Turning stores into media networks

Digital retail media is becoming one of the most dynamic revenue and engagement opportunities in European grocery retail. As retailers seek to monetise their growing audiences and brands look for more measurable ways to influence shoppers close to the point of purchase, stores are increasingly transforming their digital touchpoints into powerful advertising channels. 

This article explores the key types of digital retail media activation emerging across European grocery retail, examining how it is being used to influence shopper behaviour, deliver measurable results, and shape the future of grocery marketing. 

Creating multiple moments of influence across the store 

When digital retail media first emerged, large digital six-sheet displays became a common feature outside store entrances. While these screens offered brands valuable visibility, their rotating content meant that individual messages were only seen by a proportion of shoppers entering the store. 

Retailers are now evolving by adding multiple digital touchpoints around the store, with tailored messaging depending on placement. These become especially impactful when placing corresponding products in the vicinity of the screen, such as this example from Dekamarkt in the Netherlands. 

Turning power aisles into media highways 

Retailers are increasingly using digital screens suspended above power aisles to create high-visibility retail media networks that reach shoppers throughout the store. Carrefour in Romania, for example, has deployed multiple overhead screens along key traffic routes, giving brands repeated exposure as shoppers move through the aisle. 

The scale, visibility and repeated messaging delivered by these overhead screen networks make them particularly effective for driving awareness, reinforcing campaigns and capturing attention in busy store environments.

Generating impulse in the changing payment journey 

Retailers are starting to make use of existing digital screens in-store, especially utilising self-checkouts to encourage impulse purchase during the checkout process. This is a great example from Auchan in Romania, where shoppers are reminded about the Orbit products on the adjacent fixture. 

Orbit has also taken matters into its own hands, adding these displays with integrated screens to elevate its products. This example comes from Kaufland in Poland.

Turning the point of service into a point of influence 

Retailers are increasingly transforming service counter scales into valuable communication channels, using their digital screens to display promotions, brand messages and product recommendations while shoppers wait to be served. This creates a highly visible touchpoint at the moment of purchase, helping brands influence decisions, increase product awareness and reaching shoppers in a relevant, captive environment. 

SPAR in Austria showcases the credentials of its ‘Natur*pur’ range, highlighting the local sourcing and organic nature of its products.

Leveraging loyalty schemes to engage with shoppers 

Loyalty apps offer brands a powerful way to reach grocery shoppers through targeted retail media advertising, personalised offers and branded promotions. By combining shopper data with competitions and rewards, brands can drive engagement, increase sales and build stronger loyalty, while benefiting from clear measurement of campaign performance and ROI. 

Albert Heijn in the Netherlands produced an outstanding campaign for the 2026 World Cup, creating a gamified environment featuring multiple brands to win prizes, free products and money off coupons. 

Reaching shoppers at every moment that matters 

As retail media expands across European grocery retail, suppliers need to think beyond traditional advertising and focus on how different retail media touchpoints influence shoppers throughout the purchase journey. Success increasingly depends on tailoring messaging to the specific context of each touchpoint, looking to either build awareness or drive impulse purchases and conversion.  

Suppliers should also prioritise data-led activation through retailer loyalty programmes, using targeting, personalisation and gamification to increase engagement while measuring sales impact and ROI.  

With retailers rapidly developing interconnected media networks across stores and digital platforms, brands that align campaigns to shopper behaviour, leverage proximity to products and demonstrate measurable outcomes will be best positioned to maximise the value of retail media investment.