How Digital Signage Software Is Powering the Future of Retail Media Networks

Even with the popularity and convenience of ecommerce, people still love to shop at brick-and-mortar stores and stroll through shopping malls. For retailers, the challenge is meeting shoppers’ expectations; today’s retail shopper wants an experience that’s personalized and engaging but still offers them the conveniences of online shopping.

That’s where retail media platforms come in. When powered by retail digital signage software, this technology delivers interactivity and real-time updates, allowing the in-store experience to match and even surpass what customers get online.

For stores, malls, and brands, retail media marketing does much more than improving the customer experience and facilitating purchase decisions; retail media platforms can also collect information such as customer traffic volumes and demographics, allowing retailers to fine-tune advertising content and better meet customer needs. The benefits for retailers and malls include monetization opportunities achieved by selling digital advertising space to brands.

Retail media refers to the advertising and marketing content that appears in a retail environment, delivered via screens and platforms that the retailer controls. Retail media advertising allows brands to promote products directly to shoppers at or near the point of purchase. Rather than relying entirely on TV, online, or print ads, retail media reaches shoppers while they’re already in the store, comparing products and making decisions about what to buy.

Beyond advertising and promotions, retail media enables content management, real-time updates, and integration with various business systems. Backed by digital signage software, retail media gives retailers and brands a flexible, responsive way to reach their target customers in an immediate way.

From the customer’s point of view, retail media might look like:

• Digital signage retail screens that display ads, promotions, and branded content.
• Interactive kiosks, which customers can use for product searches, recommendations, or self-checkout.
• End-cap and shelf-edge displays with motion graphics or QR codes to deliver information to shoppers as they’re browsing.
• Video walls for everything from setting a mood to brand-related content.
• Smart displays that change content based on the demographics of people nearby.
• Wayfinding screens to help people find their way around a large store or a mall.
• Checkout line displays promoting last-minute deals and items and services available on-site.
• Touchscreens for loyalty programs, sign-ups, or for finding specific items in-store.
• Mobile-connected signage that interacts with apps or sends notifications.

On the back end, retail media involves an integrated, flexible set of tools that allows retail management to target their customers right where they are, with content that is relevant to them and moves them toward a purchase. These tools include:

• Dynamic content scheduling that adjusts messaging based on time, season, or inventory levels.
• Social media integration that displays user-generated content and real-time social feeds.
• Weather- and event-responsive advertising that promotes relevant products based on local conditions or events such as festivals or holidays.
• Analytics and performance tracking that measure engagement and conversion rates for performance reporting and to inform future marketing campaigns.

Retail media can be deployed anywhere where people are physically present, including:

Retail stores, big-box stores, shopping malls, and kiosks.	Convenience stores and gas stations.
Pharmacies and drug stores.	Banks and credit unions.
Automotive dealerships.	Restaurants and fast-food establishments.
Airport terminals, train, bus, and subway stations.	Stadiums, arenas, and performance venues.
Movie theatre lobbies.	Hotel lobbies and convention centers.
Corporate cafeterias and common spaces in office buildings.	Healthcare facility common areas.
Customer pickup locations.	Mobile retail units and food trucks

With the advanced capabilities of retail digital signage, retail media can reach customers wherever they are, timed to optimize their shopping journey.

A retail media network is a system that allows retailers to sell advertising space in their physical locations as well as on their digital properties. In effect, the retailer becomes the retail media platform. The content is managed centrally but can be customized by location, audience, or even time of day.

Retail media networks are an effective and efficient way for retailers to monetize their retail media while maintaining control over content delivery. For brands, it offers highly targeted placements, audience data, and the ability to influence purchases in real time.

Digital signage software makes retail media networks scalable, allowing retailers to manage content across hundreds or even thousands of screens with minimal manual effort.

Digital signage software allows retailers to control what appears on retail media screens, from promotional videos and product highlights to real-time updates and targeted ads. It functions as a content manager for in-store displays, making it easy for users to schedule content, update screens instantly across multiple locations, and automate displays based on variables such as time of day or customer demographics. Retail media companies are increasingly relying on digital media software to transform the shopping experience for customers and accelerate earnings for businesses.

