Retail Media Planning
Part of In-store commerce media
Planning digital screen placements around shopper attention
Choose in-store screen positions by shopper route, sightline, viewing time and the action the advert should support.
Plan each screen around what a shopper can plausibly see and use at its exact position. Entrance, aisle and checkout screens serve different routes and tasks. Screen count alone reveals little about the viewing opportunity.
Map the moment before writing the advert
Ask for the position in each store format, the direction the screen faces and the route past it. An entrance message might identify a range quickly; an aisle message can use nearby category context. A queue might allow more reading time if the display is visible from where people wait. Treat these as hypotheses to check at the proposed positions, not measured attention rules.
Ask the retailer to define its zones and separate whole-store traffic from traffic near a display. Store footfall does not establish how many people pass a particular screen.
Placement question / Why it matters
- Which route passes the screen?
- Shoppers may be entering, browsing or leaving.
- Is the display visible from that route?
- Angle, height and obstructions affect the opportunity to see it.
- How long does the advert appear?
- A short pass may not suit several claims.
- What can shoppers do next?
- A named item or range should be findable and available.
Fit the creative to the position
Give the screen one main task. For a quick pass, favour a recognisable product or range and a legible message. If the shopper needs detailed comparisons, place that detail where there is time to use it.
Request the booked display’s dimensions, orientation, creative rules and loop details. Review the creative at its intended size, ideally with a view of the surrounding store position. A photograph can help identify cropping or obstruction at one moment; it cannot establish flight-wide playback.
Check product ranging before using an in-aisle instruction about a named item. Where distribution differs between stores, a range message or separately approved creative versions may be more accurate.
Separate delivery from attention
Ask for plays by screen or placement group, reporting dates and any available operating-status evidence. Request the method behind estimated opportunity to see. Ask the retailer to define an ad play and opportunity to see, and to explain how each is calculated for the formats used. Neither proves that an individual looked at the advert.
Compare placements over the same period using the same definitions. Consider zone traffic, position and share of the loop before interpreting a higher audience estimate as a stronger placement. If those inputs are unavailable, delivered-play counts alone cannot support a reliable attention comparison.
Finish the brief with the zone, shopper task, creative version and evidence the retailer can supply. These details give any later placement change a clear reason.