Retail media is no longer just a digital play – it’s a $61 billion dollar industry in 2024, accounting for nearly 20% of total digital ad budgets. Brands are pouring billions into retail media, but there’s a gap: digital ads come with engagement metrics – impressions, clicks, conversions. In-store media? Still a black box. 

How do you measure success, especially in physical stores?

Brands and retailers spend millions on in-store promotions, but they’re left guessing:

• Did shoppers actually see the display?
• Did it influence their purchase decision?
• What happened between the moment they walked in and the moment they checked out?

Right now, most retailers and brands rely on sales lift or foot traffic estimates to measure in-store media effectiveness. But that doesn’t tell you what actually drove the sale or if the campaign was the reason at all.

Leveraging computer vision and the security cameras in the ceiling, VISION delivers real-time visibility into how shoppers engage with in-store media, promotions, and new product placements. Brands can now track product performance, measure impact of in-store media, and adjust campaigns dynamically—ensuring that every in-store investment drives real impact.

What In-Store Media is Missing Today

Retail media has transformed how brands connect with shoppers, but in-store is where purchase decisions are truly made. Research shows that the majority of shoppers – 82% – make their final purchase decisions inside the store, with 62% making impulse buys.

Yet, despite the massive investment in in-store promotions, most brands and retailers lack real-time visibility into what influences those decisions.

Right now, retailers are forced to rely on assumptions. And when millions are on the line, guessing isn’t a strategy:

• Does an end cap near checkout drive more conversions than one at the aisle entrance?
• Did a high-traffic display actually influence purchases?
• Which promotions are driving real engagement and which ones are being ignored?

Without real shopper insights, brands set up a campaign and hope for the best.

VISION removes the guesswork. By using computer vision to measure real-time shopper engagement, retailers and brands can finally understand what actually drives conversion – and optimize their in-store media strategy accordingly.

A New Benchmark: Visual Engagement Score

Measuring in-store engagement has always been a challenge. Sales data can tell you if a product sold, but it can’t tell you why. It should be as clear and actionable as tracking online traffic and that’s exactly what the Visual Engagement Score (VES) does.

The Visual Engagement Score brings the same precision as digital marketing analytics – but for in-store campaigns. Just like online retailers track click-through rate and conversion data, VISION now gives retailers and brands a real-time read on how shoppers interact with in-store media.

What Does the Visual Engagement Score Measure?

For the first time, brands and retailers can track:

• How many shoppers actually viewed a display
• Whether they stop, engage, or keep walking
• What is their next move – picking up a product, leaving it behind, or heading to checkout

This level of insight was never possible before. Instead of making assumptions, brands can now measure real engagement, adjust campaigns in real-time, and tie in-store media directly to sales impact.

“Retailers and brands have never had this level of visibility into shopper behavior before,” says Angie Westbrock, CEO of Standard AI. “With VISION, they can finally see what’s driving shopper engagement and what is not.”

3 Ways VISION Helps Retailers and CPG Brands Make Smarter In-Store Media Decisions

1. Know what actually drives shopper engagement

Brands invest in prime in-store real estate – end caps, aisle displays, checkout placements. But are they working?

For years, retailers have assumed that high-traffic areas meant high value. But foot traffic does not equal engagement. A display can be in a busy location, yet still fail to catch a shoppers’ attention or convert interest into sales.

With VISION, brands can:

• See exactly where shoppers stop, engage, and make decisions
• Optimize placement based on real shopper interactions
• Measure true engagement – not just estimated traffic

Example: A specialty retailer assumed their planned endcap placement would drive strong engagement, but VISION revealed that a non-compliant endcap actually performed better. With this data, the retailer adjusted their planogram to reflect real shopper behavior, leading to a more effective store layout and higher conversion rates.

2. Make every in-store media campaign count

Digital ads are optimized in real time — why shouldn’t in-store media be the same?

Without real-time insights, brands set up an in-store campaign and wait until sales reports come in. If sales are low, they don’t know if the problem is the placement, the messaging, or the product itself.

VISION allows brands to:

• A/B test in-store promotions – checkout vs. aisle, front of store vs. back
• Move underperforming displays to high engagement zones
• Test messaging and visuals to see what resonates with shoppers

Example: A national brand invested heavily on in-store promotions, but engagement remained flat, even during key sales events. With VISION, they A/B tested different promotion locations and tracked real-time shopper engagement. They found that displays in high-traffic areas weren’t always driving the most conversions. By repositioning media placements and refining messaging based on actual shopper behavior, they made their in-store campaigns more effective.

3. Adapt promotions instantly to boost sales

Most in-store campaigns are set-it-and-forget-it. But what if you could adjust them on the fly based on shopper behavior?

VISION lets you:

• Spot underperforming campaigns and adjust placement, pricing, or messaging
• Launch real-time promotions when engagement is low
• Make data-backed decisions before the campaign ends

Example: A retailer launched a promotion for a new product but saw lower-than-expected engagement. By leveraging VISION’s real-time insights, they adjusted the display placement and tweaked messaging, leading to a measurable lift in engagement and sales – without waiting until the campaign ended.

Take the blinders off and see with VISION

Retailers and brands no longer have to rely on assumptions to measure in-store media success. VISION transforms in-store campaigns into measurable, high-impact strategies – just like digital.

• See what’s working in-store – just like you measure online traffic
• Know exactly what influences shopper decisions
• Optimize promotions based on real-time engagement data

Stop guessing. Start measuring. See how VISION turns in-store engagement into real results – talk to our experts today.