Retail Media
In-Store Retail Media Networks: screens, audience measurement and real examples
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An in-store retail media network sells ads on screens, audio and other placements inside a retailer's shops, then reports audiences and sales from the till. Stores still take most retail sales, yet they earn about 5% of retail media revenue (MarketScale on Omdia, 2 November 2026). Measurement is the main reason.
Contents
Key facts
- The gap is large. E-commerce was 17.1% of US retail sales in Q2 2026, yet physical stores draw about 5% of retail media revenue in an Omdia estimate (MarketScale, 2 November 2026).
- The IAB set the first common terms in 2024. IAB and IAB Europe opened the first in-store retail media definitions and measurement standards for comment on 18 September 2024, covering formats, store zones and metrics (IAB, 18 September 2024).
- Europe is rewriting the impression. IAB Europe's proposals of 17 September 2026 add a five-zone framework and an opportunity-to-see model with six inputs. Comments closed on 23 October 2026 (IAB Europe, 17 September 2026).
- Buyers say they underuse it. In an IAB and Grocery TV survey of 100 US buyers, 43% said their organisation underuses its in-store investment. Inventory and scale ranked in the top three factors for 59% (IAB and Grocery TV, 1 October 2026).
- Walmart has the largest disclosed footprint. Walmart Connect runs about 170,000 digital screens across more than 4,500 stores, including TV walls and self-checkout screens (PPC Land, 6 January 2026).
- New networks keep launching. 7-Eleven Australia launched Anytime Media @ 7-Eleven across more than 760 stores on 30 September 2026 and said its screen rollout will expand in 2027 (B&T, 30 September 2026).
Definition
In-store retail media: paid placements in a retailer's physical stores and forecourts, sold to brands as media with a stated audience estimate and with sales measured against the retailer's own transaction data.
The 2026 IAB and Grocery TV study used a narrower working definition. It counted paid ads on in-store digital screens, audio and displays, and excluded traditional merchandising and trade promotions (IAB and Grocery TV, 1 October 2026). That line matters for budgets. A printed shelf wobbler bought with trade funds is shopper marketing. A booked, scheduled screen slot with an audience estimate is media. What a retail media network is in general is covered on the retail media hub, and the three surfaces are compared in onsite vs offsite vs in-store retail media.
In-store retail media screens and formats, by store zone
The 2024 IAB definitions sort placements by store zone, such as entry, aisle and checkout (IAB, 18 September 2024). The table follows that logic and adds a dated example for each format.
8 of 8 rows
Outside and entrance | Front-of-store screens, forecourt and fuel screens | Reach at the start of the trip | CVS installed almost 500 front-entrance screens in 2025 and planned 1,000 in 2026 (Modern Retail, 6 Jan 2026) |
Main floor | Large-format screens and TV walls | Brand video near a department | Home Depot Kitchen Displays, 75 to 85 inches, in more than 1,400 stores (company claim) (Orange Apron Media, accessed 9 Nov 2026) |
Aisle and endcap | Endcap, shelf-edge and side-cap screens | Messages next to the product | Kroger chose endcaps, store fronts and the frozen section for its Barrows screens (Modern Retail, 6 Jan 2026) |
Shelf | Electronic shelf labels and smart rails | Shelf-level messages tied to stock and price | Carrefour will digitise all French hypermarkets and supermarkets with Vusion by 2030 (PPC Land, 6 Apr 2026) |
Service areas | Pharmacy waiting-area screens, pro desks | Captive dwell time | CVS screens in pharmacy waiting areas of about 2,000 stores (Modern Retail, 6 Jan 2026) |
Checkout | Self-checkout and point-of-sale screens | Last message before payment | CVS expected checkout ads on point-of-sale systems in about 7,000 stores in 2026 (same source) |
Whole store | In-store audio | Spots across the store, often by daypart | CVS audio in 7,200 locations (same source) |
Mobile in store | Smart carts | Personalised ads during the trip | Instacart is winding down its Caper cart business by the end of Q2 2027 (Grocery Dive, 27 Oct 2026) |
Outside and entrance
- Format
Front-of-store screens, forecourt and fuel screens
- What a brand buys
Reach at the start of the trip
- Sourced example
CVS installed almost 500 front-entrance screens in 2025 and planned 1,000 in 2026 (Modern Retail, 6 Jan 2026)
Main floor
- Format
Large-format screens and TV walls
- What a brand buys
Brand video near a department
- Sourced example
Home Depot Kitchen Displays, 75 to 85 inches, in more than 1,400 stores (company claim) (Orange Apron Media, accessed 9 Nov 2026)
Aisle and endcap
- Format
Endcap, shelf-edge and side-cap screens
