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Instore retail media: what the forecast means for stores

Agencies expect the strongest growth in 2027 for in-store advertising. For store managers and retail marketing, what counts is what follows for daily operations on the floor.

By , , 3 min read

Floor plan of a store with three screens at entrance, shelves and checkout, beside it three question-mark signs for space, time and proof
Grafik: Kapaso GmbH

What happened

The trade medium invidis (author: Valentin Klaß) reports on the “Trendmonitor Retail Media 2026”, a survey of experts from agencies and marketers, which according to the article was run by the working group “Die Mediaagenturen” within the German Digital Economy Association (BVDW). It says instore retail media, meaning advertising in the store, is to grow faster than any other part of the channel in 2027: 21 percent more revenue than in 2026. For offsite the article gives 20 percent, for onsite 11 percent, for retail media overall 15 percent and for the digital advertising market 8 percent. A year ago the forecast for 2026 stood at 12 percent.

What this means for screen operators

An agency forecast is not a promise for your store. The figures describe the respondents' expectations for the market. The article does not say how many people answered or when; the study itself is not linked there. Whether and when a single store sees any of it, the report does not say.

The respondents' wishes show where it sticks. According to the article, agencies see the biggest gap in how much extra revenue a campaign brings; 82 percent want to improve there. 65 percent want more insight into retailers' data, and 59 percent criticise that every retailer uses its own technology.

What stores and retail marketing can settle before a start (editors' judgement, not a statement of the source):

  1. Floor. Which screens stand where, what size and orientation, and which of them may show third-party advertising at all? Without this list nobody can assess an offer.
  2. Time. How many seconds per loop are set aside for advertising, and what runs the rest of the time? The store's own promotional content should take precedence.
  3. Evidence. If the industry wants more measurement of effect, the first question is what the store can supply itself: proof of play per screen, till data only in the form allowed internally.
  4. Technology. If every retailer has its own technology, a short description of the interfaces helps: how does content reach the devices, who maintains it, who reacts to a failure?
  5. Responsibility. Who in the store may approve or stop campaigns, for example in a conflict with a local promotion?
  6. Data protection. As soon as camera, till or location data come into play, the path of that data must be clarified. This article is not legal advice.

What the source does not say: it gives neither the number of respondents nor the survey period, no figures on individual retailers or formats, and nothing on revenue per store. The rise from 12 to 21 percent shows a changed expectation, not a measured development.

Whoever has prepared a floor list and a list of queries can compare offers objectively without relying on percentages. That is the editors' judgement.

This magazine is published by Kapaso GmbH, which develops software for such screens. The article describes general practice and refers to no product.

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