Month: February 2021

Product News | October 11, 2021

How to start a digital out-of-home business

The digital out-of-home (DOOH) space has grown at an impressive rate in recent years, accounting for 28.3% of all out-of-home (OOH) ads in 2019. With predictions showing these numbers up to 38.3% by 2023, the rise of DOOH shows no signs of slowing. And as DOOH technologies continue to advance, the doors for more affordable, flexible campaigns open wider.

If all the excitement surrounding DOOH has piqued the interest of your inner entrepreneur, you might be considering how you can get in on the action. These next few sections will cover what it takes to start your own digital out-of-home business.

Understanding startup costs

First, you will need to consider the startup costs. There’s a lot of expense involved in acquiring the screens, digital signage players, cables, and even the mounting brackets required for building out your network. On top of that, there will also be additional costs for the actual installation.

It is important to thoroughly research the best hardware options to match your budget and needs, including those dictated by your environment. For example, besides the technical specifications of your screens, you may also have to consider weather conditions — a digital screen on a frigid roadway up north needs to be able to handle different conditions than an indoor screen at the mall.

Select hardware that will stand up to weather conditions in your locations

Once you’ve selected your screens, the next costs to consider will be your digital signage player — the computer that is attached to or embedded within the signage display. One of the most important factors when choosing your player will be software compatibility. You’ll want to ensure your hardware choice doesn’t restrict the software option that best meets your needs.

Aside from these initial expenses, you must also keep in mind the continued costs of services like internet connectivity, upgrades, software licenses, real estate, remote access, monitoring, and support.

Preparing for a new kind of selling

If you are already familiar with selling inventory for out-of-home, you may find DOOH to be an entirely new ballgame. With options to sell based on deeper audience insights, the demand and expectations from media buyers will deepen too. You and your sales team need to try and understand the different deals that are possible in DOOH in order to most effectively meet the needs of your customers and generate revenue for your business.

Support many types of buyers

Media buyers may have a variety of criteria they want met when they purchase ad space. Some may purely want to achieve a specific number of impressions, while others may want to target specific audience demographics in specific locations. The more types of buy that you are able to offer, the more sales you will be able to make. To start, some common types of buys you should support include:

· audience-based;
· location-based;
· share-of-voice; and
· loop frequency.

This is where your digital signage players and software choices come into play. It is important for you to be able to support these types of buys in order to deploy a campaign that best supports the media buyer’s target.

Help your buyers reach their target audience in the way they want to

Selling with more accuracy

The more accurate you can be when reporting on audience data and impressions, the more money you can potentially sell ad space for. For example, if you know that there are mostly college-aged people passing by one of your particular screens, you can sell that space to a college recruitment campaign for a premium. This brings more value to both you and the media buyers, as they’ll likely better reach their audience with the target screen than they would with others.

Offering accurate targeting capabilities for media buyers to meet their goals is becoming an essential part of selling DOOH inventory. Digital can rely on OOH audience measurement and intelligence tools to fully understand the audience that is currently in front of a screen at any given time (often, in real time).

Furthermore, some of these technologies are able to dive even deeper, breaking down audience demographics of those present when particular ads were playing. This level of transparency provides media buyers with a greater level of accuracy when measuring the success for campaigns. The greater the insights you can offer, the more ways you can sell inventory.

With good data, you can charge buyers a premium to connect with specific audiences

Equip your sales team

With more complex metrics and pricing used to sell DOOH inventory, it is vital you have a sales team that is ready for the particulars of DOOH. If your sales team comes from a traditional OOH background, getting them up to speed with DOOH will require time and training to ensure they are adept at selling digital campaigns.

Where a traditional OOH ad might sit up on a billboard or a sign for days or weeks at a time, digital ads tend to run in slots measured only in seconds. This means your sales team will need to be prepared for a likely increase in the volume of bookings, as well as to sell according to the different kinds of campaign pricing models mentioned above. Dedicated OOH sales software like Broadsign Direct can be a big help in helping your team manage the new sales process, and can also help eliminate double bookings and otherwise reduce human error.

