driven approach to every corner of the physical retail and advertising ecosystem, closing the gap between online and offline media once and for all.