In-store retail media is maturing beyond pilot programs toward enterprise-wide networks as national brands commit repeat investments and standardized measurement becomes urgent rather than aspirational.
“We’re seeing that national brands are shifting real media dollars [from online] to in-store with repeat investments. That demand for standardized KPIs has really become urgent, and that’s causing a lot of retailers to start aligning behind more consistent hardware and software architectures,” Russell Young, SVP of Business Development at Stratacache, told Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan.
Agencies and retail media networks now treat in-store as a core media planning component rather than experimental add-on, with cross-network buying and interoperability standards signaling the channel’s evolution from bespoke to scalable.
Big Show’s focus
The National Retail Federation’s January 2026 “Big Show” conference agenda emphasizes how retailers are operationalizing in-store scale through measurement standardization, AI-powered content placement optimization, and convergence of online and offline audiences into unified retail media portfolios.
“Another major topic that I’m really excited about is learning more about today’s current retailer readiness — how organizations are evolving in their own org structures, what kind of staffing models they’re putting into place, and what are some of the partnerships they’re bringing together to support in-store as a true media business,” Young said.
Foundation requires infrastructure first
Retailers must establish strong foundational infrastructure including hardware, connectivity, device management, and content delivery systems that can scale from day one rather than retrofitting pilot deployments.
“The first step is establishing a strong foundational infrastructure. Get the hardware, the connectivity, device management, content delivery, get all those things in place and something that can really scale from day one,” Young said.
Inventory and placement strategies should root in shopper behavior and category roles rather than historical screen appointments, supported by operational backbones that include governance models, cross-functional workflows, and measurement frameworks.
Multi-year capability build
Near-term proof points like sales lift, ROAS, and closed-loop attribution will strengthen, but long-term retailer value comes from establishing always-on addressable and optimized stores.
“They should be thinking of these as more of in-store retail media projects as a multi-year capability build, not just a series of short-term tests,” Young said. “The long-term value for the retailers is establishing that always-on addressable and optimized store.”
Strategic anchors include better shopping experiences, higher margin media revenue, and ability to influence purchase decisions at critical moments. Brands should view in-store as the next major media frontier where physical environments achieve digital-level precision and accountability.
Automation acceleration
Artificial intelligence-assisted content optimization, dynamic audience modeling, and predictive placement capabilities will reduce manual effort while improving network performance.
“On the AI side, that assisted content optimization and dynamic audience modeling, predictive placement capabilities are definitely going to help us reduce the manual effort and improve performance on the networks,” Young said.
Unified platforms tying together content management systems, measurement, supply-side platforms, and retailer data will unlock scale and consistency. Sensor data will refine in-store attribution, while edge device innovation at shelf level enables efficient deployment of thousands of screens through lower costs and higher reliability.
“That continued innovation in edge devices, particularly at the shelf level, that are starting to come in as lower cost, higher reliability, it’s going to end up making it easier for retailers to deploy thousands of these more efficiently,” Young said.
You’re watching “Scaling In-Store, Demystified: How Retail Media Is Reinventing the Aisle,” a Beet.TV Leadership Series, presented by Stratacache. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
