Golden Scope Partners · Research01 / 17
A Research Compendium
In-store retail media & merchandising.
Effectiveness. 2026 cost benchmarks. Sales lift. Full sources — for grocery and convenience.
Golden Scope PartnersGrocery & ConvenienceJuly 2026 Chicago
Executive Summary02 / 17
Key findings at a glance.
Six headline numbers from our in-store retail-media and merchandising research. Full tables and sources follow.
+8.1%
Avg. purchase-probability lift for featured products
Peer-reviewed · 237 campaigns · 30M shoppers
+14% · $2.41
In-store sales lift and incremental ROAS
Albertsons Media Collective x Mondelez, 2026
+22–32%
Typical sales lift from a secondary display or endcap
IRI / Idaho Potato Commission / USC + Oracle
+200–500%
Demo-day sales lift from in-store sampling
IN-K / GROUND, 2026
$250–1,000
Slotting per SKU per store on conventional grocery
NielsenIQ · FMI, 2022–26
~45%
Share of promotional lift that is truly incremental
CVS study, J. of Marketing Research, 2006
Market Context03 / 17
Why in-store media is the next wave.
US retail media ad spend is on a march from $58.8B (2025) to about $100B by 2029. The in-store slice, still under 1% today, is the fastest-growing sliver in that pie.
Source: eMarketer / Insider Intelligence, 2024–2026
US Retail Media Ad Spend ($B)
$58.8B
2025
$69.3B
2026
$100B
2029
In-store slice
$0.5B → $1.06B
2025 to 2028, under 1% of retail media today
Market Context · The opportunity04 / 17
The opportunity in numbers.
$69.3B
US retail media ad spend in 2026, approaching ~$100B by 2029
$0.5B → $1.06B
US in-store digital media, 2025 to 2028 — under 1% of retail media today
~84%
Share of US retail sales still happening in physical stores
~62%
Share of retail-media budgets that are reallocated trade / shopper dollars
Digital Display · Effectiveness05 / 17
Does a screen at the shelf sell more?
Eight studies compared side by side. Academic figures measure purchase-probability lift; retailer and vendor figures measure sales lift — not directly comparable.
| Study / Source | Type | Result | Strength | Yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herhausen, de Jong & Grewal · J. of Marketing | Academic | +8.1% purchase-probability; 87% of 237 campaigns positive (RFID, 30M shoppers) | Strong | 2025 |
| Herhausen et al. quasi-experiment | Academic | +28.8% and +7.1% (two products); 16 stores with vs. without, 42 wks | Strong | 2025 |
| Albertsons Media Collective × Mondelez | Retailer | +14% in-store sales lift; $2.41 iROAS; 5.5M+ impressions (matched-market) | Mod-Strong | 2026 |
| Streicher, Buttner & Estes · J. of Retailing | Academic | Higher sales on advertised item + category spillover (smart-cart) | Strong | 2026 |
| Nanni & Ordanini · J. of Retailing | Academic | Lift for discounted products far from screen; none nearby (7,009 shoppers) | Strong | 2024 |
| Roggeveen, Nordfalt & Grewal | Academic | Helps hypermarkets; can hurt convenience stores (format caveat) | Strong | 2016 |
| Grocery TV network | Vendor | ~14% average CPG sales lift (network-reported) | Moderate | 2024 |
| Cooler Screens (various claims) | Vendor | 5% to 50–100% (inconsistent); some claims disputed in litigation | Weak | 2021–23 |
Sales Lift · By tactic06 / 17
Reported lift by in-store tactic.
Metrics differ across studies and are not strictly comparable. Bars visualize magnitude, not statistical parity.
