Hy-Vee to Improve the Sound of Its Customer Experience

Supermarket chain Hy-Vee is making a change to what shoppers hear while in its grocery stores.

To enrich the customer experience in more than 400 Hy-Vee locations across the Midwest, the retailer has entered a multi-year partnership with Vibenomics, a location-based Audio Out-of-Home (AOOH) advertising and audio experience company. Beginning February 15, Vibenomics will bring targeted, specialized music and messaging into Hy-Vee's owned and operated locations.

As the pandemic has shifted consumer buying behaviors, Vibenomics will work closely with Hy-Vee to determine which categories of advertisers, brands or specific products to promote on its airwaves while considering the type of shopper experience they strive to deliver.

"We're thrilled to continue building our retail media presence by partnering with Hy-Vee, an innovative grocer who sees the potential of monetizing their audio with Vibenomics," said Brent Oakley, CEO at Vibenomics. "As a company, we're evangelizing AOOH's value and partnering with retailers like Hy-Vee to incorporate media capable of creating memorable shopping experiences."

Vibenomics's AOOH technology automates the audio ad buying process to current programmatic standards and enables users to strategically target customers at the point of purchase. The company recently partnered with Vistar Media to announce the expansion of The Trade Desk's omnichannel DSP to support AOOH. Today's news continues to build on Vibenomics's momentum in the retail media space, including its ongoing relationship with Kroger at more than 2,500 locations nationwide.

[See also: Audio OOH: A True Form of Retail Media]

Vibenomics has made significant strides in owning the programmatic AOOH space this year, reaching up to 63% of the total U.S. shopper population. By extending the company's unique audio inventory to omnichannel DSPs such as The Trade Desk, Vibenomics continues to engage leading brands and reaches consumers with creative and contextual messages within the shopping environment.