On-Site Media Networks:
The New Frontier of Retail & Venue Advertising

$370M

U.S. in-store retail media, 2024 (eMarketer)

$1.06B

Projected for 2028 (eMarketer)

~30%

Implied annual growth, 2024 to 2028

84%

of U.S. retail sales still happen in stores (eMarketer via Quad)

Current Scale

U.S. in-store retail media: $370M in 2024, projected to nearly triple to $1.06B by 2028 (eMarketer, via Quad). In-store would still be under 1% of total retail media (Chain Drug Review, citing eMarketer).

Growth Rates

The eMarketer forecast of $370M in 2024 and $1.06B in 2028 implies growth of about 30% a year (our arithmetic). U.S. out-of-home advertising reached $9.1B in 2024, up 4.5% (OAAA).

Retail & Grocery

Shelf-edge, end-cap, checkout

QSR & Restaurants

Digital menus, promo screens

Banking & Finance

Lobby walls, queue displays

Fitness & Gyms

Cardio screens, locker areas

Brand-Funded Network

Content & Purpose:

In-house messaging: product promos, menus, branding. Goal is to enhance CX and drive own-product sales.

Revenue Model:

Cost Center: ROI measured in sales uplift, satisfaction, loyalty, not direct ad revenue.

Examples:

• QSR digital menu boards (McDonald's combos)
• Bank lobby displays (mortgage rates)
• Luxury retail (brand storytelling)

Third-Party Monetization

Content & Purpose:

Paid ads from third parties (CPG brands, local businesses). Venue becomes a mini media publisher.

Revenue Model:

Revenue Stream: Generates ad revenue via revenue-share or inventory share with ad tech partner.

Examples:

• Retail stores (Kroger, Walmart in-aisle)
• Gas Station TV (GSTV fuel pump ads)
• Fitness clubs (local/national ad partners)

+13.5%

Sales lift, one battery brand on checkout screens (Catalina)

+17%

Sales lift, one ice cream brand on GSTV fuel-pump screens (Catalina)

$5.37

ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

Basket Size & Cross-Selling

End-cap screens promoting recipes or bundled offers increase unplanned purchases. Contextual messaging at decision points contributes to larger baskets.

Brand Recall & Awareness

Vistar Media reports that 84% of retailers believe digital signage creates more brand awareness than traditional static displays. Video/animated content leads to much higher recall than paper flyers.

Customer Satisfaction & NPS

Digital screens reduce perceived wait times by providing engaging content. Banks found informative screens make branch visits feel shorter and increase likelihood to recommend.

Personalized Content

Vistar Media reports that retailers using digital screens for personalized in-store content saw up to a 30% increase in sales (the underlying report is not named).

Dedicated Teams

Many retailers formed Retail Media Network (RMN) teams at the intersection of marketing and merchandising. Kroger's 84.51° now extends to in-store screens. Teams handle ad sales, partner management, analytics, and ad operations.

Tech Stack

CMS (Stratacache, Scala, BrightSign) for central control. Ad-serving via programmatic SSPs (Vistar, Place Exchange). Analytics linking POS data with exposure data. Content approval workflows and scheduling.

External Partners

System integrators (Diversified, Mood Media) for multi-site rollouts. Hardware vendors (Samsung, LG). Content agencies for motion graphics. Kroger worked with Barrows for end-cap fixtures.

Build vs Partner

In-house: Walmart ran internal TV network. Partner: a retailer can hand cooler-door screens to a vendor such as Cooler Screens (Walgreens later ended that contract and the two are in litigation). Partnership offloads complexity but shares revenue.

"Retailer as Media Owner": hype vs reality

Deloitte's spring 2023 survey found 64% of U.S. retail leaders planned to implement a retail media network by the end of 2024. But operating a media network requires new ad sales skills. Some early experiments have been scaled down amid ROI questions. The extent of in-store monetization will vary.

CX vs Monetization Balance

Overloading stores with ads could annoy customers, a "Tragedy of the Commons." Experts warn against screen overload and clutter. If ads are relevant and helpful, they become part of good experience.

Data Privacy & Targeting

Should a screen recognize a returning customer via phone/face ID? Many consider it "creepy." The likely trend: aggregate or cohort-based targeting (local demographics, time-of-day), not individual identities.

Omnichannel Convergence

A brand's campaign will deliver ads on e-commerce, mobile app, and in-store screens. In-store screens being added to omnichannel DSPs.

Every Store a Media Outlet: Mainstream Acceleration

Backlash and Balance: Moderate Growth with Self-Regulation

Programmatic Everywhere: Fully Automated Networks

Walled Gardens: Big Players Dominate

Stalling Out: Slow Uptake Due to Challenges

Package software and hardware to support both owner-operated content AND third-party ad monetization. Include ad scheduling, proof-of-play reporting, and integration with ad exchanges.

Retail: POS integration, inventory sync. QSR: Menu integrations, daypart scheduling. Banking: Queue management, financial education. Fitness: Entertainment + ad revenue sharing.

Invest in analytics that can ingest sales data and estimate impressions. Produce reports on uplift (e.g., "Screen X delivered 5,000 impressions and 10% sales lift"). Provide closed-loop reporting rivaling online metrics.

SaaS subscription for internal comms. Revenue-sharing for ad monetization (lower upfront fees in exchange for ad revenue share). Consider performance-based bonuses tied to engagement metrics.

Programmatic: Vistar Media, Place Exchange, Broadsign Reach. Content: News feeds, weather services, creative agencies. Data: Catalina, Nielsen for attribution.

Bake in features: content approval workflows, anonymized audience measurement, SOC 2 compliance. Position as "maximizes personalization without compromising privacy." Critical for banks and enterprise retailers.

What is an on-site media network?

An on-site media network refers to digital signage and screens deployed in physical venues (stores, banks, gyms, restaurants) that can display either the venue's own content or paid advertising from third parties. When monetizing with third-party ads, the venue effectively becomes a "mini media publisher," generating advertising revenue from their physical traffic.

How much revenue can in-store advertising generate?

Revenue depends on venue traffic, screen placement, and ad rates. Catalina cites DOOH CPMs of $5 to $20. A grocery chain with high-traffic locations can generate significant ad revenue by partnering with CPG brands. Some networks operate on revenue-share models between the venue and the network operator while others sell inventory directly.

Does in-store digital signage actually increase sales?

Yes, in the documented cases. Catalina reported a 13.5% sales lift for one battery brand in a four-week checkout-screen campaign, and a 17% lift with $5.37 ROAS for one ice cream brand on GSTV fuel-pump screens. Vistar Media reports that retailers using personalized content saw up to a 30% sales increase. However, execution matters, and poorly managed networks can backfire.

What are the main challenges for on-site media adoption?

Key challenges include: (1) Balancing ads with customer experience (overload can annoy shoppers); (2) Data privacy: 74% of respondents in an Econsultancy-cited survey name it as a concern; (3) Technical complexity of managing hundreds of screens; (4) Proving ROI to justify investment; and (5) Fragmentation across 200+ retail media networks globally (Mimbi, via Econsultancy) making it complex for advertisers.

Should we build an in-house network or partner with a vendor?

It depends on resources and goals. Building in-house (like Walmart TV) gives full control and keeps all revenue but requires new ad sales skills. Partnering with a vendor offloads complexity but shares revenue. Many organizations take a hybrid approach, owning the network while using vendors for pieces like hardware, programmatic integration, or content.