Digital screen
+11%
Consistent coverage
+22.5%
Secondary display
+22%
Display (peer-rev)
+27%
Optimized endcap
+32%
Feature + display
+100%
Sampling (day-of)
+475%
Digital Display · 2026 Cost Model07 / 17
2026 benchmark cost ranges.
| Cost item | Range | Unit | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-time hardware | ||||
| Installed screen, per store (Yr-1 all-in) | $900–$4,000 (typ $1,800–2,500) | per screen | One-time | DisplayDetails · Pickcel 2026 |
| Cooler/freezer-door smart screen | $3,000–$7,500 (typ $4,300–5,000) | per door | One-time | Bloomberg / WSJ 2023–25 |
| Multi-store rollout (10–50 stores) | $600–$2,500 | per store | One-time | Yodeck · StriveAV 2026 |
| Enterprise 100+ store network | $150,000–$400,000+ | per network | One-time | Pickcel 2026 |
| Displays and panels | ||||
| 32–43" commercial panel | $480–$1,500 (typ $650–950) | per screen | One-time | DisplayDetails · AWALL 2026 |
| 55" commercial panel | $720–$2,000 | per screen | One-time | DisplayDetails · AWALL 2026 |
| 65–86" large-format | $2,000–$6,000+ | per screen | One-time | AWALL · ITS 2026 |
| Media player (if no built-in SoC) | $99–$800 | per unit | One-time | DisplayDetails · CastHub 2026 |
| Shelf-edge LCD strip | $500–$10,000+ (typ $1,700–3,500) | per unit | One-time | LCDSLD · HOSDA 2026 |
| ESL and connectivity | ||||
| ESL tag (S / M / L) | $3–$120+ | per label | One-time | RetailDigitals · SOLUM 2026 |
| ESL gateway (per 1–2k labels) | $200–$600 | per gateway | One-time | RetailDigitals 2026 |
| CMS / SaaS licensing | $0–$50 (typ $10–20) | $/screen/mo | Recurring | CastHub · Pickcel 2026 |
| Cellular / LTE connectivity | $6.50–$48 (typ $9–20) | $/device/mo | Recurring | BrightSign · OptConnect 2026 |
| ESL cloud platform | $150–$3,500 (typ $400–1,500) | $/store/mo | Recurring | Neuroshop · RetailDigitals 2026 |
| ESL ERP/POS integration setup | $2,000–$15,000+ | one-time/chain | One-time | Neuroshop · Nova-day 2026 |
| Creative | ||||
| Freelance designer, static asset | $50–$150 | per slide | Per campaign | CrownTV 2026 |
| Agency branded video + motion | $1,500–$50,000 (typ $3,500–10,000) | per campaign | Per campaign | CrownTV · Creation Networks 2026 |
Digital Display · 2026 Cost Model (cont.)08 / 17
2026 benchmark cost ranges (cont.)
| Cost item | Range | Unit | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ongoing | ||||
| Ongoing content refresh | $50–$4,000 (typ $500–3,000) | per month | Recurring | Jordan Feil · Creation Networks 2026 |
| Field service / maintenance | 5%–10% | % hardware/yr | Recurring | Jordan Feil · digitalsignage.com 2026 |
| Media spend | ||||
| In-store retail media CPM (blended) | $10–$60 (typ $20–35) | CPM | Media spend | Adsposure · Osmos 2026 |
| Walmart Connect in-store CPM | $20–$45 | CPM | Media spend | Ecommerce Times 2026 |
| Cooler Screens video / banner CPM | $1–$20 | CPM | Media spend | Marketing Brew 2021 |
| In-store minimum campaign spend | $5,000–$50,000+ | per campaign | Floor | DataLatte · Ecommerce Times 2026 |
| Platform fees | ||||
| Platform / vendor revenue share | 15%–30% (typ 20–25%) | % of ad spend | Recurring | Osmos.ai 2026 |
| Cooler Screens retailer rev split | 25%–75% to retailer | % of ad rev | Recurring | Business Insider 2023 |
Ranges synthesized across 20+ industry sources; not vendor quotes.
Merchandising Support09 / 17
The numbers you asked for.
$75–$400
All-in per STORE per month to keep a brand merchandised (field + amortized display)
$250–$1,000
Slotting per SKU per store to get on shelf (one-time; frozen $20k–100k)
+22–32%
Display / endcap sales lift; 100%+ with a feature
+200–500%
In-store demo day-of lift (repeat conversion 5–25%)
$82B
US sales lost to out-of-stocks in 2021 (7.4%) — availability is free money
3–5x
The ROI bar every program should clear (measured incrementality)
Merchandising · Levers10 / 17
Cost per store per month, by lever.
