In-Store Marketplace Inc.

Overview

In-Store Marketplace (ISM) was created to address the need for Retail Media Networks to efficiently manage their digital in-store advertising. [2] The company operates a self-serve, automated, and integrated platform designed to simplify campaign management for retailers, brands, and solution providers. [2] ISM addresses two critical challenges in the retail media ecosystem: the complexity of implementing and managing in-store digital advertising, and the lack of standardized measurement. [2] The platform functions as a single integration point for Retail Media Networks, Retail Media Platforms, In-Store Solution Providers, and DSPs, providing unified access to diverse in-store media inventory globally. [12] ISM is backed by parent company Mood Media, whose in-store hardware infrastructure is combined with ISM's software platform. [12] The company targets verticals including grocery, drug, home improvement, sporting goods, discount retail, and specialty retail such as airport stores. [2, 27]

History

The In-Store Marketplace platform was first launched in August 2022 as an open initiative, announced from Indianapolis, Indiana. [43] At that time it was introduced as a project led by Brent Oakley, then CEO of Vibenomics, with founding media service partners including Vibenomics, Mood Media, Sellr Technologies, FuelMedia TV, and WaterStation Technology. [8] In March 2023, Mood Media acquired Vibenomics, the in-store digital advertising company that Oakley co-founded; financial terms of that transaction were not disclosed. [21] Following that acquisition, ISM was further developed under the Mood Media umbrella, with Oakley moving into the role of EVP and President of ISM. [54] ISM formally launched its enterprise platform on January 27, 2025, positioning itself as a standalone product backed by Mood Media. [54] Vibenomics' Paul Brenner and Hannah Parsons also joined ISM, holding the same senior roles they had previously held at Vibenomics. [46] By mid-2026, ISM had announced several retail network partnerships, including with Stater Bros. Markets (May 2026) and WHSmith North America Media Network (January 2026). [16, 27]

Market Position

ISM operates in the in-store retail media and digital out-of-home (DOOH) adtech category. [18] At its January 2025 enterprise launch, the company announced a presence across the United States, Europe, Australia, and APAC. [7] Notable retail partners, cited in press releases, include Stater Bros. Markets (the largest privately owned grocery retailer in Southern California, with nearly 170 stores), WHSmith North America (with more than 350 U.S. airport stores), and, at the enterprise launch, a reference from Bobby Watts, SVP Executive Lead AD Retail Media at Ahold Delhaize USA. [16, 27, 7] In 2023, ISM also announced a partnership with the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) to deploy its platform across their network of stores. [18] ISM's inaugural In-Store Readiness Report, which analyzed nine verticals in the retail media ecosystem, found that all evaluated sectors require significant advancement in in-store experience, infrastructure, monetization, and measurement. [54] The WHSmith account was won following an RFP process that included approximately ten competing technology vendors. [49]

Competition

ISM competes in the digital out-of-home and in-store retail media technology space. [18] Vistar Media is a programmatic DOOH platform that enables advertisers to buy and measure campaigns across digital screen networks, representing a competitor in programmatic out-of-home buying. [18] Place Exchange is a supply-side platform (SSP) that enables programmatic buying of DOOH media, including screens in retail environments. [18] Cooler Screens replaces traditional refrigerator door glass with interactive digital screens in retail settings and competes for the same in-store advertising inventory. [5] Large in-house Retail Media Networks—such as Walmart Connect and Kroger Precision Marketing—are also expanding their own in-store digital capabilities and compete for the same CPG brand advertising budgets. [5] Prior to ISM's WHSmith partnership, the retailer's digital screens were powered by Stratacache's Real Digital Media, illustrating competitive displacement in in-store adtech vendor selection. [49]

Sources

1. About In-Store Marketplace — In-Store Marketplace (official), 2025-09-05
2. In-Store Marketplace Launches to Simplify Digital Experience for Retail Media Owners — PR Newswire, 2022-08-10
3. In-Store Marketplace (ISM) Debuts as Global Pioneer in Unified Retail Media Solutions — PR Newswire, 2025-01-27
4. In-Store Marketplace: Retail Media Network Solutions | Mood Media — Mood Media (official), 2026-05-06
5. In-Store Marketplace Launches New Framework for In-Store Media Success — PR Newswire, 2026-04-07
6. Stater Bros. Partners with In-Store Marketplace to Launch In-Store Retail Media Network — PR Newswire, 2026-05-05
7. WHSmith North America Media Network Taps ISM to Launch Retail Media Network Across U.S. Airports — PR Newswire, 2026-01-13
8. Mood Media Expands In-Store Solutions with Acquisition of Vibenomics — Mood Media (official), 2023-03-21
9. WHSmith Taps ISM to Sell In-Store Ads Across Its Airport RMN — Adweek, 2026-01-13
10. In-Store Marketplace Launches, Offering Integrated Retail Media Platform — Path to Purchase Institute, 2025-01-17
11. Stater Bros. Markets Rolls Out In-Store Retail Media Network — Progressive Grocer, 2026-05-05
12. WHSmith Debuts Retail Media Network — Path to Purchase Institute, 2025-01-26
13. Vibenomics founder's new company In-Store Marketplace says it's the only platform that standardizes and unifies in-store media networks — Digital Signage Pulse, 2025-01-28
14. In-Store Marketplace Creates Single Integration Point for Retail Media Platforms — Street Fight, 2022-08-12
15. US retailer Stater Bros. Markets connects with In-Store Marketplace on in-store retail media launch — Retail Technology Innovation Hub, 2026-05-06