Planning for programmatic sales

If you’re planning on starting your own digital signage business, it’s important to know how programmatic has been shaking up the industry. But what is programmatic?

Programmatic DOOH refers to the automated buying, selling, and delivery of out-of-home advertising. In other words, transactions are automated by computers in response to external triggers or targeted at a specific audience. Buyers are able to set their own conditions under which they want to buy media. If their campaign is approved and the targeting conditions are met, ads are purchased automatically. For example, an advertiser selling umbrellas may only wish to run their ads when the forecast is calling for rain.

Example: This programmatic ad for Foodora played different content depending on the weather

Because programmatic campaigns can be sold in such a targeted manner, media owners can charge a premium for the more efficient spend. What’s more, programmatic DOOH campaigns are often purchased as part of larger multichannel buys that include online, mobile, and other kinds of advertising that are also purchased programmatically. Buyers like the convenience of being able to make DOOH a part of their existing digital advertising spend.

Finally, programmatic offers a dead simple way for large brands to put a message out to large local, national, or even international audiences just by changing the targeting conditions of their campaign. Newcomers to the DOOH space who want their inventory to be selected for campaigns run by the biggest companies around will have much better odds if they support programmatic selling of their inventory.

Other things to keep in mind

While starting a digital signage business may sound as simple as purchasing the hardware and software and selling to media buyers, there is a lot more that goes into the business of DOOH. Here are a few more things to keep in mind as you look into starting up.

Building your team

We recommend you start out small and slowly begin to build your business up to minimize risk. If you expand too quickly, you may run into unforeseen technical or economic troubles that leave you reeling. But this doesn’t mean your operation should be a one-man show. In fact, you’ll improve your odds of success by bringing in some key individuals to help you manage the different aspects of the business.

· CFO/Financial advisor: someone to help evaluate your financial goals and create a plan as you gradually build up your business.
· Project manager: someone who sets up display installations, makes technical arrangements, and takes care of the details while you focus on the ‘big picture.’
· Software engineers: someone in house to oversee deployment and ensure everything is running smoothly on a day-to-day basis.
· Salespeople: someone to sell your DOOH inventory (see, “Selling to Media Buyers” above for more).
· Legal assistance: someone familiar with the different bylaws regarding OOH generally and DOOH specifically.

You’ll need a good team with varied skills to create a successful DOOH business

Local laws

Speaking of the law, there are many different laws and bylaws that you may need to consider when it comes to DOOH. It is important you are familiar with these laws as you begin to set up your business.

There are many different kinds of laws pertaining to OOH, but some of the most common ones include:

· Size and height of screens
· Locations (ex. Restricted on certain roadways)
· Separation between signs
· Type of content displayed (ex. local governments may prohibit advertisements for alcohol in public spaces where youth exposure is made possible)
· Illumination levels

Be sure to thoroughly research local government regulations and restrictions on digital signage before making any purchasing decisions.

Local laws can restrict your DOOH business – make sure you stay compliant

Selecting Locations

Where you choose to place your digital signage is one of the most important pieces in the success of your business. So where do you start? Here are a few things to consider when selecting a location for your screens:

· Where is the screen most useful for the intended audience?
· Will lighting affect the viewability of the screen?
· Where is the nearest power source?
· Is there internet connectivity?
· Does the venue have rules or regulations for digital signage?

Keep in mind, too, that choosing your location will likely involve working out a rental agreement with a landlord or delivering signage in specific locations to fulfil a government contract. You’ll need to put some legwork in to bring either kind of network to life.

DOOH can be a great fit for many different locations – find the ones right for your business

Security

Finally, you’ll want to consider security as you begin setting up. In a digital space, comes the threat of digital security. As more stories continue to dominate headlines regarding hackers, it is vital to have a digital security plan.