USD per store per month. Bars show the low-to-high range for each lever.
Trade (blended)
$10–$35
POP (amortized)
$15–$40
Lens (active buy)
$50–$150
Merch. cadence
$50–$645
Merchandising · 2026 Cost Model11 / 17
Benchmark ranges across four pillars.
| Cost item | Range | Unit | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field | ||||
| Per store visit (ongoing) | $40–$200 (typ $50–100) | per visit | Recurring | T-ROC 2026 |
| Per store / month (monthly cadence) | $50–$150 | per store/mo | Recurring | Derived (T-ROC) |
| Per store / month (weekly cadence) | $215–$645 | per store/mo | Recurring | Derived (T-ROC) |
| Computer-vision continuous audit | $10–$30 | per store/mo | Recurring | T-ROC 2026 |
| Merchandiser wage (labor input) | $13–$22 (typ $15–18) | per hour | Recurring | BLS · PayScale 2025–26 |
| Loaded bill rate (specialist rep) | $25–$50 | per hour | Recurring | T-ROC 2026 |
| Seasonal reset | $300–$1,500 | per store | One-time | T-ROC 2026 |
| New-item / launch reset | $1,000–$5,000 | per store | One-time | T-ROC 2026 |
| National reset (~500 stores) | $150,000–$400,000 | total project | One-time | T-ROC 2026 |
| Cost to support one SKU | $2–$30 (typ $5–15) | per SKU/store/mo | Recurring | Derived |
| Display | ||||
| Corrugated PDQ / shelf tray | $0.15–$1.60 (typ $0.30–0.50) | per unit | One-time | Vendor converge 2026 |
| Floor display / FSDU (3–4 shelf) | $3.50–$28 (typ $8–18) | per unit | One-time | Opener · Leader · Cubit 2026 |
| Pallet display (¼, ½, full) | $3.50–$38 | per unit | One-time | Vendor converge 2026 |
| Endcap kit (semi-permanent) | $150–$700+ | per fixture | One-time | Vendor 2026 |
| Permanent / semi-permanent display | $150–$1,500+ | per unit | One-time | Vendor 2026 |
| All-in landed per display placed | ~$40–$85 | per store | Derived | Derived |
Merchandising · 2026 Cost Model (cont.)12 / 17
Benchmark ranges (cont.)
| Cost item | Range | Unit | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slotting | ||||
| Per item per store (conventional) | $250–$1,000 (FMI to $3,000) | per item/store | One-time | NielsenIQ · FMI 2022–26 |
| Chain authorization per SKU | $5,000–$75,000 (typ $15–25k) | per SKU/chain | One-time | CFO Pro · Eightx 2026 |
| Frozen / refrigerated SKU (large chain) | $20,000–$100,000 | per SKU | One-time | Vanderbilt · MSOM 2024 |
| National rollout, single SKU | $1M–$2M+ | per SKU | One-time | FTC (dated) |
| Display / endcap allowance | $350–$500 | per display/store/event | One-time | Trax Retail 2019 |
| Feature / ad-feature allowance | ~$4,000 | per event | One-time | cpgscout 2026 |
| Trade spend overall | 15%–25% | % of gross sales | Recurring | POI · Cadent · cpgscout 2026 |
| Blended per store / month (steady) | $10–$20 | per store/mo | Recurring | Derived |
| Demos | ||||
| Per demo event (agency, standard) | $150–$555 | per demo | One-time | Opener · IN-K 2026 |
| Per sample distributed | $1–$3 | per sample | One-time | IN-K 2026 |
| Per store / month (~1 demo/mo) | $320–$555 | per store/mo | Recurring | Derived (Opener) |
| Monthly program (8 demos, top stores) | $3,250–$5,980 | per month | Recurring | Opener 2025 |
| Costco demo fee | $150–$250 | per day (+product) | One-time | Opener 2025 |
Field pricing traces to T-ROC 2026; display/demo from vendor guides; slotting from FTC + practitioner sources.
