How VISION Transforms In-Store Media

Retail media is no longer limited to digital channels. It’s a $61 billion industry in the US as of 2024, capturing roughly one in five digital ad dollars. Brands and retailers are investing heavily in in-store media, from end caps and aisle displays to checkout promotions and new product placements. Yet, measuring what happens after shoppers encounter that media remains a challenge.

VISION by Standard AI changes that. Using computer vision and existing in-store security cameras, it turns in-store activity into measurable data. Learn how it gives brands and retailers a clearer view of how shoppers actually engage with in-store media.

How Do You Measure In-Store Retail Media?

To measure the effectiveness of in-store retail media, brands need to understand more than sales alone. They need to see how shoppers interact with the media itself.

Measuring In-Store Media the Traditional Way

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.

Measuring In-Store Media Through VISION

Using computer vision and the security cameras already in the ceiling, VISION delivers continuous visibility into how shoppers engage with in-store media. Instead of guessing, brands and retailers can:

• Anonymously track how products and displays actually perform
• Measure the real impact of in-store media and promotions
• Adjust campaigns dynamically based on shopper engagement

With VISION, every in-store investment can be measured and optimized to drive real, provable impact.

What In-Store Retail Media Is Missing Today

In-store is where purchase decisions are truly made, 82% of shoppers make their final purchase decision inside the store, with 62% making impulse buys, yet it’s also where brands have the least visibility. Despite the massive investment in in-store promotions, most brands and retailers can’t see what actually influences those decisions.

What’s missing is the ability to know:

• Which placements convert, whether an end cap near checkout outperforms one at the aisle entrance
• Whether a high-traffic display actually influenced purchases, or just drew foot traffic
• Which promotions shoppers engage with, and which they ignore

Without real shopper insights, brands set up a campaign and hope for the best. VISION removes the guesswork, using computer vision to measure shopper engagement continuously so retailers and brands can finally understand what drives conversion and optimize their in-store retail media strategy accordingly.

The Visual Engagement Score: A New Retail Media Measurement Benchmark

Just as online retailers measure click-through and conversion rates, the Visual Engagement Score (VES) brings that same precision to in-store campaigns: a single, continuous measure of how shoppers actually interact with in-store media.

What Does the Visual Engagement Score Measure?

For the first time, brands and retailers can measure:

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

With VES, brands can tie in-store media directly to sales impact, adjusting campaigns as conditions change instead of relying on assumptions.

“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 & CPG Brands Improve In-Store Media

Once you can measure in-store media, you can act on it. Here are three ways retailers and CPG brands use VISION to turn shopper engagement data into better in-store retail media decisions:

1. Measure What Drives In-Store Shopper Engagement

Brands invest in prime in-store real estate, end caps, aisle displays, and 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 sit in a busy location yet still fail to catch a shopper’s 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. Optimize Every In-Store Retail Media Campaign

Digital ads are optimized continuously, why shouldn’t in-store retail media be the same?

Without continuous insight, brands set up an in-store campaign and wait for sales reports. 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 in in-store promotions, but engagement remained flat, even during key sales events. With VISION, they A/B tested different promotion locations and anonymously tracked 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. Adjust In-Store Promotions Based on Shopper Data

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

VISION lets you:

• Spot underperforming campaigns and adjust placement, pricing, or messaging
• Launch new 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. Using VISION’s continuous insights, they adjusted the display placement and tweaked messaging, leading to a measurable lift in engagement and sales, without waiting until the campaign ended.

Transform In-Store Retail Media Into Measurable Results

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

• See what’s working in-store, just as you measure online traffic
• Know exactly what influences shopper decisions
• Optimize promotions based on continuous engagement data

Stop guessing. Start measuring. See how VISION transforms in-store engagement into real results. Talk to our experts today.