Be sure you take the time to research security protocols of the software solutions you have in place and make sure the solution you choose meets your needs. This is especially important in sensitive environments, like the healthcare space, where it is especially important that troublemakers can’t take over your displays. Our solution, for instance, holds SOC II Type 1 certification, effectively meaning it’s as secure as online banking. This level of security should be more than adequate for just about any DOOH environment you can think of.

Want to dig deeper?

Download your complete guide to building a successful digital signage network

Product News | October 11, 2021

Groceryshop 2025: Why in-store screens are retail media’s last-mile goldmine

The message from Groceryshop 2025 was unmistakable: The initial era of retail media is closing, moving past what some called the “Gold Rush” phase. That phase, focused on high-margin, performance-driven e-commerce search, is no longer sufficient. The industry is entering what many are calling the “Age of Reckoning,” where true success requires a full-funnel approach and, critically, flawless execution at the point of purchase.

As brands allocate more budget to retail media, the emphasis is moving from digital shelf limitations to the hidden opportunities of the physical screen. Broadsign is key here: in-store screens serve as the final touchpoint where retailers can influence purchase decisions, create engaging shopping experiences, and unlock new revenue streams. 

The sense of urgency is confirmed by recent data from eMarketer, projecting that retail media ad spending will reach nearly $100 billion by 2029. That includes U.S. investment in in-store retail media, which is expected to surpass $1 billion by 2028, outpacing growth in online retail media. 

Why in-store media unlocks real value

In-store media uniquely combines mass reach, similar to connected TV audiences, with precision targeting at the moment of maximum intent.

Don’t mistake this for traditional out-of-home (OOH) advertising. Retail media requires a deeper integration of first-party data and sophisticated campaign management, extending to the point of purchase. Broadsign offers this core expertise, backed by twenty years of developing reliable, large-scale digital networks. This is where brand messaging turns into actionable insights, directly affecting shopper behaviour.

Strategically positioned digital screens, utilizing first-party data, are crucial for encouraging impulse buys at the last moment. They can showcase personalized offers and specific messages that enhance the in-store experience, influence last-minute decisions, and encourage shoppers to increase their cart sizes. This approach demonstrates how digital screens enhance the shopping experience and improve the average order value.

In a session, industry leaders such as Cristina Marinucci (Mondelez), Ali Miller (Instacart), and Sarah Marzano (eMarketer) highlighted that brand awareness isn’t solely built online. E-commerce has limitations; it lacks a digital counterpart to the disruptive, high-impact engagement offered by in-store screens. This presents an opportunity for brands and retailers to create meaningful and memorable moments that combine personalized experiences with a sense of community.

The hard work behind the magic: Collaboration and data harmony

Scaling in-store media is not simple. Execution is everything, and success requires solving multi-layered challenges.

  • Organizational alignment: Every team, from brand, trade, shopper marketing, and e-commerce, needs clarity on how to leverage the network. Without alignment, experimentation and innovation stall.
  • Data harmony: Flexible, real-time budget allocation depends on shared, integrated data systems. Clean-room partnerships are becoming increasingly essential for combining first-party data while respecting privacy, enabling both brands and retailers to maximize value.
  • Execution is everything: Retailers can no longer afford to simply track screen impressions. The next benchmark is true closed-loop attribution in-store, linking physical exposure directly to lift in sales and basket size. This is the critical question retailers must answer to justify long-term investment and prove performance to brand advertisers.

The retailers and networks that solve operational, measurement, and organizational challenges now will dominate the retail media landscape. The focus must be on getting in-store media right, because that’s where the last mile is won.

A question for retailers and brands

Are your current blockers operational, organizational, or data-related in nature? Understanding this will determine how effectively you can leverage in-store media to drive growth, engagement, and revenue. 

Regardless of your stage in the process, Broadsign can help you develop your in-store retail media network. Contact us today to discover how we can assist you. 

READ ALSO: Check out our latest playbook, How To Scale In-Store Activation, to learn how to create and grow in-store networks that enhance the shopper experience, open new monetization avenues, and promote long-term success.

