StellaNordis turns the physical sales floor into a measurable, programmatically biddable advertising and service channel on smartglasses — uniting in-store navigation, an XR ad server and loyalty in a single, hardware-agnostic platform.
StellaNordis is a software platform organised in three layers that build on one another. Instead of laying ads over reality, it inserts useful content into the moment of decision — at the shelf, hands-free, and fully measurable. The stack is hardware-agnostic and kept open to future device classes through an OpenXR bracket.
01
XR Indoor Navigation
Hands-free wayfinding to the product the shopper is looking for, comparison information at the shelf and sponsored detours — built on licensed indoor localisation plus our own zone logic.
02
XR Ad Server
Auction and delivery logic for in-view advertising in the field of vision. Direct-sold deals first, then programmatic demand connected to existing SSP/DSP systems via an OpenRTB-compatible interface.
03
Loyalty & Gamification
The store session becomes a game mechanic — points, quests and streaks — refinanced through brand sponsoring and coupled to the retailer's existing loyalty programme. A service, not an interruption.
Inside the XR ad server
sub-100 ms auction
From a contextual bid request to a delivered sponsored detour: direct deals are matched first, then open programmatic demand competes across connected DSPs. The winning offer reaches the shopper's wallet in under 100 milliseconds.
Why it works
Value for all three sides at once.
The platform creates value simultaneously for the demand side, the inventory owner and the shopper — which is what makes the model defensible.
For brands
Measurable shelf moments
For the first time, CPG/FMCG brands get measurable, programmatically biddable visibility at the point of sale — exactly where the purchase decision is made — with closed-loop attribution.
For retailers
A new, high-margin asset
Retail chains unlock a new high-margin revenue stream from their own floor space, with no development burden. The store becomes monetisable media inventory.
For shoppers
Genuine shopping help
Wayfinding, product comparison and personalised coupons instead of advertising interruption — value the shopper actually keeps the glasses on for.
Timing
The window is opening now.
Online retail media is long established. The store remains the largest — and least digitally monetised — inventory there is. Three forces make this the moment to move.
Hardware is here
Meta opened the display function of the Ray-Ban Display glasses to developers in May 2026. Capable, consumer smartglasses are finally shipping at scale.
Standards are set
IAB measurement standards for in-store retail media took effect in early 2026 — the framework for buyers to trust and compare in-store impressions now exists.
The gap is offline
FMCG and drugstore first: high footfall, existing ESL infrastructure and established loyalty programmes make the grocery floor the ideal entry point.
The opportunity
A large market, an emerging segment.
Retail media is one of the fastest-growing categories in advertising. In-store is the next frontier — and the installed base of display smartglasses defines our addressable reach.
EUROPEAN RETAIL MEDIA · TAM
≈ €20.8bn
in 2026 · heading to ~€29–31bn by 2028
Retail media is one of the fastest-growing categories in advertising — and in-store is its next frontier.
Display smartglasses — installed base (worldwide)
2027
11.5m
2028
~20m
2029
~30m
2030
42m
~54% CAGR worldwide · Germany 0.7m → 2.9m over the same period. The installed base is the addressable reach.
The founders
Built by ad-tech operators.
Two founders who have worked together for 25 years and built, scaled and exited Tier-1 advertising technology before — more than 20 years in ad-tech, video monetisation and SaaS.
Patrick Knippel
Managing Director Business
Dipl. Wirt.-Ing. and MBA in Media Management (Steinbeis / NYU Stern / SDA Bocconi, top of class). 25+ years in media, ad-tech and operations, co-founding and building Nowtilus from 2007.
Leander Carell
Managing Director Product
20+ years in media, ad-tech and digital video monetisation. Most recently SVP Advanced TV Strategy at Equativ, leading CTV product and strategy after the sale of Serverside.ai.
A proven track record
With Nowtilus and Serverside.ai the team built and scaled Tier-1 advertising technology. StellaNordis applies that operator experience to the next medium.
NowtilusServerside.aiEquativBerlin
Get in touch
Let's talk about the store as media.
Whether you are a retail chain, a brand, an agency or an investor — we would be glad to show you the prototype and discuss a pilot. Tell us a little about you and we'll come back quickly.
StellaNordis monetizes the largest physical advertising space there is — connecting advertising, navigation and loyalty at the point of sale, with measurable impact and a clear shopper-value story.
Leander Carell und Dipl. Wirt.-Ing. Patrick Knippel, MBA
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