In-store media

In-store media is advertising sold inside a retailer's or other commerce company's physical locations, such as digital screens, in-store audio and mobile-activated formats, planned, delivered and measured with the owner's data.

Retailers have started to sell their screens, audio and checkout spaces the way they sell digital media. The IAB and IAB Europe published their final In-Store Retail Media: Definitions and Measurement Standards in December 2024, after two months of open feedback. The document sets common definitions, measurement rules and guidance on ad formats and store zones (IAB, December 2024).

The IAB's July 2025 explainer draws a line between media and traditional merchandising. In-environment commerce media covers digital screens, audio and mobile-activated formats in stores, bank branches, airports or car dealerships. It excludes static signage and physical displays, which stay with trade and shopper marketing (IAB, July 2025).

Measurement is the hard part. A screen has no click, so networks estimate audiences from footfall, dwell time and sightlines, then compare loyalty-card sales in exposed periods or stores with a control. The standards aim to make those estimates comparable between retailers.

Example: A drugstore chain sells a two-week run of 15-second spots on screens above its pharmacy counters to a cold remedy brand. It counts impressions from store traffic and dwell time, then compares the brand's loyalty-card sales in stores with screens against matched stores without them.

Related terms: onsite media, offsite media, shopper marketing, retail media network, closed-loop measurement.

Authoritative source: IAB and IAB Europe, "In-Store Retail Media: Definitions and Measurement Standards" (final, December 2024).

Read the full guide: Onsite vs offsite vs in-store retail media.