Beyond the Store: Why Path-to-Purchase Out-of-Home is Essential to Retail Media
As retail media continues its meteoric rise, brands are pouring billions into digital-first strategies with some of the world’s largest retailers. Yet more than 80 percent of retail transactions still happen in physical stores while nearly 90 percent of retail media network (RMN) inventory remains focused on online channels. That gap is a missed opportunity and perceptive marketers are beginning to take notice.
We’re entering a new era when retail media moves beyond stores and smartphone screens. Out-of-home (OOH) — one of the oldest ad formats — is fast becoming the next frontier. And in the world of retail, these path-to-purchase smart, data-driven placements reach shoppers not just at the point of sale, but at opportune touchpoints throughout daily life.
The New Geography of Retail Media
The old model of retail media drew a clear line between online and in-store. However, today’s shopper doesn’t live in a binary world — they move constantly between physical and digital spaces. They commute, work out, run errands, etc., and along the way encounter OOH environments that can nudge, inspire and influence their next purchase.
Premium digital screens in transit hubs, office lobbies, gyms, gas stations, and residential buildings are becoming key touchpoints for shaping intent well before a cart is filled — whether digitally in an app or physically in-store.
These are more than just awareness plays. Thanks to data integration with retail partners, many of these placements now leverage the same first-party data that powers online targeting, turning a subway platform screen into a strategic extension of an omnichannel campaign.
Why OOH Belongs in the Retail Media Mix
Retail media isn’t shrinking to fit the screen in your pocket; it’s expanding to meet consumers where they are. OOH path-to-purchase formats deliver attention in the moments when shoppers are mentally receptive. It also tends to be well received. In fact, 73 percent of consumers favored digital OOH ads compared to other ad media.
Here’s how the path-to-purchase OOH formats break down:
- Outdoor screens near major retail corridors can build timely awareness just before store visits.
- Transit media — from bus shelters to subway cars — offers repeated exposure during dwell-heavy moments of the daily grind.
- Place-based screens in offices, apartment buildings, and gyms extend frequency and relevance, hitting consumers in more relaxed, everyday environments.
Each one taps into a different mode of thinking: the planner on the train, the errand-runner at the gas pump, the lunch-break browser in an office lobby. Layered with capabilities like dynamic creative optimization (DCO), they become even more potent, serving localized messages based on product availability, store promotions, or even weather-triggered needs.
From General Awareness to Retail Precision
OOH’s reputation as a broad-brush awareness tool is outdated. These screens are now being activated with the same precision and performance expectations as digital channels — driving real results like increased foot traffic, household sales lift, and even digital attribution and conversions. And they do it efficiently, without sacrificing scale.
For retailers and RMNs, this is a prime growth opportunity. Beyond in-store screens and experiences, OOH path-to-purchase placements offer a fast, strategic way to expand into the physical world with retail relevance — all while maintaining digital measurability and targeting.
Mapping Moments That Move Shoppers
The modern path to purchase isn’t a straight line from ad to checkout. It’s a web of micro-decisions shaped by context and timing. That’s why OOH deserves a central role in the retail media playbook. It reaches consumers before they shop, delivering context that makes conversion more likely.
In retail media, results don’t just belong to the fastest — they belong to the brands that understand the full journey and show up early, often, and in the right places.
Raj Lala is vice president of U.S. sales and development at Vistar Media, a provider of technology solutions for digital-out-of-home (DOOH) advertisements.
Raj is vice president of demand sales and development at Vistar Media, where he leads innovative programmatic strategies that help brands and agencies unlock the potential of out-of-home advertising. With over a decade in programmatic and digital media, Raj first made his mark at Vistar by leading the West Coast brand and agency partnerships. He previously held roles at Xaxis, Exponential, and 24/7 Real Media, building impactful media solutions for top brands. Raj holds a BS in Finance from Boston University.