- What a brand buys
Messages next to the product
- Sourced example
Kroger chose endcaps, store fronts and the frozen section for its Barrows screens (Modern Retail, 6 Jan 2026)
Shelf
- Format
Electronic shelf labels and smart rails
- What a brand buys
Shelf-level messages tied to stock and price
- Sourced example
Carrefour will digitise all French hypermarkets and supermarkets with Vusion by 2030 (PPC Land, 6 Apr 2026)
Service areas
- Format
Pharmacy waiting-area screens, pro desks
- What a brand buys
Captive dwell time
- Sourced example
CVS screens in pharmacy waiting areas of about 2,000 stores (Modern Retail, 6 Jan 2026)
Checkout
- Format
Self-checkout and point-of-sale screens
- What a brand buys
Last message before payment
- Sourced example
CVS expected checkout ads on point-of-sale systems in about 7,000 stores in 2026 (same source)
Whole store
- Format
In-store audio
- What a brand buys
Spots across the store, often by daypart
- Sourced example
CVS audio in 7,200 locations (same source)
Mobile in store
- Format
Smart carts
- What a brand buys
Personalised ads during the trip
- Sourced example
Instacart is winding down its Caper cart business by the end of Q2 2027 (Grocery Dive, 27 Oct 2026)
Table by AdSovereign, CC BY 4.0.
Two patterns stand out. First, retailers place screens where shoppers pause, not everywhere. Kroger dropped screens behind open berry cases because they distracted shoppers, its media team told Modern Retail (Modern Retail, 6 January 2026). Second, scale is uneven. Grocery TV's chief executive advised scaling zones within each store before adding stores, because a pilot in 5% of a chain is hard for a brand to plan.
In-store retail media examples: nine networks compared
The table lists in-store networks with a public, dated footprint. Profiles cover several of them in depth.
9 of 9 rows
About 170,000 screens, 4,500+ stores, TV walls and self-checkout | Store ads bookable in Walmart's self-serve Ad Center | ||
Barrows screens past pilot; rollout to "a good portion" of stores in 2026 (store count n/d) | Tied to Kroger's closed-loop sales reporting | ||
About 3,000 screens serving about one million ads a day; 1,000 stores moving to Creative Realities software | Matched control stores; Stratacache sensors fed impressions | ||
Pro Desk, aisle and side-cap screens, "over 500 digital experiences"; Kitchen Displays in 1,400+ stores (company claims) | Sold through the network's managed team | ||
CVS Media Exchange | About 11,000 screens expected in 2026; audio in 7,200 locations | Self-service and managed audio buying planned | |
Hy-Vee RedMedia | 10,000+ screens in 400+ locations at the end of 2024 | n/d | Same source |
Anytime Media @ 7-Eleven (Australia) | 760+ stores, 4.6 million weekly transactions; screen rollout expanding in 2027 | Linked to the My 7-Eleven loyalty programme | |
Store screens running Intelligent Store Orchestration on Barrows technology | Campaigns change by store, time, stock, promotion and weather | ||
Vusion shelf labels, smart rails and shelf cameras across French stores by 2030 | Shelf becomes a sellable surface through Unlimitail |
- In-store footprint
About 170,000 screens, 4,500+ stores, TV walls and self-checkout
- Measurement or buying detail
Store ads bookable in Walmart's self-serve Ad Center
- Source
- In-store footprint
Barrows screens past pilot; rollout to "a good portion" of stores in 2026 (store count n/d)
- Measurement or buying detail
Tied to Kroger's closed-loop sales reporting
- In-store footprint
About 3,000 screens serving about one million ads a day; 1,000 stores moving to Creative Realities software
- Measurement or buying detail
Matched control stores; Stratacache sensors fed impressions
- In-store footprint
Pro Desk, aisle and side-cap screens, "over 500 digital experiences"; Kitchen Displays in 1,400+ stores (company claims)
- Measurement or buying detail
Sold through the network's managed team
CVS Media Exchange
- In-store footprint
About 11,000 screens expected in 2026; audio in 7,200 locations
- Measurement or buying detail
Self-service and managed audio buying planned
Hy-Vee RedMedia
- In-store footprint
10,000+ screens in 400+ locations at the end of 2024
- Measurement or buying detail
n/d
- Source
Same source
Anytime Media @ 7-Eleven (Australia)
- In-store footprint
760+ stores, 4.6 million weekly transactions; screen rollout expanding in 2027
- Measurement or buying detail
Linked to the My 7-Eleven loyalty programme
- In-store footprint
Store screens running Intelligent Store Orchestration on Barrows technology
- Measurement or buying detail
Campaigns change by store, time, stock, promotion and weather
- In-store footprint
Vusion shelf labels, smart rails and shelf cameras across French stores by 2030
- Measurement or buying detail
Shelf becomes a sellable surface through Unlimitail
- Source
Table by AdSovereign, CC BY 4.0.