Merchandising · Effectiveness13 / 17
Sales-lift evidence by lever.
| Lever / Study | Pillar | Result | Strength | Yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-store sampling — R.I.S.E. (KN-PDI/PromoWorks) | Demos | +475% day-of; +74% over 20 wks; +11% repeat (16M matched panel) | Strong | 2009 |
| Sampling vs displays — J. of Retailing | Demos | Larger & longer-lasting lift than displays; category expansion | Strong | 2017 |
| Costco sampling — CDS / Interactions | Demos | Sales rise 89% of time; pizza +600%, wine +300%, cosmetics +500% | Weak-Mod | 2014–21 |
| In-store sampling day-of — IN-K/GROUND | Demos | +200–500% (up to +2,000% in cases) | Moderate | 2026 |
| Display-only lift, beer — J. Operational Research Soc. | Display | +27%; displayed SKUs get +93% more exposure | Strong | 2020 |
| Secondary display — Idaho Potato Commission | Display | +22% category (vs +2.5% no display) | Moderate | 2019 |
| Optimized endcap — USC + Oracle | Display | +32% sales | Mod-Strong | 2019 |
| Endcap location — Flinders University | Display | +416% rear / +346% front brand uplift | Strong | — |
| Gondola-end effect — Shopper Intelligence | Display | 2.6x–5.7x more likely to visit aisle | Strong | 2022 |
| Feature + display — IRI / Circana | Display | ~49–75% of categories hit triple-digit lift | Strong | 2013 |
| Consistent vs sporadic coverage — Advantage | Field | +15–30% sales | Moderate | 2025 |
| Planogram reset compliance — NARMS | Field | +7.8% sales / +8.1% profit | Moderate | — |
| Out-of-stock cost — NielsenIQ | Field | 7.4% of sales lost / $82B (US, 2021) | Strong | 2022 |
| Promo incrementality — CVS (JMR) | Trade | Only ~45% of gross lift is truly incremental | Strong | 2006 |
Mix of peer-reviewed, syndicated, and vendor sources; methods differ.
Slotting · Who charges what14 / 17
Slotting & trade practice by retailer.
| Retailer / channel | Cash slotting? | How they get value / route in |
|---|---|---|
| Walmart & Sam's Club | No cash slotting | Best net-net wholesale price + trade/promo commitments; Walmart Connect tie-in |
| Costco & BJ's Wholesale | No cash slotting | Pricing discipline, member savings, MVM events; club-pack development |
| Kroger (+ divisions) | Yes | ~$10k–25k per item per division; Kroger Precision Marketing |
| Albertsons / Safeway | Yes | $250–1,000 per store; chain auth higher; Albertsons Media Collective |
| Ahold (Stop&Shop, Giant, Food Lion) | Yes | Regional $2k–8k; align to category line review |
| Publix · H-E-B | Yes | Regional $2k–8k+; strong own-brands; buyer + broker |
| Whole Foods Market | No cash slotting | Distributor margin (UNFI/KeHE 15–30%) + free fills + promo allowances |
| Convenience (7-Eleven / Gulp Media) | Increasingly yes | C-store $5k–15k; scan-based trading common |
| Independents / regional | Rarely / low | $0–500; free fills expected; build velocity data here first |
Cash-slotting status is widely reported; dollar figures are 2026 practitioner benchmarks.
Executive View15 / 17
All in-store levers, side by side.
| Lever | What it buys | $/store/mo | Per SKU | Proven lift | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field merchandising | Execution — in-stock, faced, compliant | $50–$645 | ~$2–15 /SKU | +15–30% vs sporadic | Availability, resets, launches |
| Display & POP | Visibility — off-shelf attention | $15–$40 | ~$40–85 /placement | +22–32% (100%+ w/ feature) | Impulse, launches, velocity stores |
| Digital screens | Media — moment-of-purchase video | $50–$150 | via campaign | +8.1% / +14% (retailer) | Scalable, measurable pilots |
| Slotting & trade | Access — right to be on shelf | $10–$35 | $250–1,000 (frozen $20–100k) | Access, not lift | Entering shelf, holding space |
Bases differ (per-store vs per-SKU); slotting is one-time capital amortized into a monthly figure.