Product News | October 11, 2021

Retail Media In-Store Report: 4 key insights shaping RMN strategies in 2025

For retailers seeking fresh revenue streams, the next big play isn’t online: it’s in-store. As digital inventory becomes saturated and competition intensifies, forward-thinking players are expanding their retail media networks (RMNs) into the physical environment — where most purchases still happen — connecting digital and in-store touchpoints to influence shoppers at the exact moment of decision.

To better understand this shift, the Retail Media: In-Store Report 2025, authored by leading retail media expert Colin Lewis and produced in collaboration with Broadsign, examines how in-store channels are evolving, the commercial models shaping their growth, and the measurement advances helping to prove ROI.

The four takeaways below highlight some of the biggest insights from the report — from market momentum and technology adoption to omnichannel integration and the maturation of measurement. Together, they illustrate why in-store is poised to become the next frontier of retail media.

Key takeaways for retailers:

Takeaway #1: In-store is the next growth frontier

While onsite and offsite channels still dominate retail media spend, in-store is fast emerging as the next growth driver. Globally, retail media is projected to reach $169.6 billion this year, surpassing TV ad revenue for the first time. Yet despite its relatively small share today, in-store retail media is on track to hit $1 billion by 2028 as retailers scale their digital capabilities and advertisers embrace the channel’s unique advantages.

Grocery chains may have pioneered the space, but they’re no longer alone. Today, other industries are developing their own retail media networks and using their physical presence to capitalize on this shift. With the right media capabilities and commercial strategy, the in-store opportunity stretches far beyond grocery to include sectors like petrol and convenience, shopping centres, hotels, and hospitality.

The appeal is clear: in-store combines mass reach in a high-attention environment with the ability to influence purchase decisions and drive real-time conversions at the shelf.

“In-store will begin to emerge as the new TV — a mass-reach advertising vehicle ideal for brands. Digital surfaces deliver what brands want and what linear TV has lost: fast reach, high attentiveness, younger audiences, and cultural relevance.”
— Andrew Lipsman, Media Ads and Commerce, Retail Media: In-Store Report 2025

For retailers, that makes in-store an invaluable extension of their RMN. By monetizing previously untapped foot traffic, they can unlock new revenue streams while strengthening omnichannel shopper engagement.

READ ALSO: Why in-store media is essential for forward-thinking retail media strategies

Takeaway #2: Screens and tech are redefining the store

At the heart of in-store retail media are digital screens — from large-format video walls to shelf-edge screens and point-of-purchase (POP) displays — delivering dynamic, data-driven campaigns right at the point of decision. These screens can adapt content based on time of day, weather, or even local shopping behaviours, helping brands capture attention and influence basket size in real time. 

But screens are just the start. Retailers are experimenting with other technologies that add depth and interactivity to the shopper journey, including:

  • Smart carts equipped with built-in displays
  • QR codes that connect signage, demos, or packaging to digital content, loyalty apps, or online campaigns
  • Interactive kiosks for product lookups, recipe ideas, or coupon printing
  • AI-powered shelves that trigger promotions when stock runs low
  • AR-enabled mirrors for virtual try-ons
  • Bluetooth beacons that send personalized offers to shoppers’ phones

Traditional formats will also continue to play a role. Print signage, product sampling, and in-store audio remain effective ways to reach shoppers, but they’re being reimagined with digital elements layered in. For example, dynamic QR codes on posters, demo carts, or packaging can link to apps, loyalty perks, or campaign landing pages — turning otherwise static interactions into measurable, omnichannel experiences.

Leading retailers are already proving what’s possible. Tesco’s “Scan as You Shop” handheld devices double as ad platforms powered by loyalty data. Meanwhile, Walmart is ramping up in-store advertising through its 170,000 digital screens, store-wide radio network, and new weekend sampling stations. Advertisers can pair demo tables with QR codes that drive shoppers to online options, recipes, or seasonal content, while bundling campaigns across screens, audio, and physical activations to maximize the impact at the point of sale.