Retail media, backed by the functionality and scalability of digital signage software, has several distinct advantages:

Brand Visibility and Consistency

Content displayed on retail digital signage is centrally controlled, ensuring a consistent brand image that is still targeted to the context and the customer segment. For example, a restaurant franchise can maintain a cohesive brand identity by keeping the same graphics and messaging, whether they’re advertising in their own locations or at a franchise trade show. At retail locations, the displays can focus on new menu items, limited-time promotions, and in-store events. Meanwhile, at trade shows, the same system can be used to showcase the advantages of franchise ownership. The brand feels cohesive everywhere, but the message is adapted to the context and the audience.

Personalized In-Store Experiences

One of the key advantages of retail media marketing is that retailers can personalize what shoppers see, right down to the moment they walk by a screen. With the right digital signage retail tools in place, content can shift in real time based on the audience. For example, an electronics store can promote kids’ tech during back-to-school shopping times, or premium tech when the data shows that there are more adult shoppers in-store.

Tools like AI-Powered Computer Vision (formally, AQUAJI) by Navori Labs go a step further by using computer vision to anonymously analyze age, gender, and dwell time. This lets brands and retailers fine-tune messaging for the audience that is on-site at the time, and also gives them feedback about the effectiveness of their retail media content.

Increased Customer Engagement

Rather than passively absorbing advertising or ignoring it altogether, retail media encourages engagement by presenting marketing content that is relevant to them at that moment in their day. Features like real-time promotions, multilingual support, and interactive features attract the shopper’s attention and invite them to participate in the context rather than remaining detached from it.

Improved Marketing Effectiveness

Targeted advertising means that marketing content reaches the right customers at the right time in the right place. AI-powered retail media can respond to data like the time of day, customer demographics, and the local weather to deliver messaging that speaks to customer needs and interests. This heightens the effectiveness of the content and gives customers confidence in their purchase decisions.

Better Operational Efficiency

Retail media with digital signage software removes a lot of the obstacles in day-to-day operations. Instead of updating content manually or relying on USB drives and coordinating actions at the store level, retailers can post updates to every screen in the network in just a few clicks, or to specific screens depending on variables they select.

Digital signage platforms that integrate with inventory systems can also update messaging based on real-time conditions. For example, when stock is running low on an item that’s on sale, advertising for that item can automatically pause. This seamless integration means information does not need to go through numerous steps and human hands before the signage displays the right content. Fewer errors and greater efficiency create a win-win for customers as well as retailers.

New Revenue Streams for Retailers

Retail media networks do more than enhance the customer experience and improve marketing; by selling advertising space on in-store screens, retailers can generate revenue from brands that want to communicate more effectively with customers.

With digital-out-of-home (DOOH) tools built into the system, retailers can also monetize unused screen time. For example, if they have unsold slots of advertising time on their retail media network, they can use programmatic ad platforms like Hivestack or Vistar Media to fill that time. This flexible model turns existing infrastructure into a passive revenue stream that is always working for the retailer.

Retail stores are a natural fit for retail media networks, but they can be used in any high-traffic environment with screen infrastructure to target messaging and generate new revenue.

Pharmacies, Hospitals, and Health Care Clinics

In these spaces, retail media networks can deliver health product ads, seasonal info (ex, flu shots), and ads for OTC brands. They can also be used in these locations to display educational content and public health updates.

Spas, Medspas, and Wellness Businesses

These businesses often have digital screens that display information such as products and services available on-site, activity schedules, and staff profiles. When backed by digital signage software, these screens can be monetized by selling advertising space to brands in the wellness industry and businesses offering complementary services.

Hotels & Hospitality Venues

Screens can display content via digital signage software in lobbies, elevators, bars, and meeting spaces. This offers opportunities for internal promotions such as spa services, dining options, and loyalty programs, as well as third-party ads for local attractions, events, rideshare services, and more.

During conventions, they can be used to display meeting times and event information, display sponsor content, promote on-site amenities, or show third-party ads for local activities and services. Retail digital media in this context is a great way to support event organizers while creating new revenue streams through content targeted to a professional audience.

Transportation Hubs

At transportation hubs such as airports, and train, bus, and subway stations, there is a high volume of foot traffic, and people tend to be there for longer periods of time than in most spaces.

