Skip to content
Toposort Logo
Knowledge Base

Overview

Topsort provides in-store ad solutions that integrate with existing offline display technologies, allowing retailers to show ads on their in-store screens. This system can leverage Topsort’s auction engine or dynamically adapt ads based on audience demographics.

Core Capabilities

Topsort’s platform is designed for scalability, capable of processing high-volume data feeds for real-time and post-facto attribution, managing large data streams for various retail media components like catalog, price, and ad inventory.

When a user can be identified across both online activities and in-store purchases, such as through loyalty programs, attribution for in-store sales can be computed based on prior online ad exposures. The platform supports both real-time and post-facto data ingestion from loyalty programs and POS systems to provide full funnel attribution, and it can integrate with existing data lakes.

IAB/MRC Standards for In-Store DPB Measurement

Per IAB/MRC Retail Media Measurement Guidelines, in-store Direct Purchase Behavior (DPB) measurement must adhere to:

  • Viewability Requirements: In-store digital displays must meet the same viewability standards as online (50% pixels visible for required duration)
  • Presence Detection: Computer vision or sensor-based detection must validate actual human presence, not just device detection
  • Attribution Windows: Clear disclosure of time between in-store ad exposure and purchase (typically same-visit or within 24 hours)
  • Privacy Compliance: All tracking must be anonymous and aggregate-level only, with no persistent individual identification
  • Data Quality: SIVT filtration must extend to in-store metrics to exclude staff, maintenance, and non-customer traffic

The solution also offers computer vision-based metrics for in-store audiences, including total presence and views within defined ad zones. It tracks customer behavior and journeys within the store using people detection and tracking technology, which is crucial for understanding customer paths and computing in-store attribution.

Integration and Implementation

Clients have the flexibility to integrate only with Topsort’s in-store ad capabilities. Implementation can begin when the client’s screens are set up and configured. The system operates on a high-level API designed to be independent of the specific underlying measurement technology used in the store.

Presence Events and Measurement Standards

Presence events, which are the in-store equivalent of online impressions, are generated by the measurement technology layer and sent to Topsort for audience and attribution calculations. Per IAB/MRC guidelines:

  • Opportunity to See (OTS): Presence events must validate that a customer was positioned to potentially view the display
  • Dwell Time: Minimum dwell time of 1 second for display ads, 2 seconds for video content
  • Zone Definition: Clear delineation of viewable zones based on screen size and viewing angles
  • Validation Methods: Computer vision, thermal sensors, or beacon technology with accuracy thresholds documented

Purchase events from in-store points of sale are reported with an added placement field to identify the specific point of sale. This enables:

  • Closed-loop Attribution: Linking in-store ad exposure to same-visit purchases
  • Cross-channel Attribution: Connecting online ad exposure to in-store purchases via loyalty IDs
  • Incrementality Measurement: Comparing exposed vs non-exposed store visitors

Privacy Considerations

Privacy is a key consideration, and the system employs opaque track IDs and short-lived data structures to track individuals across different zones without storing images. The attribution methods are designed with privacy in mind, aiming to obscure the direct relationship between in-store tracking IDs and personal user IDs.