According to research from IAB and Grocery TV reported in The Shelby Report, 43 percent of marketers acknowledge they underutilize in-store retail media despite recognizing its full-funnel role. The study shows brands see the value of digital screens at checkout and in aisles, yet budget allocation and creative development lag behind awareness.
The underutilization stems from a structural issue: most brands still treat retail media as a lower-funnel conversion play tied to e-commerce. In-store screens operate differently. They sit at the decision point, where a shopper has a cart and intent but has not yet chosen a specific brand. The screen's job is to close that last decision, not to drive a click. Marketers who approach in-store media with the same creative and KPIs they use for banner ads or search leave performance on the table.
The mechanism that makes in-store screens effective is immediacy. A shopper sees a product message while standing in the relevant aisle. The call to action is not to remember or bookmark. It is to reach for the product now. Brands that test in-store media at scale report that the channel drives both lift at shelf and halo awareness across digital channels. The screen acts as a bridge: it converts the shopper in front of it and primes the next shopper who sees the brand name at home.
A small brand can run this play without a media agency or a six-figure screen buy. Start with one retail partner that offers in-store digital inventory. Grocery TV, Cooler Screens, and Vibenomics all work with mid-tier and independent retailers. Negotiate a test buy: four weeks, three to five screens in stores where your product already has distribution. Budget $2,000 to $5,000 for the media and $500 to $1,000 for creative production. Use a single static image or a fifteen-second loop. Show the product, the price or offer, and one sentence of differentiation. No storytelling. No brand history. The creative should answer the question a shopper asks while standing in the aisle: why this one.
Measure two things. First, scan data at those test stores during the flight and the two weeks after. Compare it to scan data from similar stores without screens. Second, search volume and site traffic during the same window. Retail media often drives a small but measurable lift in branded search as shoppers remember the product name and look it up later. If you see a 10 to 20 percent lift in sales and a 5 to 10 percent lift in search, the test worked. Scale to more stores or more weeks. If you see no movement, adjust the creative or the offer and test again. The channel works when the message is simple and the product is already on shelf.
The IAB finding points to a broader shift. Retail media is no longer just an off-site display network. It is the last chance to influence a shopper with money in hand. Brands that move creative budget and test discipline into in-store screens will close the gap before competitors do.
Test in-store screens where your product already has distribution, measure scan data lift, and treat the creative as a close, not an ad.
Editorial & Disclosure Notice: This article was written with artificial intelligence from public sources and is published without individual human review. Artificial intelligence and other digital tools are also used for research, analysis, editing, formatting, and production. Errors, omissions, outdated information, or inaccuracies may occur. References to companies, brands, products, services, organizations, or individuals are for informational and editorial purposes and do not imply endorsement, sponsorship, affiliation, partnership, or approval unless expressly stated. All trademarks and other intellectual property remain the property of their respective owners. Opinions, analysis, estimates, and commentary are informational only and should not be construed as financial, investment, legal, tax, medical, procurement, or other professional advice. Information may be corrected, clarified, or updated after publication. Corrections or removal requests: jenny@pops4.com.
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