Walmart is the scale case. Its screens sit inside the same self-serve tool brands use for search ads, which lowers the cost of buying a store flight (PPC Land, 6 January 2026). Walmart has not published its own current screen count, so treat the 170,000 figure as reported.
Albertsons is the measurement case. It ran an 80-store pilot, attracted more than 50 advertisers and then planned 800 stores for 2026. Its team said control stores were matched on more than 60 factors, and a Sargento campaign showed a 14% sales lift (company claim) (Modern Retail, 20 January 2026). In August 2026 its screen network began moving from Stratacache to Creative Realities (invidis, 18 August 2026).
Tesco is the context case. A Costa campaign in Tesco Express stores changed its message by time of day. Tesco reported a 47% uplift among customers new to the product (company claim) (Grocery Trader, 9 October 2026). Tesco also says more than 85% of its sales carry a Clubcard, which is what makes store sales measurable.
7-Eleven Australia shows convenience joining in. The launch pairs store screens with the My 7-Eleven app and loyalty data (7-Eleven Australia, 30 September 2026). Fuel and convenience networks are compared in convenience store retail media networks.
How in-store retail media measurement works
In-store measurement answers three questions in order. Did the ad run? Who could have seen it? Did it change sales? Each step uses different data, and buyers should ask for all three.
- Proof of play. The screen's playback log shows the spot ran on that screen at that time. It proves delivery, not attention.
- Audience. The network estimates how many people had an opportunity to see the ad. The IAB/MRC guidelines of January 2024 point in-store impressions to the MRC's digital place-based standards, which count people present in a screen's viewing zone (IAB/MRC guidelines, January 2024).
- Outcome. The network links exposure to sales, usually by comparing stores with the ad against similar stores without it, or by reading loyalty transactions. This is incrementality testing at store level, close to a geo holdout.
IAB Europe's 2026 proposals change step two. They favour footfall and the chance of visual contact over ad plays as the basis for an impression. They also offer a tiered way to estimate aisle penetration, from full beacon coverage down to category-level research (IAB Europe, 17 September 2026). Step three changes too. The draft removes sales lift and brand sales lift metrics and aligns the sales reporting window to 28 days. IAB Europe stresses that these are proposals, not a final standard.
The US industry has other reference points. The ANA's August 2026 report asked networks for third-party validation and a 14-day lookback (Digiday, 18 August 2026). PPC Land counts three different sales windows across the IAB Europe draft, its wider commerce media standards and the ANA (PPC Land, 2 October 2026). Ask which window a network uses before comparing two reports. The cross-surface standards are summarised in retail media measurement standards explained.
Worked example: how the six opportunity-to-see inputs interact
IAB Europe names six inputs: footfall, store count, campaign duration, number of placements, aisle penetration and share of voice (IAB Europe, 17 September 2026). The arithmetic below is our illustration of how they combine. It is not the draft's formula, which sits in the IAB Europe document.
