"Beyond the technology, it was great to work with a company who prioritised our needs."
Steve Stone
National Support Manager, KMart Australia
1989 - The First Beat Drops
Storeplay’s story begins on the dance floors of Melbourne. A young Dean (uni student and DJ) combined his love for music and marketing to create his final year business plan: an in-store music service for retailers.
He pitched the idea to iconic Aussie fashion retailer Portmans. They loved it. Landing his first client before he graduated, and ironically only getting a “Pass” for the assignment!
1990's - Cassette Tapes & Sonic Identities
Before brand soundtracks were a thing, Dean was crafting bespoke mixtapes on cassettes, creating sonic identities for retailers.
2000's - Burning CDs & Scaling Up
With CDs came faster production and bigger ambitions. Storeplay’s music filled hundreds of stores, defining the in-store atmosphere for brands across Australia.
2010 - 1,500 Stores & Counting
By 2010, Dean’s retail music solutions were playing in over 1,500 stores, helping retailers create immersive, consistent brand experiences.
2012 - Going Digital: The World's First In-Store Music App
Dean launched Storeplay, the world’s first fully licensed in-store music subscription app, letting retailers instantly download curated playlists onto an iPod.
2015 - Beyond Sound: Digital Signage Arrives
Storeplay expanded its in-store toolkit with Storeplay Display, a dynamic digital signage platform, helping retailers manage visual messaging alongside music.
2017 - Playing The Music: Enter, Hardware
Storeplay launched the "Storeplayer." A purpose-built in-store media player for easy and reliable music streaming.
2020 - Innovation in Crisis: Social Q is Born
When COVID-19 forced stores to close and revenue dropped by 80%, the team pivoted fast. They built SocialQ (now Storeplay IQ), a virtual queuing and in-store appointment system that helped retailers manage customer flow and support click-and-collect safely.
2024 - Expanding the Sense: Smart Scenting
Next came custom scenting and smart diffusers, working with our master perfumer, giving retailers the ability to craft truly multi-sensory environments that boost mood and sales.
2025 - 8,500+ stores, one unified platform
With more than 8,500 retail stores worldwide, Storeplay evolved into a first-of-its-kind unified sensory platform. Now, music, scent, visuals, retail media and queuing all work together through a single intuitive dashboard, helping clients to improve store performance and create unforgettable customer experiences.
-1.png?width=122&height=122&name=Client%20Logos%20(1)-1.png)