Grocery TV and the Interactive Advertising Bureau surveyed marketers and found that 43 percent admit they underutilize in-store retail media networks, according to The Shelby Report. The same marketers report that they recognize the channel's full-funnel role—from awareness to conversion—but are not allocating budget or creative resources to match that belief. The gap is not philosophical. It is operational.
In-store retail media networks place digital screens at checkout lanes, endcaps, and high-traffic aisles inside grocery and mass-merchant locations. Brands buy ad slots that display while a shopper is already in the building, cart in hand, minutes from purchase. Grocery TV operates thousands of these screens across chains including Albertsons, Dollar General, and Family Dollar. The IAB survey shows marketers value the proximity to transaction but have not yet shifted budget from upper-funnel digital channels into the final fifteen feet of the buyer journey.
The mechanism is timing and context. A shopper scanning the cereal aisle sees a fifteen-second ad for a new granola flavor on the screen above the shelf. The product is three feet away. The decision cycle compresses from days to seconds. Unlike social or display, where a click leads to a landing page and a checkout form, in-store retail media collapses the gap between impression and transaction. The brand pays for attention at the moment discretionary spend happens, not when someone is scrolling at a bus stop.
Brands that have moved budget into the channel report measurable lift. According to industry case studies published by retail media network operators, campaigns paired with point-of-sale data show incremental sales increases in the low double digits during flight weeks. The Shelby Report notes that marketers see the value but cite internal budget inertia and lack of standardized measurement as barriers to reallocation. The opportunity cost is conversion that happens anyway—but for a competitor whose message was on the screen.
A small physical-product brand can run the same play without a six-figure media buy. Start by identifying a retail partner that operates an in-store digital network or allows co-op advertising funds to be applied to in-store screens. Many regional grocers and specialty chains offer screen inventory at rates starting around $500 per store per month. Negotiate a test in five to ten locations where your product already has distribution. Create a single fifteen-second spot with one message: new flavor, limited time, or price promotion. No brand story. No founder journey. Just the product, the offer, and the aisle number.
Track sales in test stores against matched control locations during the same period. Use the retailer's point-of-sale data or your own shipment records to calculate lift. If you see a 10 percent increase in units moved, the cost per incremental sale is often lower than digital acquisition cost, and the buyer is already holding your competitor's product when they see your message. Scale by adding stores in the same chain or replicating the test with a second retailer. The creative does not change. The message does not change. You are buying proximity, not eyeballs.
The broader pattern is that marketers over-index on channels they can measure in real time and under-invest in channels where attribution is harder but conversion is closer. In-store retail media sits at the last decision point before checkout. The 43 percent who admit underutilization are leaving margin on the table, and the brands that move first in a category will own that screen real estate while rates remain accessible.
In-store screens convert because they close the gap between ad and aisle; test five stores, measure lift, scale.
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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