Walmart is expanding digital in-store advertising, offering brands placements on self-checkout screens to reach shoppers at the point of purchase. Photo: Walmart/CNBC

Together, these innovations are transforming physical stores into full-fledged digital media environments — and giving retailers a scalable foundation to grow their retail media networks beyond the confines of ecommerce.

READ ALSO: How to use digital signage to enhance the in-person shopping experience: Best practices & revenue-driving tips

Takeaway #3: Omnichannel integration is key

In-store media doesn’t exist in a vacuum — its real power comes when it’s connected with onsite and offsite channels as part of a seamlessly integrated RMN. When campaigns carry through from a retailer’s website or app into the physical store, brands can maintain consistent messaging and attribution across the full shopper journey, from brand awareness to purchase conversion.

In-store plays a role at every stage of the funnel:

  • Awareness: Strategically placed signage, displays, and demos act as discovery tools, especially for impulse or unplanned purchases. 
  • Consideration: Interactive kiosks and QR codes surface reviews, ratings, and tutorials to help customers evaluate products. 
  • Conversion: Digital displays, shelf talkers, and personalized mobile app push notifications can close the deal by offering time-sensitive promotions, bundling offers, or reminders of loyalty benefits. 

Strategic integration makes these moments even more powerful. As consumers move fluidly between online browsing, mobile researching, and physical shopping, in-store media becomes a central node for narrative and experiential cohesion:

  • On-site integration: Link in-store media to shopper data from ecommerce sites, apps, and loyalty programs to bridge physical and digital experiences. Integration can also flow the other way, extending in-store inventory visibility into online ads — surfacing an “Available now in your local store!” message when browsing online — or using digital receipts to deliver post-purchase content, cross-sells, and offers.
  • Offsite integration: Connect in-store campaigns with offsite media like social, search, and CTV to drive store visits and purchases. Geotargeted programmatic ads can be timed with in-store launches, while influencer content and localized social ads guide shoppers into physical stores.

Real-world examples show how this works in practice. Tesco has piloted dynamic shelf-edge screens that adjust pricing and promotions in real time based on stock levels, time of day, or shopper profile. And Sephora has reimagined the beauty aisle with digital touchpoints that bring product reviews and tutorials into the store, most notably through its “Store of the Future” pilots in Asia, which blend interactive displays with personalized consultations to create a seamless digital-physical shopping experience.

Sephora’s in-store kiosks extend its “Virtual Artist” app, letting shoppers try on products digitally for a personalized, interactive experience. Photo: Karsten Moran/The New York Times

READ ALSO: How to integrate in-store digital signage into your retail media network

Takeaway #4: Campaign measurement and commercial models are maturing

As retail media matures, advertisers expect the same accountability they’re used to from digital channels. It’s no longer enough to simply sell screen space — brands want evidence that in-store activations drive measurable results. For retailers, delivering credible, transparent measurement is essential to building trust and attracting repeat ad spend.

Industry-wide standards are starting to take shape. To bring more consistency and instill brands with greater confidence in directing marketing spend toward in-store campaigns, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has introduced a set of standards that aim to provide unified definitions, measurement guidelines, and best practices for in-store retail media. While full standardization is still a work in progress, retailers don’t have to wait to start building credibility with advertisers.

While in-store retail media measurement is still developing, many best practices build on established digital out-of-home (DOOH) approaches. For a deeper dive into methodologies, see our guides on DOOH metrics, ROI measurement, and attribution.

At the same time, commercial models are evolving to meet different advertiser and campaign needs. In-store retail media is borrowing from digital and out-of-home playbooks but adapting them for the physical retail environment, where placements span digital screens, audio systems, shelf displays, and experiential zones. 

The choice of model shapes not only ROI for brands but also how retailers monetize their networks and structure long-term growth, with several common approaches taking shape:

  • CPM (cost per thousand impressions): Mirrors digital buying habits and works well for digital screens and audio, but relies on accurate impression tracking.
  • Tenancy or fixed placement: Predictable pricing for high-traffic placements or seasonal pushes, though less performance-driven.
  • Hybrid approaches: Blend fixed fees with added value like co-marketing, shopper insights, or data access.
  • Performance-based models: Tie costs directly to outcomes such as sales lift, with risk and reward shared between retailer and brand.
  • Sponsorships and experiential packages: High-impact brand-building plays, often tied to events or seasonal themes.