6 of 6 rows
Weekly footfall per store | 15,000 visits | 15,000 |
Store count | 40 stores | 600,000 visits a week |
Campaign duration | 2 weeks | 1,200,000 visits |
Aisle penetration (share of visits passing the frozen aisle) | 35% | 420,000 visits pass the screens |
Placements per store in that aisle | 2 screens, counted once per visit here | 420,000 |
Share of voice (one slot in a six-slot loop) | 1/6 | 70,000 opportunities to see |
Weekly footfall per store
- Illustrative value
15,000 visits
- Running total
15,000
Store count
- Illustrative value
40 stores
- Running total
600,000 visits a week
Campaign duration
- Illustrative value
2 weeks
- Running total
1,200,000 visits
Aisle penetration (share of visits passing the frozen aisle)
- Illustrative value
35%
- Running total
420,000 visits pass the screens
Placements per store in that aisle
- Illustrative value
2 screens, counted once per visit here
- Running total
420,000
Share of voice (one slot in a six-slot loop)
- Illustrative value
1/6
- Running total
70,000 opportunities to see
Table by AdSovereign, CC BY 4.0.
The example shows why the inputs matter more than the screen count. Halve aisle penetration and the audience halves, even with the same screens. A retailer with beacons can measure penetration. One without them must rely on research, which IAB Europe asks networks to disclose.
Programmatic DOOH and in-store screens
Most in-store inventory is still sold through insertion orders agreed directly between brands and the retailer's media team, PPC Land reports (PPC Land, 2 October 2026). Programmatic access runs over pipes built for digital out-of-home (DOOH) screens. Since November 2022 the OpenRTB 2.6 specification has a dooh object for venue screens and a multiplier for audiences larger than one person (IAB Tech Lab, release 2.6-202211).
Vendors are building the bridges:
- Broadsign says it powers more than 35 in-store networks, including Woolworths, Coles, Sainsbury's and Auchan, and sells by location, share of voice, impression or budget, including to programmatic demand (company claims) (MarketScale, 2 November 2026).
- Mirakl Ads and Broadsign announced on 24 June 2026 a link that lets one campaign brief cover online placements and store screens (PPC Land, 27 June 2026).
- Koddi describes its SSP as serving sponsored listings, display, in-store screens and audio programmatically (company claim) (Koddi, accessed 9 November 2026).
- Perion agreed on 25 August 2026 to buy PRN, an in-store network in more than 750 warehouse clubs, 4,500 big-box stores and 2,200 pharmacies, for up to $12 million (PPC Land, 26 August 2026).
Programmatic buying does not fix measurement by itself. A DSP can buy a screen slot, but the sales link still comes from the retailer's till. Platforms and pricing for screen buying are compared in programmatic DOOH platforms.
Questions to ask before buying in-store media
- Which stores and zones? Get a store list and zone map, not a total screen count.
- How is an impression counted? Ask whether it starts from ad plays or from footfall, and which inputs are measured or modelled.
- What proves delivery? Request playback logs by screen and hour.
- How is sales lift tested? Ask for the control design, the number of matching factors and the reporting window.
- Was the product in stock? A spot for an out-of-stock item is paid media with no possible sale. MarketScale suggests asking for stock data per store while the ad ran (MarketScale, 2 November 2026).
- Can it be bought with onsite and offsite? One brief across surfaces makes cross-channel reporting easier. Offsite data flows are explained in offsite retail media explained.
FAQ
What is an in-store retail media network?
How is in-store retail media measured?
What are examples of in-store retail media?
Can you buy in-store retail media programmatically?
dooh object (IAB Tech Lab). Most in-store inventory is still sold by insertion order, and sales measurement still depends on the retailer.What has the IAB published on in-store retail media?
How this works on owned infrastructure
The hard part of in-store media is the join. Playback logs, footfall counts, loyalty transactions and stock levels usually sit in four systems run by four vendors, so a store-level lift test takes weeks of manual work. AdSovereign provides ad serving, SSP and DMP components that a retailer can run on infrastructure it controls. Screen schedules, audience estimates and till data can then land in the retailer's own warehouse, where one control-store test covers screens, onsite ads and offsite campaigns together. The integrations page lists how the components connect to screen networks and loyalty systems, and the architecture page shows where the data stays.
