According to research from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Grocery TV cited in The Shelby Report, 43 percent of marketers admit they underutilize in-store retail media—even as they recognize its full-funnel impact from awareness through conversion. The gap between belief and deployment opens an arbitrage window for physical-product brands willing to move while competitors hesitate.
The study documents a shift in how marketers perceive retail media networks. Where in-store screens, shelf-edge displays, and endcap placements once registered as point-of-purchase tactics, brands now credit them with top-funnel awareness and mid-funnel consideration alongside bottom-funnel conversion. The IAB/Grocery TV research shows marketers see the channel as viable across the entire customer journey, yet investment lags perception.
The mechanism turns on proximity and context. A shopper standing in the beverage aisle with a cart and a decision window differs from a commuter scrolling Instagram on a train. In-store retail media intercepts the buyer at the moment of highest intent, in the environment where the product sits on the shelf. When a screen above the cooler promotes a new sparkling water flavor and the SKU is stocked two feet below, the loop from awareness to purchase compresses to seconds. That proximity collapses the funnel in ways digital display cannot replicate.
The underutilization statistic—43 percent—suggests structural inertia, not performance doubt. Marketers may lack internal familiarity with retail media network buying processes, or media plans may still default to social and search without reserving budget for in-store activation. The research indicates the channel works; brands simply have not reallocated spend to match the conviction.
A small physical-product brand runs the play by approaching a retail media network directly or negotiating in-store placement during a buyer meeting. Start with a single-store test or a regional cluster. Request shelf-edge talkers, cooler clings, or endcap signage—low-cost, static formats that do not require video production. If the retailer operates digital screens, request a two-week rotation with a simple product shot, a benefit line, and a price. Track velocity during the test window and compare it to the same SKU in control stores without the placement. Document the lift and use that number in the next buyer conversation to secure broader deployment or incremental shelf space.
For brands with budget, in-store retail media scales through programmatic buys on networks like Grocery TV, Cooler Screens, or Kroger Precision Marketing. A $5,000 test across twenty stores in a single metro delivers measurable lift data in four weeks. Layer in a mobile retargeting pixel to capture shoppers who saw the in-store ad but did not convert, then remarket to them on Instagram or Google within seventy-two hours. The sequenced exposure—screen in aisle, ad on phone—compounds the awareness effect and pulls forward the next purchase.
The broader pattern: retail media is moving from a conversion-only lever to a brand-building channel, and in-store placements sit at the intersection of both. The 43 percent underutilization figure will not persist. Brands that test now, document lifts, and build relationships with retail media network reps will secure better inventory and rates before the channel saturates. The arbitrage is live, and it closes as soon as competitors read the same IAB report and move budget from Meta to the grocery endcap.
43% of marketers underuse in-store retail media; test a single-store placement, track velocity, and scale before the arbitrage closes.
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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