Each model suits different situations: new entrants may lean on performance-based or fixed-fee options to minimize risk, established CPGs often prefer tenancy or CPM for reliable visibility at scale, and premium or lifestyle brands may invest in sponsorships to build emotional resonance. However, the broader trend across the industry is toward hybrid models that pair fixed costs with measurable outcomes, supported by richer data and more sophisticated retail media networks.

READ ALSO: Turn your in-store screens into revenue machines: How to monetize data through retail digital signage

Start building your in-store retail media strategy

In-store retail media may have trailed online in the past, but it’s catching up fast. With shoppers’ attention at its peak inside stores and new technologies making campaigns more measurable and scalable, the channel has quickly shifted from underutilized to essential. Put simply, if you haven’t invested in in-store solutions yet, you’re already falling behind.

For retailers, it’s a chance to unlock stronger RMN revenue growth while deepening omnichannel engagement. For brands, it’s an opportunity to reach consumers at the exact moment of purchase. And for the industry at large, it’s a sign that the future of retail media won’t just be online — it will be in-store.

Want to dive deeper? Explore the full Retail Media In-Store Report 2025 or check out Broadsign’s resources on building a scalable in-store retail media network that can support long-term growth.

Product News | October 11, 2021

Why the programmatic DOOH buying process feels complex – and how to simplify it

In today’s complex media world, getting started with programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH) can feel overwhelming. Media buyers are often left asking, ‘How do I reach the right audience, measure effectiveness, and do it all efficiently?’ With so many moving parts, from requests for proposals (RFPs) and inventory selection to data and measurement, the pDOOH buying process can feel more complicated than it should.

Rethinking how the medium is planned and executed helps enable campaigns that launch faster, run more efficiently, and drive greater impact. 

Common challenges to buying programmatic DOOH

Buying programmatic DOOH can unlock scale and flexibility, but the process isn’t always straightforward. Traditional workflows still involve buyers or advertisers sending RFPs to multiple media owners and consolidating the responses into a plan. While effective, this manual process is time-consuming and leaves little room for flexibility, much of which could be streamlined with the right tools.

Measurement and attribution have historically been challenging in pDOOH. Without strong attribution, the channel’s impact within the broader media mix is often undervalued, and reporting that stays at a high level without impression or screen-level detail makes it difficult to fully connect campaigns to outcomes.

While pDOOH is designed for agility, creative approvals, varying file specs, or limitations with dynamic creatives can slow things down. Coordinating creative updates across multiple networks can add extra friction. Finally, because pDOOH is still relatively new compared to traditional OOH or other digital channels, many buyers lack the knowledge or confidence to fully embrace it, often underutilizing the channel.

How to simplify pDOOH transacting

Programmatic DOOH doesn’t have to be complicated. With streamlined setup, greater transparency, and real-time optimization, transactions become easier to manage, campaigns activate faster, and teams can focus less on logistics and more on results.

Find a DSP with access to global inventory

Strong inventory access is the foundation of any successful pDOOH campaign. Instead of relying on multiple DSPs, focus on partners that are connected to supply-side platforms (SSPs) with broad, premium coverage. SSPs aggregate inventory from publishers and make it available to DSPs, ensuring campaigns can scale seamlessly across markets and geographies. The wider and higher-quality the access, the greater the opportunities for reach, engagement, and precise targeting.

Understand where budget is going

Clarity on costs and fees is essential when running a pDOOH campaign via any DSP. Full disclosure of fees and margins upfront helps avoid hidden markups, inflated costs, or spend being funneled toward preferred media owners instead of being optimized for performance. Equally important is the ability to control spend at a granular level, whether by environment, point of interest (POI), or screen type, so campaigns align with strategy rather than platform preferences.

