Retail media in-store: how to build a network that keeps performing

For retailers, this creates an extra commercial layer in-store. Digital screens make it possible to steer messaging in a smarter way, customer data helps make campaigns more relevant and brands gain visibility close to the moment shoppers make their decisions. This turns the physical store into a valuable channel within the customer journey.

The question is: how do you build a retail media network that keeps performing in the long run?

It starts with a strong in-store foundation. Strategy, screens, content, technology, exploitation and support all need to connect in a logical way. Retailers who take control from the start build a network that is scalable, reliable and commercially attractive.

1. Start with shopper behaviour

A strong retail media network starts by looking closely at the shop floor. Where do shoppers enter? Where do they spend more time? Where are choices made? In other words: which moments give a message real value?

These insights determine where media value is created. A window display has a different function than a screen at the checkout. A screen near a product category needs different content than a display near the entrance. Every touchpoint becomes valuable through location, timing and context.

For the rollout at Kruidvat, a Dutch high-street health & beauty chain and part of AS Watson, First Impression analysed more than 800 stores. We looked at walking routes, sightlines, power points, network connections and mounting options. This creates a screen strategy that fits the reality of each location.

Retail media starts on the floor. With behaviour, attention and the moments when shoppers are receptive.

2. Give every screen a clear role

Once the key moments in-store are clear, every screen gets its own task. Window displays attract attention from the street and bring people inside. In-store displays support inspiration and promotion. Category displays sit close to the purchase moment. Checkout screens make use of dwell time and repetition. Audio can extend campaign reach throughout the store.

Together, these touchpoints create a network in which every screen contributes to the total experience. The strength lies in the combination of visibility, timing and relevance. This creates a valuable canvas with a strong business case for advertisers.

At SPAR, an international convenience supermarket chain, First Impression developed a retail media network with window displays, checkout screens and FoodClub displays, among other touchpoints. Today, 285+ stores are equipped and 170 petrol stations also received a window display. At certain moments, the rollout grew to more than 100 installations per month.

That shows the importance of scalability. A retail media network needs to work in one store and grow smoothly towards hundreds of locations.

3. Stay in control of content

Once the network is live, content becomes the engine. Campaigns need to appear in the right place, in the right context and at the right time. That calls for a smart CMS that allows you to plan, segment, distribute and report on content.

For retailers, balance is key. Retail media campaigns run alongside brand communication, service messages and local store content. That mix determines how relevant the network feels to shoppers and how valuable it becomes for advertisers.

At SPAR, content management is powered by the LDSK software platform. This makes it possible to tailor content to different store formats, such as SPAR highway, SPAR city and SPAR FoodClub. At the same time, it creates central control over what plays where.

Good content management brings calm to a dynamic environment. Shoppers see a logical message. Retailers stay in control. Advertisers get a professional channel.

4. Make the network commercially attractive

A retail media network gains value when advertisers clearly understand what they can buy. They want insight into reach, locations, formats, timing, context and reporting. The clearer the proposition, the easier it becomes for brands to plan and evaluate campaigns.

That is why retail media on digital signage needs clear media products. Think campaign packages, content guidelines, available screen types, reporting agreements and a clear exploitation model. This gives the shop floor a professional role within the broader retail media mix.

SPAR shows how this professionalisation takes shape and explains how retail media is growing further, with First Impression’s digital in-store screens as part of the infrastructure. From 2026, RetailMedia.One has been appointed as commercial exploitation partner. The network is available for direct and programmatic campaigns via MyAdbooker.

This gives the shop floor a strong position within the retail media ecosystem, where technology, content, adtech and exploitation come together.

5. Keep the network running

A retail media network needs to deliver every day. Campaigns need to be live, screens need to work and content needs to change on time. Reliability is especially important when a network spans hundreds of locations.

That is why the technical foundation deserves attention from the very first design phase. Displays, players, network connections, mounting, security, remote management, monitoring and support need to function as one system. For store teams, it should feel simple. Behind the scenes, everything needs to be tightly organised.

At Primera, a neighbourhood convenience retailer, more than 1,000 displays are centrally monitored from First Impression’s Network Operations Center. This gives control over uptime, performance and incidents. The rollout is also set up smartly. With First Impression’s Smart Deployment method, displays are preconfigured, installers receive clear instructions and location data is centrally recorded. This keeps quality manageable during fast growth.

Retail media grows as an ecosystem

A strong retail media network depends on the right mix of strategy, screens, content, adtech, exploitation and support. First Impression creates that in-store foundation in a smart way. Supplier-independent, scalable and tailored to each formula, location and ambition.

That is how retail media becomes a channel that keeps performing. For retailers, advertisers and shoppers.

Curious how it works? Discover our retail media approach.