Sources
- MarketScale, "Stores ring up most retail sales but earn 5% of retail media revenue" (2 November 2026). https://www.marketscale.com/industries/retail/stores-ring-up-most-retail-sales-but-earn-5-of-retail-media-revenue
- IAB, "IAB Europe and IAB Release First-Ever In-Store Retail Media Definitions and Measurement Standards for Public Comment" (18 September 2024). https://www.iab.com/news/iab-europe-iab-in-store-retail-media-standards-public-comment/
- IAB Europe, "IAB Europe Advances In-Store and Travel Media Measurement with New Proposals Open for Public Comment" (17 September 2026). https://iabeurope.eu/iab-europe-in-store-and-travel-media-measurement-open-for-public-comment/
- IAB and Grocery TV, "In-store media is evolving beyond shopper marketing, IAB and Grocery TV research finds", PR Newswire (1 October 2026). https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/in-store-media-is-evolving-beyond-shopper-marketing-iab-and-grocery-tv-research-finds-302894868.html
- PPC Land, "43% of retail media buyers say they underuse in-store media, IAB finds" (2 October 2026). https://ppc.land/43-of-retail-media-buyers-say-they-underuse-in-store-media-iab-finds/
- PPC Land, "Walmart Connect bets on AI agents to reshape retail advertising" (6 January 2026). https://ppc.land/walmart-connect-bets-on-ai-agents-to-reshape-retail-advertising/
- Modern Retail, "Retailers like Kroger, CVS plan many more screens for in-store ads in 2026" (6 January 2026). https://www.modernretail.co/marketing/retailers-like-kroger-cvs-plan-many-more-screens-for-in-store-ads-in-2026/
- Modern Retail, "Albertsons is putting digital screens for ads in more than a third of its stores" (20 January 2026). https://www.modernretail.co/technology/albertsons-is-putting-digital-screens-for-ads-in-more-than-a-third-of-its-stores/
- invidis, "Retail Media: CRI Takes Over Albertsons from Stratacache" (18 August 2026). https://invidis.com/news/2026/08/retail-media-cri-takes-over-albertsons-from-stratacache/
- Orange Apron Media, "In-Store" (accessed 9 November 2026). https://www.orangeapronmedia.com/solutions/in-store/
More sources (11)
- 7-Eleven Australia, "7-Eleven Australia launches 'Anytime Media @ 7-Eleven', Australia's first dedicated convenience retail media network" (30 September 2026). https://www.7eleven.com.au/get-to-know-us/stories/news/7-Eleven-Australia-launches-Anytime-Media-7-Eleven-Australias-first-dedicated-convenience-retail-media-network.html
- B&T, "7-Eleven Launches Retail Media Network" (30 September 2026). https://www.bandt.com.au/7-eleven-launches-retail-media-network/
- Grocery Trader, "Tesco Media unveils new ad platform, shoppable formats and smarter in-store media" (9 October 2026). https://grocerytrader.co.uk/tesco-media-unveils-new-ad-platform-shoppable-formats-and-smarter-in-store-media/
- PPC Land, "Carrefour bets on AI, ChatGPT and smart shelves to win European retail" (6 April 2026). https://ppc.land/carrefour-bets-on-ai-chatgpt-and-smart-shelves-to-win-european-retail/
- Grocery Dive, "Instacart stops smart carts business" (27 October 2026). https://www.grocerydive.com/news/instacart-stops-smart-carts-business/872824/
- IAB and MRC, "Retail Media Measurement Guidelines" (January 2024). https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IAB_Retail_Media_Measurement_Guidelines_January2024.pdf
- Digiday, "ANA updates efforts to standardize retail media network measurement" (18 August 2026). https://digiday.com/marketing/ana-updates-efforts-to-standardize-retail-media-network-measurement/
- IAB Tech Lab, OpenRTB 2.x release 2.6-202211, "A new object for DOOH and implementation guide" (November 2022). https://github.com/InteractiveAdvertisingBureau/openrtb2.x/releases/tag/2.6-202211
- PPC Land, "Broadsign and Mirakl Ads want to end the online vs in-store retail media split" (27 June 2026). https://ppc.land/broadsign-and-mirakl-ads-want-to-end-the-online-vs-in-store-retail-media-split/
- Koddi, home page (accessed 9 November 2026). https://www.koddi.com/
- PPC Land, "Perion acquires in-store ad network PRN for up to $12 million" (26 August 2026). https://ppc.land/perion-acquires-in-store-ad-network-prn-for-up-to-12-million/