Swish Brand Experiences

What Swish Brand Experiences does

Swish Brand Experiences (also operating as SwishBx) is a US-based adtech company that operates what it describes as the first programmatic product sampling platform purpose-built for the grocery industry. The platform enables consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands to place full-size product samples directly into targeted consumers' online grocery orders, using first-party transactional retailer data rather than demographic proxies to identify recipients. Grocery retailers integrate the platform into their existing e-commerce and retail media operations to offer sponsored product sampling as an automated, always-on product discovery and customer engagement channel.

The underlying technology integrates with grocery retailer systems at the point-of-sale (POS), inventory management, and customer messaging layers, ensuring that sponsored samples are tracked as sold items and excluded from promotion when inventory is low or out of stock. Distribution is delivered through direct enterprise sales to CPG brands and grocery retailers, supplemented by platform-level integrations with grocery e-commerce provider Mercatus (which enabled deployment at Stater Bros., Weis Markets, and Southeastern Grocers) and store-operations technology provider Upshop. The company maintains a self-serve web application at app.swishbx.com alongside managed campaign support for larger advertisers.

Swish generates revenue primarily through transaction-based fees paid by CPG brands for sponsored sampling placements, supplemented by an advertising/media revenue share with retail partners. The company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan (with a Northville, MI mailing address), was founded in 2021 by retail media veterans, and operates with a reported 1–10 employees. It has raised approximately $400,000 in disclosed seed funding from Invest Detroit Ventures and Michigan Rise (September 2023), alongside non-dilutive recognition from industry pitch competitions.

Name

Swish Brand Experiences

Legal name

Swish Brand Experiences Inc.

Website

https://swishbx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Swish Brand Experiences operates a programmatic product sampling platform that places CPG brand products directly into targeted online grocery orders using first-party retailer data, serving consumer packaged goods brands and grocery retailers through Mercatus and Upshop integrations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Media AdTech

akta.pro primary industry

Sampling & Product Trial Programs (BPAFAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Programmatic Display & Retargeting (DSP) (MPAAACAE), Retail Merchandising Execution & Field Marketing Services (CRAOAOAB)

Keywords

• Programmatic product sampling
• Retail media platform
• CPG brand sampling
• First-party data targeting
• Grocery retail sampling

Headquarters

HQ city

Northville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sponsored Product Sampling Fees: CPG brands pay for programmatic product sampling placements where their full-size products are added to targeted online grocery orders. The platform charges brands for access to targeting, automation, and measurement capabilities.
2. Retail Media Revenue Share: Unlocks additional revenue streams for retailers through Swish's Sponsored Product Sampling, driving incremental revenue in both media dollars and the direct sale of physical products. Retailers can operate a private sampling marketplace or participate in Swish's national network.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Swish Brand Experiences operates the first-ever programmatic product sampling platform for the grocery industry. The platform uses real first-party transactional data to identify target consumers and automatically inserts full-size product samples into their online grocery orders. It serves CPG brands with measurable sampling campaigns and grocery retailers with a retail media product discovery offering that integrates into omnichannel operations.

Product overview

Swish Brand Experiences offers a single unified programmatic product sampling platform called the Swish Platform. The platform consists of a core product that serves both CPG brands and grocery retailers, with specialized modules for each stakeholder: the Brand Solution for brand marketers and the Retailer Solution for grocery partners. The platform leverages first-party transactional data to deliver automated, targeted, and measurable product sampling by adding full-size products directly to online grocery orders. Brands access self-service or managed campaign tools through the Swish web application, while retailers integrate the sampling program into their omnichannel retail media mix.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Swish Platform Core programmatic product sampling platform that uses first-party transactional data to add full-size products to targeted online grocery orders. Provides automated targeting, activation, and measurement for CPG brands and grocery retailers.
• Brand Solution Purpose-built platform offering for CPG brands to plan, activate, and measure on-demand product sampling campaigns. Includes precision audience targeting using first-party data, full campaign control, real-time performance metrics, and self-serve or managed support options.
• Retailer Solution Data-driven sampling program for grocery retailers that integrates into their omnichannel retail media mix. Features smart inventory management, POS integration, customer messaging, and generates new revenue through sponsored product sampling placements.
• Swish Web App Customer-facing web application providing login, account management, and access to the Swish Platform. Supports Google login integration and social media login options.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sampling campaigns can launch within minutes without production, printing, packaging, kitting, or freight requirements
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and customer.

• MercatuscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Strategic partnership with Mercatus, a grocery e-commerce platform provider, to make Swish's programmatic product sampling solution available to Mercatus retailer customers including Stater Bros., Weis Markets, and Southeastern Grocers. This integration enables seamless adoption within existing retailer infrastructure.
• UpshopkeyTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Partnership with Upshop, a store operations technology provider, to integrate Swish's programmatic sampling platform into Upshop's operations ecosystem. The integration helps grocers move faster in retail media and revolutionizes product sampling as a retail media experience.
• Stater Bros.customerOthersRegional grocery chain using Swish's programmatic product sampling platform via Mercatus integration. Customers receive free full-size product samples with their online grocery orders.
• Weis MarketscustomerOthersRegional grocery chain using Swish's programmatic product sampling platform via Mercatus integration. Customers receive free full-size product samples with their online grocery orders.
• Southeastern GrocerscustomerOthersParent company of Winn-Dixie, Harveys Supermarket, and BI-LO using Swish's programmatic product sampling platform via Mercatus integration. Customers receive free full-size product samples with their online grocery orders.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kroger Precision Marketing: Kroger Precision Marketing is Kroger's in-house retail media network, monetizing Kroger's first-party shopper data via display, programmatic, and emerging media formats. It is a leading grocery-retail media incumbent that could plausibly build its own sampling module, making it a strategic reference point for Swish.
• Instacart Ads: Instacart Ads is the retail media arm of Instacart, offering CPG brands targeted advertising and promotional placements on the Instacart marketplace using first-party basket data. Comparable to Swish in using grocery transactional data for targeted CPG activations at the point of purchase.
• Criteo: Criteo is a global commerce media platform with deep retailer and CPG relationships through its retail media and DSP offerings. As a broad incumbent, it overlaps with Swish on the CPG/retail programmatic media demand but does not currently focus on the product-sampling use case.
• Neptune Retail Solutions (formerly Quotient Technology): Neptune Retail Solutions is a large, established digital promotions and retail media platform that powers digital coupons, offers, and shopper marketing for thousands of retailers and CPG brands. It is broader in scope than Swish but addresses the same CPG/retailer demand for measurable digital consumer engagement.

Direct peers

• BzzAgent: BzzAgent is a word-of-mouth and influencer-driven product sampling platform that connects CPG brands with consumers for trial and advocacy. It targets the same CPG 'trial and conversion' use case as Swish, though through community/influencer distribution rather than grocery-fulfilled samples.
• Sampler: Sampler is a digital product sampling platform that delivers samples to opted-in consumers for CPG brands. It is the most directly comparable company to Swish, differing mainly in that Swish routes samples through online grocery orders rather than direct-to-consumer shipping.
• SoPost: SoPost is a digital product sampling infrastructure platform used by major brands and retailers to run sampling programs at scale. Like Swish, it focuses on turning product sampling into a measurable digital channel, with overlap in the CPG brand customer base.
• The Sample Source: The Sample Source is a product sampling and consumer trial marketing company running both online and in-person sampling programs for major CPG brands. Directly comparable to Swish in the CPG sampling use case, though execution is largely event-based rather than programmatic in-aisle.

Emerging players

• Crowdtap: Crowdtap is a peer-to-peer marketing and product sampling platform that helps CPG brands distribute samples and generate authentic consumer content. Comparable to Swish in serving CPG brand sampling and insights, but overlapping only partially on the retailer-funded model.
• Pinpoint Digital (formerly Mars Advertising): Mars Advertising / Pinpoint Digital is a shopper marketing agency and digital in-store media provider serving CPG brands at retail. Comparable to Swish in the CPG retail-merchandising use case, with overlap on driving measurable trial at point of purchase.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swishbx
• Instagraminstagram.com/swishbrandexperiences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swish Brand Experiences