Barrows Connected Store and QSIC Announce Strategic Partnership to Unify In-Store Media Experiences

DALLAS, TX and TAMPA, FL — Barrows Connected Store, a global leader in connected retail experiences, and QSIC, the global intelligent in-store audio platform, today announced a strategic partnership designed to unify in-store media and deliver more cohesive, measurable shopper experiences.

The partnership combines the AI power of Barrows Connected Store's advanced in-store digital video network with QSIC's intelligent audio platform to create synchronized, multi-sensory campaigns that engage shoppers at the point of decision. By combining sight and sound within a single, data-driven measurement framework, the companies will enable brands and retailers to deliver more impactful campaigns — from upper-funnel brand building through to conversion.

Both organizations operate at a significant global scale and measure performance against real-world transactions, combining digital-level rigor with first-party retail data. Together, they will offer centralized campaign deployment, advanced in-store synchronization, predictive targeting by store and category, and closed-loop attribution — providing brands with greater transparency, accountability and optimization in physical retail environments.

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Shoppers don't experience retail in silos, and retail media shouldn't either. Yet for too long, audio and video have been planned, activated and measured in isolation. — Matt Elsley, co-founder and CEO, QSIC

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“QSIC has built the intelligence to measure in-store retail media tactics at a transactional level, and combining that with Barrows' video network means we can now synchronize creative in real time, grounded in actual purchase data,” said Elsley. “For brands, that's not just a better shopper experience, it's a fundamentally more accountable way to reach people where decisions actually get made.”

The opportunity

Research underscores the opportunity. According to Kantar, creative quality contributes nearly 50% of media impact, with cross-channel creative synergy contributing up to 55%. In addition, studies show that 57% of shoppers are influenced by in-store ads at the moment of decision, while 72% make unplanned purchases based on in-store messaging.

“This partnership takes in-store media to the next level,” said Brian DeCoveny, Managing Director North America, Barrows Connected Store. “Think category takeovers, high-impact seasonal activations, or brand moments that dominate a key timeframe — all enhanced by predictive targeting and closed-loop measurement using first-party retail data. Together, we're delivering the right message, at the right time, in the right context.”

The combined capabilities will enable brands to test and optimize sales outcomes when intelligent audio is unified with smart digital video touchpoints. AI-driven audio creation can be aligned seamlessly with powerful video content, ensuring creative consistency while allowing real-time adaptation based on store-level performance data.