WHITEPAPER 2024

Retail Media
Unleashed
A comprehensive guide to
tapping into in-store potential
The value
of optimizing
in-store
retail media
In the last decade, retailers have discovered
that they have a hidden, monetizable asset:
In-store retail
their audiences. To tap into the potential of
this asset, they have turned to online retail
media categories
media, using it to improve their connections In-store retail media networks comprise several
with shoppers and sell space to third-party different types of spaces and devices, all with their
advertisers. As a result, retailers have made own unique applications. It's important that retailers
billions of dollars and validated retail media consider all of their options to ensure that they get
as a high-margin strategy. the most out of their efforts.

While they have succeeded at using online Important categories of retail media include
advertising tools to monetize their digital
the following:
audiences, they have so far neglected to use
in-store retail media to achieve the same
success in their brick-and-mortar locations. Audio retail media
When you consider the fact that This category encompasses every sound-dependent
80% of retail sales are made in person, advertisement in the store. It's often the easiest way
it becomes obvious that these retailers have been for retailers to bring retail advertising campaigns
leaving money on the table. Fortunately, it's easy into their physical locations because most of them
to replicate the success of digital retail media in already have in-store music. While audio can be used
physical shopping environments. Most retailers to promote specific products, brands, and sales like
already have some or all of the elements they other types of retail media, it's unique because it gives
need to deploy effective in-store retail media retailers the ability to reach every shopper in the store
campaigns — they just lack the ability to bring via storewide announcements.
these fragmented components out of their silos
and into an omnichannel format. Visual retail media
This is where third-party solutions can help. Many common types of retail media fit in this category,
By enabling retailers to better control their including endcap displays, digital displays, and
in-store media, they give them the ability to checkout advertising. Historically, visual retail media
influence their customers when and where has been limited to printed advertisements, but many
it matters most. With the right know-how, retailers are increasingly using screens to complement
they can unite their online and in-store retail or even replace that medium. It makes sense: Screens
media strategies and optimize their audience are a highly effective way to deploy this type of media,
monetization efforts. In most cases, it's easy giving retailers the ability to quickly and effortlessly
to start this process: Retailers can unifytheir switch up brand promotions, product discounts, and
in-store music under a single platform, use it other kinds of variable information.
to play audio retail advertising campaigns, and
build up their retail media efforts from there. Interactive retail media
To that end, this whitepaper will provide an A relatively recent innovation, interactive retail media
overview of the concepts behind successful is the final element that links together everything in
in-store retail media implementation. an omnichannel retail network. It enables retailers to

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establish a direct connection with in-store shoppers without consideration for the potential
through their smartphones, which can receive advertising opportunities they could create or
personalized messages and time-sensitive, product- the enhancements they could make to the overall
specific information via Bluetooth beacon technology, shopping experience.
QR codes, and augmented reality. Essentially, this type
of in-store retail media bridges the gap between digital In these cases, a strong partner can make these
and in-person advertising. upgrades easy and help identify what can be
changed to enhance the impact of the in-store
Each of these categories aims to capture shoppers' audio. When looking for partners to help with this
attention, influence purchasing decisions, and enhance transition, retailers should make sure that they can
the overall in-person shopping experience. And when support their targeting needs so they can maximize
they're integrated into a cohesive, omnichannel the value of their audiences.
format, they're capable of bringing all the benefits
of online retail media in store.
Continuing with visual media
While retailers may find implementing retail media in Once retailers have optimized the audio in their
their stores overwhelming, it tends to be easier than brick-and-mortar locations, they can begin to
they might think. As with most things, taking baby build up their visual media strategy and expand
steps is often the easiest way to get things started. their in-store digitization efforts.

However, before starting, it's important to recognize

Setting the path for that this type of retail media takes a little bit more
planning to get right. Depending on the retailer, a
in-store audiences single location might make use of between five and
50 network-connected screens, all of which likely
with retail media comprise a TV and a media player.

For this reason, retailers should work with a highly

Starting with audio media reliable retail media partner that permits them
to remotely manage and support their in-store
Most retailers already make use of in-store music, infrastructure.
and they can begin their retail media implementation
by leveraging their audio systems to play in-store Good partners can also allow retailers to manage
ads that reach everyone in the store. their screens and more easily coordinate their
visual media campaigns, even giving them the ability
However, the quality of existing retail audio systems to sync their audio and visual campaigns together.
isn't always good enough to support audio ads. This They can also help determine whether retailers' legacy
issue tends to arise when retailers purchase systems are capable of supporting these campaigns
audio systems for strictly utilitarian purposes, and make suggestions for their improvement if not.

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Continuously improving with to preventing silos and developing in-depth
interactive media understandings of device deployment.

When retailers have developed robust audio and visual While many retailers may have already started down
retail media networks, they can use in-store interactive the path of optimizing their in-store retail media
media to enhance them even further, expanding them experiences and brought audio campaigns into their
to shoppers' smartphones as they move around the brick-and-mortar locations, it's important to prevent
store. Interactive retail media can also tie into the siloed decisions that reduce their effectiveness.
retailer-specific mobile apps that shoppers have on
their phones to create more effective advertisements. Retailers can take these precautions to help
Fully integrated and optimized, these three categories accomplish this:
of in-store retail media create a highly effective
• Discuss action steps with internal stakeholders
omnichannel shopping experience.
so that they understand strategies and can help
identify and prevent the formation of silos.
Planning ahead • Create standards that permit interoperability
The importance of choosing the right in-store between systems.
equipment for retail media is hard to overstate. Large • Evaluate vendors to ensure they meet their needs.
retail chains that use bare-bones media equipment
in their stores will likely have to make expensive and • Use hardware platforms that allow for remote
time-consuming updates when they attempt to diagnosis, support, and troubleshooting.
integrate retail media into them. • Choose content platforms that unify your audio,
visual, and interactive advertising campaigns.
Still, it's critical to think about more than the
capabilities of retail media devices. Successful
implementation requires that retailers commit

The future of in-store

retail media
Retailers can double the success of their online retail media
by deploying retail media campaigns in their brick-and-
mortar locations.

Those who do so will be ahead of the curve, but not for as

long as they may think. As time goes on, it's likely that this
strategy will become more of a necessity than an additional
benefit. The share of retail media in digital advertising is
already projected to reach almost 27% in 2027, up from
15.4% in 2022.

Whether retailers are starting with existing in-store the digital into a single, cohesive apparatus. As retailers
audio or already have every element of omnichannel retail embark on this journey, they aren't merely adopting a new
media campaigns at their disposal, they can benefit from strategy. They're pioneering a new and transformative era in
taking steps to optimize their retail media strategy and retail that's defined by integration, innovation, and infinite
thoughtfully planning ahead to prevent the headaches possibilities.
caused by siloed systems.
If you’re looking to amplify your brand campaigns, build the
Ultimately, in-store retail media is an exciting and profitable ideal in-store media experience, or start your retail media
opportunity for retailers, one that merges the physical and journey from scratch, the team at Rockbot is here to help.

CONTACT US TODAY TO LEARN MORE!

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