Streamline setup, data integration, and optimization

Simplifying pDOOH starts with making campaign setup intuitive and efficient. Inventory selection should be seamless, with the ability to upload targeting criteria like geographic shapes or audience segments and automatically match them to available screens, reducing manual work and minimizing errors. 

Data integration is another important consideration. A strong DSP will enable you to leverage first-party data, whether from loyalty programs, CRM systems, or other sources, and combine it with third-party demographic, behavioural, or location-based segments. 

Optimization is one of the biggest advantages of programmatic DOOH, and the right tools make it possible to fine-tune campaigns throughout their lifecycle. Instead of relying on static, “set-it-and-forget-it” structures, advertisers can take a more agile approach that improves real-time performance.

With the right platform, optimization strategies can include:

  • Making in-flight adjustments to targeting, flight schedules, and budget allocation as results come in, so spend is always directed toward the most effective placements.
  • Refining bidding strategies by monitoring impression-level data, bid outcomes, and cost breakdowns to reallocate budget where it drives the most value.
  • Optimizing creative dynamically (DCO) to adapt messaging based different audiences, environments, or real-time data triggers like weather, ensuring ads remain relevant in different contexts. 

Prove ROI with detailed measurement and reporting

Robust measurement turns DOOH from a reach-driven channel into a performance-driven one. Effective reporting should deliver impression-level data, screen-level analytics, and spend breakdowns that show exactly how budgets are used and how ads perform.

Many DOOH data providers can enable attribution studies, from brand lift to foot traffic and web activity studies. Cross-channel insights, like device ID passback, extend this further by linking DOOH ads to online engagement, enabling retargeting and measuring impact across physical and digital touchpoints.

With the right approach to inventory access, transparency, streamlined setup, optimization, and measurement, advertisers can simplify the buying process and unlock stronger results. By focusing less on logistics and more on strategy, pDOOH becomes not just easier to manage, but one of the most impactful channels in the media mix.

Ready to simplify your programmatic DOOH buying? Learn more about OutMoove here. 

Product News | October 11, 2021

First-party data in digital OOH: What it is and how to leverage it

Digital out-of-home is growing fast, with global spend expected to surpass $20 billion by the end of the year, according to the World Out of Home Organization. As the medium scales, it’s also evolving from broad-reach awareness to more data-driven, audience-first strategies. This shift is making first-party data more important than ever, especially as third-party cookies dwindle and privacy regulations tighten. 

Put simply, today’s advertisers are looking for more than just reach—they want precision, personalization, and contextual relevance, even in a traditionally one-to-many channel like OOH. First-party data delivers on that need, offering a privacy-safe and cost-effective way to engage real customers based on actual behaviour and intent. And with modern DOOH platforms making it easier than ever to activate data, brands can now drive better targeting, stronger performance, and a more connected omnichannel experience.

To understand how to make first-party data work in digital out-of-home and outdoor advertising, it’s important to start with the basics, unpack the common barriers, and explore the tools and tactics that make activation possible today.

What is first-party data, and why is it so valuable?

First-party data is information a brand collects directly through its channels, based on real customer interactions or touchpoints. Examples can include actions like pages viewed, time spent on a website, items added to cart, app usage patterns, purchase history, loyalty programs, and more. Because it’s based on actual behaviour within your own ecosystem, and not inferred or purchased, first-party data gives brands a reliable, privacy-safe foundation for targeted, high-impact campaigns.

Tailoring messaging to real audiences and high-value prospects leads to more relevant and effective campaigns. This kind of personalization drives stronger performance, from increased engagement to higher conversion rates. It’s also more cost-efficient, since the data is already owned by the brand and doesn’t require additional spend to access—just the opportunity to activate it more strategically.

