Retailers looking to grow in-store media do not always need to start from scratch. An existing digital network can provide a strong foundation if it supports the experience, operations, and commercial needs of a media business…
Retail media has expanded beyond retailer websites and apps. Stores are increasingly part of the opportunity: a place to reach shoppers close to the point of decision, in a context that online channels cannot fully replicate.
For retailers, the question is how to build that opportunity without creating a second, disconnected operation. Many already have a digital in-store network that supports customer information, promotions, and brand content. Could that network do more?
In many cases, yes. The first step is to understand what it can already do and what would need to change to support paid campaigns.
Start with the network you have
An established network may already reach shoppers across locations and store formats. It may have content workflows, local teams and technology partners in place. Those are valuable foundations.
But a retail media channel has additional requirements. Retailers need to manage advertiser campaigns alongside their own communications, define where and when paid content appears, protect brand standards, and give advertisers clear information about campaign delivery and performance.
That does not mean every retailer needs to replace its existing setup. It means assessing whether the network can support these needs, and how it can connect with the retailer’s wider media, data and operational processes.
Make the experience work for shoppers
Retail media must create value for more than the advertiser. The campaign should fit the shopping environment, make sense in context and sit alongside the information shoppers need.
That calls for thoughtful decisions about placement, timing, relevance and the balance between retailer and brand content. A network that simply adds more advertising may create inventory, but it will not necessarily create a better experience or a stronger proposition for advertisers.
Retailers should ask: what is the shopper doing in this part of the store? What information would help at this moment? How can a brand message add value rather than interrupt? The answers can help shape a media offer that feels native to the store.
Build capability in stages
A retailer does not have to launch every format, measurement option or commercial model at once. A focused starting point can help teams learn what works: select suitable locations, agree campaign rules, establish how content is approved and reported, then expand based on evidence.
Measurement deserves particular attention. Advertisers need confidence that campaigns ran as planned and a clear explanation of what results they can report. Retailers should be precise about what their data can show, how they collect it, and how they will use it. Trust with shoppers and brand partners depends on transparency.
The technology should support this evolution. Retailers need the flexibility to manage paid and owned content together, connect with other systems where needed and adapt the network as commercial requirements develop.
Use the right partners to unlock what is already there
Turning an existing digital network into a media channel involves more than a technical change. It can affect retail media, marketing, store operations, IT, data and external brand partners. Specialist partners can help retailers assess their current estate, plan integrations and deliver a model that works across locations.
Scala is a retail media-ready IXM platform that lets retailers use their existing digital in-store networks and develop them for retail media. Working through specialist partners, Scala helps retailers connect the experience they want to create with the practical requirements of managing it across their estate.
The opportunity is not simply to sell more advertising. It is to build a useful, well-managed in-store media offer from the assets retailers already have. One that gives brands meaningful access to shoppers while keeping the store experience at its centre.
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