References16 / 17
Sources.
All figures are attributed benchmark ranges as of July 2026, measured with differing methods and shown for research reference — not guaranteed results.
- Herhausen, de Jong & Grewal, "In-Store Advertising with Digital Signage," Journal of Marketing (2025).
- Streicher, Buttner & Estes, "Smart mobile advertising at the point of purchase," Journal of Retailing (2026).
- Nanni & Ordanini, "Digital signage for promoting price discounts," Journal of Retailing (2024).
- Roggeveen, Nordfalt & Grewal, "Do digital displays enhance sales? Role of retail format."
- "Albertsons' new in-store retail media measurement helps Mondelez lift sales," Grocery Dive (Jan 2026).
- "Mondelez lifts sales as Albertsons tackles in-store retail media measurement," Marketing Dive (Jan 2026).
- "In-store retail media spend will hit $1 billion in 2028," eMarketer / Insider Intelligence (2024).
- "Retail Media Ad Spending Forecast and Trends, H2 2025," eMarketer (2025).
- "Walgreens Fridge Fight Bodes Poorly for Future of Retail," Bloomberg (2025).
- Nielsen, "Weather-Based Targeting in Retail" (2023).
- Digital signage cost guides (2026): DisplayDetails, Pickcel, CrownTV, CastHub, AWALL, LCDSLD.
- Electronic shelf label cost guides (2026): RetailDigitals, Neuroshop, SOLuM, Legoyo.
- In-store CPM benchmarks: Adsposure 2026; Ecommerce Times (Walmart Connect); Marketing Brew; Osmos.ai 2026.
- Retail Merchandising Services: Complete Guide + Pricing (2026) — T-ROC Global.
- How to Price Recurring Retail Merchandising & Display Services — getMonetizely (2025).
- Merchandise Displayers & Window Trimmers (OEWS wages) — U.S. BLS.
- "Empty shelves: US retailers lost over $82 billion in 2021" — NielsenIQ (2022).
- Retail Store Execution: An Empirical Study — Fisher, Knowledge@Wharton (2013).
- POPAI / Quri Compliance Initiative Study (2015).
- Secondary Displays of Idaho Potatoes Boost Retail Sales — Potato Grower (2019).
- Grocery Endcap Display Optimization — USC + Oracle Retail Science.
- Optimizing SKU selection for promotional display space — J. of the Operational Research Society (2020).
- Assessing the sales effectiveness of endcaps — Flinders University.
- Eye-tracking study: the power of gondola ends — The Grocer / Shopper Intelligence (2022).
- Merchandising Trends (feature + display lift) — IRI Times & Trends (2013).
- 2023 Display Trends in the Grocery Channel — Circana.
- Purina & Perch interactive pet-food endcaps — Supermarket News (2021).
- Slotting Allowances in the Retail Grocery Industry — FTC Staff Study (2003).
- Slotting Fees: What They Cost and How to Model Them (2026) — Eightx.
- Slotting Fees and Slotting Allowances — NielsenIQ (2022).
- Retail Category Management with Slotting Fees (frozen premium) — Vanderbilt / MSOM (2024).
- CPG Trade Spend: Benchmarks and How It Works (2026) — CPG Scout.
- Promotion Profitability for a Retailer — Journal of Marketing Research (2006).
- The Real Cost of In-Store Demos and How to Budget — Opener (2025).
- In-Store Product Sampling Is a $2B Channel — IN-K/GROUND (2026).
- Research Reveals the Impact of In-Store Sampling (R.I.S.E.) — QSR Magazine (2009).
- In-store product sampling builds long-term sales — Wisconsin School of Business (2017).
- The Psychology Behind Costco's Free Samples — The Atlantic (2014).
- Scan-Based Trading guides — Marketopia (2026); Fintech (2026); Lim et al., M&SOM (2022).
- Slotting / free-fill / pay-to-stay practitioner guides (2025–26): Trax Retail, CFO Pro, Opener, SPS Commerce, ShelfFund, MOART.
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© 2026 Golden Scope Partners · Benchmarks compiled July 2026 · Ranges, not quotes