Barriers to smarter DOOH campaigns

Despite the growing potential of first-party data, many advertisers still face structural and technical challenges when it comes to putting it into action, especially in outdoor advertising and DOOH environments. Here are a few of the most common barriers: 

  • Data silos between CRM and media teams: In many organizations, the teams responsible for customer data, like CRM, loyalty, or analytics, operate separately from the teams planning and executing media. Without shared systems or workflows, valuable first-party data often stays locked away in internal platforms, disconnected from the tools used to build and target DOOH campaigns.
  • Technical limitations have made first-party data harder to activate: Bringing first-party data into DOOH hasn’t always been straightforward. Many demand-side platforms (DSPs) lacked the flexibility to support custom data uploads, limiting brands to pre-packaged third-party segments. When activation was possible, it often required custom integrations, manual workarounds, or higher campaign spend—barriers that slowed adoption and limited the ability to fully tap into valuable audience insights.
  • Perceptions around cost and complexity still linger: Brands may assume data onboarding is expensive, time-consuming, or reserved for large-scale campaigns. But many platforms now offer flexible, self-serve tools or managed support to help teams onboard everything from simple geo lists to advanced CRM segments.

Key considerations and best practices for activating first-party data in DOOH

With the right foundation, audience data can be a powerful driver of performance in DOOH. From preparing your data to choosing the right platforms, here are key considerations and best practices to help you activate it effectively.

Start with a DSP built for data-driven campaigns

Activating your own audience data in DOOH campaigns used to be a heavy lift, requiring custom integrations, technical support, or large-scale media budgets. Today’s DSPs, however, are built to be more flexible and data-friendly. Modern DSP platforms like OutMoove, for example, make it easier to activate customer data with minimal friction, giving advertisers full control over how data is used, where it comes from, and how it impacts campaigns. 

Advertisers can use data they already have, like postal codes tied to customer addresses, loyalty program lists, or CRM segments based on purchase history. Many also incorporate behavioural signals like recent website activity to build high-intent audience segments—all without needing to reinvent their targeting strategy.

The benefits? Smarter targeting, stronger performance, and more efficient spending. By using audience insights to go beyond broad awareness, advertisers can connect with people who are more likely to take action. This reduces waste, helping teams focus their budget on audiences that have already shown interest or intent.

Expand reach with multi-layered targeting 

Platforms like OutMoove support layered targeting, allowing you to start with your own audience, like loyalty members or recent store visitors, and expand reach by adding third-party segments based on foot traffic patterns, purchase intent, or lifestyle traits. For example, a brand could target its existing in-store shoppers and layer on third-party data to find others who frequently visit similar retail environments. This kind of multi-layered approach unlocks more precise, personalized campaigns without relying solely on broad demographic filters.

Deliver ads at the right time with real-world triggers

Moment targeting allows brands to activate ads based on real-world conditions like weather changes, traffic flow, sports scores, or time of day. These dynamic triggers help ensure your message appears when it’s most relevant, making your media spend more efficient and impactful.

Beyond standard conditions, many platforms now support custom triggers powered by business-specific data. Whether tied to a regional promotion, local event, or time-sensitive inventory, these inputs can be used to control when and where ads appear. This flexibility allows campaigns to align with meaningful moments that drive both relevance and results.

Align with data standards and industry guidelines

While fragmentation across buying methods and data standards has historically made it harder to apply audience data in DOOH as seamlessly as in digital, the industry is making important strides toward alignment, especially around measurement, data integrity, and audience definitions.

Initiatives like the IAB’s Digital Out-of-Home Measurement Guide are helping set a foundation for scalable, data-led campaigns. Introducing standardized metrics gives advertisers more confidence in campaign performance and supports better data collection, impression validation, and privacy compliance under frameworks like GDPR and CCPA. This growing alignment strengthens trust, improves transparency, and simplifies automated buying, making it easier for brands to activate audience data and run more effective, measurable DOOH campaigns.

As digital out-of-home advances, audience data is becoming a key driver of smarter, more impactful campaigns. With the right strategy and tools in place, advertisers can move beyond broad awareness to reach the right people at the right time. 

Ready to see how your data can drive smarter DOOH campaigns? OutMoove gives you the tools to plan, activate, and optimize with ease. Learn more here.