Digital signage has long helped retailers guide shoppers, promote products, and enhance the in-store experience. Those same screens are now evolving into something more valuable—automated, monetizable media inventory that brands can plan, target, and optimize in near real time.
When Walmart Connect announced roughly 160,000 in-store screens across more than 4,600 locations, in its 2024 industry announcement, it signaled that in-store digital inventory has reached national scale. Analysts from Grand View Research project that programmatic digital out-of-home advertising will expand from approximately $900 million in 2023 to more than $6 billion by 2030, growing at a rate of over 31% annually.
All of this is signaling that the technology, budgets, infrastructure, and audience data are finally aligning to make automated advertising inside the store a reality. Here's what you need to know.
Momentum behind in-store programmatic didn't appear overnight. It's the result of three developments that collectively make automated ad buying practical and measurable.
Each of these would be significant on its own; collectively, they're the reason that in-store programmatic advertising is becoming sustainable and scalable.
Programmatic in-store advertising introduces digital automation into the physical world. Rather than pre-reserving fixed loops weeks in advance, ad space is made available to demand-side platforms (DSPs) through supply-side platforms (SSPs), where advertisers bid for impressions according to their targeting needs. Winning creatives are served in real-time on the proper screen and zone—entrance, aisle, endcap, or checkout—according to logic rules that keep key store content intact and allow operational content always to override.
What is so captivating about this change is that it can be so responsive. Systems now draw on multiple live signals from the store environment:
These signals enable campaigns to self-optimize while adapting to the store's operating priorities. The outcome is a real-time, dynamic media layer that reflects actual conditions instead of rigid schedules or static assumptions.
If you're a retailer, the challenge is striking a balance between monetization and operational discipline. Every screen must still fulfill core duties, such as displaying pricing, compliance notices, or service updates, while introducing new advertising responsibly.
Screen size and zoning rules can help avoid operational content from being encroached upon by advertisements. An operation can hold endcap and queue-line screens for paid advertising and retain shelf-edge screens to report pricing and promotions. Clear boundaries enable operations and advertising to coexist peacefully without problematic overlap.
The shift to digital shelf labels provides yet another degree of responsiveness. As automated price adjustments are executed within tens of thousands of stores, emerging integrations with digital shelf labels could enable live pricing synchronization in the future. Ads can subsequently sync in real time with store-level promotions, liberating store staff from manual updates and facilitating consistency store-to-store.
Data governance is just as critical. You have to maintain trust while using data responsibly. That means relying on aggregated, privacy-safe store partners such as BlueZoo or Quividi, and not individual identifiers. This approach continues to target compliance while still providing valuable performance insights. Note that CRI platforms do not collect or store personally identifiable information. All data used for optimization is aggregated and anonymized.
When executed correctly, programmatic can become additive: screens stay compliant, operations stay streamlined, and incremental revenue flows through an existing network.
For advertisers, in-store programmatic is the natural next step in omnichannel media. It enables campaigns to reach consumers in the physical world with the same precision and accountability that can already be achieved with standard digital channels.
In-store screens provide both scale and context. Retailers now offer networks of thousands of in-store connected displays that function like any other programmatic asset, but within an in-person environment where purchase decisions are made. Brands can seamlessly extend their connected TV or mobile campaigns into the retail locations and drive awareness through contextual relevance.
Buying flexibility also improves. Brands can transact through their current DSP or purchase directly from retail networks. Advanced setups optimize both in-store and online conversions through retailer data. That establishes a positive feedback loop: media spend stimulates retail sales, which then refines future targeting.
Several high-impact examples show the potential:
For agencies and brands, placements provide contextual fit and measurable ROI, making in-store a new line item in the media plan rather than a point-of-sale afterthought.
Behind the scenes, various layers of technology collaborate to facilitate programmatic buying in-store. They are:
These inputs link exposure to measurable outcomes such as incremental sales, dwell time, or return on ad spend. Together, these components create a transparent and accountable system that directly ties in-store engagement to measurable outcomes.
Creative Realities enables advertisers and retailers to own this new space through AdLogic CPM+, a purpose-built platform that facilitates the management of campaigns within retail media networks more easily. It supports both direct and programmatic campaigns while maintaining CMS playback control through ReflectView. CPM+ connects to third-party exchanges for open-auction delivery while maintaining internal control over scheduling and proof-of-play.
Your team can leverage AdLogic CPM+ to:
The platform integrates seamlessly with CRI's ReflectView CMS and other signage systems, ensuring that advertising and operational content remain synchronized. Retailers maintain end-to-end control while accessing new demand streams.
Along with the technology, CRI's Network Operations Center also provides 24/7 performance monitoring to safeguard uptime and compliance on all devices. This combined strategy of automation and tracking enables programmatic innovation with minimal operational risk.
If you already have CRI technology deployed, it's essentially a question of configuration to allow programmatic capabilities. For new users, CRI provides comprehensive deployment, hardware, content, and training services, enabling you to rapidly deploy an end-to-end managed network optimized for monetization.
With more adoption, several frequent pitfalls can hinder success:
Steering clear of these missteps will enable you to create automation that serves your brand, not against it.
One of the greatest marketing innovations of the moment is the convergence of programmatic technology and brick-and-mortar stores. Screens that previously held solely informational purposes are becoming measurable, monetizable assets capable of impacting purchase decisions at the point of sale.
The programmatic approach pays a double dividend to retailers: operational efficiency and new repeat revenue. To advertisers, it provides measurable reach in the moments that are most crucial. Both benefit through transparency, control, and insight throughout the shopper journey.
As industry norms are established and infrastructure expands, store networks will become a pivotal point for retail media planning. The aisles themselves are intelligent media environments, closing the gap between digital interaction and brick-and-mortar.
Creative Realities is making that happen with AdLogic CPM+, a single platform that plans, paces, and monetizes in-store retail media networks on autopilot. Every display is an opportunity to interact and convert.
Discover how AdLogic CPM+ can help power your retail media network today.