Screens in these areas can be used to display departure and arrival times, but can also be used for dining options, travel-related promotions, government-sponsored tourist information, hotels, and other content relevant to people in transit. Programmatic tools let advertisers buy space in very specific zones such as baggage carousels and departure lounges.

Office Buildings and Coworking Spaces

Lobbies, elevators, and other common areas can generate revenue for owners by promoting local services such as restaurants, dry cleaners, and gyms, or by running ads for products relevant to workers in the area.

Stadiums, Arenas, and Other Event Venues

Digital signage software in these spaces can be used to promote upcoming events and on-site food and beverage options. A retail media network could sell ad space to local services such as bars and restaurants, as well as products relevant to sports or music fans. With the flexibility of digital signage software, ads can be targeted to fans of the sports teams or performers in the venue at the time.

Educational Institutions

School campuses are a perfect location for digital screens that display school-related content and ads for on-campus services such as print shops and fast-food outlets.

There are also many opportunities for brands like tech companies, financial services companies, and car dealerships to reach a younger market with ads that speak to their needs.

Wherever people pass through, and especially where they wait or gather, there’s potential for monetized screen time. Digital signage software makes it possible to manage these locations at scale.

Digital signage software provides the infrastructure that supports successful retail media networks by making them scalable, centralizing control over content, and incorporating automation.

Content Management and Scheduling

With digital signage software, users can create compelling campaigns without extensive design experience, while advanced scheduling features ensure the right message reaches the right audience at the optimal time.

Cross-Location Management

Digital signage software can manage hundreds or thousands of displays across multiple locations from a single dashboard. That includes remote monitoring, automated updates, and location-specific content customization while maintaining brand consistency across contexts.

Integration with Other Business Systems

Modern retail digital signage software integrates with various systems such as point-of-sale, inventory management, customer relationship management, and business intelligence. These integrations allow retailers to adjust digital signage content to reflect real-time business data, such as promotional pricing, inventory levels, or customer demographics.

Analytics and Reporting

Comprehensive analytics capabilities allow retailers to measure the effectiveness of their digital signage campaigns. This includes audience engagement metrics, conversion tracking, and performance comparisons across different locations, content types, and time periods.

The retail digital signage industry continues to evolve rapidly. Several trends are expected to shape the future of retail media platforms and digital signage software.

Increasing Incorporation of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision

AI-powered digital signage software can automatically optimize content based on audience demographics, dwell time, weather conditions, and inventory levels, while continuously using analytics to improve targeting.

Augmented Reality Integration

AR-enabled digital displays can create immersive experiences that combine physical and digital retail environments. These technologies enable virtual product demonstrations, interactive brand experiences, and personalized shopping assistance.

Sustainability Focus

Environmental considerations are increasingly important in retail operations for both retailers and customers. Modern digital signage software includes features for energy management, and compliance with sustainable business practices.

Increasing Programmatic Retail Media Buying

This trend allows brands to purchase in-store ad space dynamically, just like online ads. This makes campaigns more efficient, targeted, and easier to scale.

Navori offers a complete, enterprise-grade solution designed to power the future of retail media networks. With Swiss engineering and SOC 2 certification for security and reliability, Navori’s platform is trusted by major retail brands around the world.

The heart of Navori’s digital signage software is a flexible centralized content management system (CMS) that gives retailers full control over multiple screens in multiple locations. With advanced scheduling, content automation, and trigger-based playback, marketing teams can deliver timely, personalized content that adapts to real-time data. With this flexibility, operating and scaling complex retail media networks has never been easier, and marketing teams can manage it all from mobile devices.

Beyond software, Navori provides AI-powered audience analytics, robust media players like the StiX 3800, and open API integration for syncing with third-party tools such as POS systems and programmatic ad platforms. Seamless integration means quicker responses and fewer missed opportunities.

Whether you are a retailer managing your own promotions or you are selling ad space to brand partners, Navori can provide the technology you need for modern in-store monetization strategies. We have helped retailers and Consumer Packaged Goods brands around the world tap into new revenue opportunities, and we have the solutions for your retail media network as well.