Walmart buys ad tech startup

Walmart says it's buying San Francisco-based ad tech startup Polymorph Labs as it looks to better compete with online rival juggernaut Amazon in targeting shoppers online.

The world's largest retailer has been quietly building its own ad business though that area is still much smaller than Amazon's.

Walmart Inc. said Thursday Polymorph's technology will make advertising with the discounter easier for thousands of brands while delivering more relevant digital ads to consumers faster.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

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.

© 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.