Product News | October 11, 2021

What is programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) advertising?

Programmatic digital out-of-home, often shortened to programmatic DOOH or pDOOH, refers to the automated buying, selling, and delivery of out-of-home (OOH) ads via real-time bidding on digital screens. Instead of booking fixed placements, advertisers set the conditions under which media should run, and ads are served automatically when those conditions are met.

Once a niche buying method, pDOOH is now a core part of modern media plans, as automation-enabled OOH planning workflows and faster, data-driven decision-making reshape a medium that has traditionally relied on slower, manual processes. This momentum is reflected in forecasts for leading markets like the U.S., where pDOOH spend is expected to account for 65% of national DOOH spending by 2029, up from just 24% in 2024.

Read on for a closer look at what programmatic DOOH is, how it works, and why it’s gaining traction with today’s advertisers.

Jump to:

What is programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH)?
Benefits of programmatic DOOH advertising
How does programmatic DOOH work?
FAQs about pDOOH advertising

What is programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH)?

Programmatic DOOH applies programmatic buying technology to digital screens in public, shared environments such as city streets, transit hubs, and retail locations. While it uses many of the same tools and data sources as other programmatic channels, the key distinction lies in where ads appear and how impressions are defined.

As a form of out-of-home (OOH) advertising, pDOOH operates in one-to-many physical settings. Each ad exposure may be seen by multiple people viewing the same screen at the same time, rather than a single logged-in user or device. This changes how reach, exposure, and measurement are approached compared to online programmatic media.

In practical terms, this means advertisers plan around real-world moments, environments, and aggregated audience signals, shifting decision-making from fixed placements (as in traditional OOH) or individual-level identifiers (like in online advertising) to data-driven eligibility across shared physical spaces.

Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) vs traditional DOOH: Understanding the difference

At a high level, programmatic DOOH doesn’t change the channel or environments where ads appear — it’s still digital out-of-home (DOOH) media. That means the strengths that make DOOH appealing to advertisers, including its high-impact creative formats, unskippable exposure, and proven ability to drive real-world action, also apply to pDOOH.

What it does change is how DOOH campaigns are planned, activated, and adjusted over time. Instead of locking in every decision upfront, programmatic DOOH introduces automation and rules-based buying that can influence which screens run ads, when they run, and under what conditions.

Here’s what actually changes when DOOH becomes programmatic:

Traditional DOOH

Direct buying through manual negotiations and insertion orders
Fixed schedules planned in advance
Manual planning focused on locations and durations
Periodic reporting after or between campaign flights

Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH)

Automated buying via real-time bidding on programmatic platforms, either through open exchange (oRTB) or private marketplace (PMP) deals
Real-time optimization based on availability, conditions, or performance
Data-driven activation using signals like time, location, and external data
Dynamic delivery potential with creative updates triggered by conditions
Automated reporting with faster access to delivery and performance insights

NOTE: While many buyers associate “automation in OOH” with programmatic ad buying — i.e., via real-time bidding — automation has expanded beyond bidding models to include newer transaction paths that complement pDOOH.

Download Broadsign’s eBook, Automation in OOH Media Planning: Streamlining Transactions at Scale, to learn how Programmatic Guaranteed (PG) and Automated Direct, Broadsign’s term for a fully automated version of the direct-sold process, give buyers additional ways to balance speed, flexibility, and delivery certainty.

Benefits of programmatic DOOH advertising

Now take everything that’s great about DOOH and layer in extra data, better targeting, and easy access. Those are the added benefits you’re looking at with programmatic DOOH.

Programmatic DOOH enables faster planning, activation, and in-flight flexibility

Programmatic flexibility is a key driver of pDOOH adoption, with 75% of agencies citing flexible buying as a major reason for use, according to a 2025 report from IAB Australia. By replacing manual negotiations and insertion orders with software-driven buying, teams can move from planning to launch more quickly and make in-flight adjustments based on campaign delivery and performance insights.

Programmatic DOOH supports more precise, context-driven targeting

Instead of relying on broad-reach, fixed buys, advertisers can use aggregated data signals to target audiences and moments with far greater precision. Contextual and real-time environmental data, like weather, time of day, or nearby events, can also inform creative delivery, helping brands dynamically align messaging with real-world moments for increased relevance without relying on personal identifiers.

Programmatic DOOH improves measurement and reporting

With streamlined access to centralized delivery data and automated reporting, pDOOH provides clearer visibility into campaign performance and enables more strategic decision-making. Using technology like in-screen sensors, device ID passback, and geo-fencing, advertisers can more accurately measure digital OOH ad exposure and strengthen attribution for downstream actions such as store visits or website activity, bringing DOOH closer to the precision of online advertising.

Programmatic DOOH integrates more easily into omnichannel strategies

As more and more DSPs get on board with programmatic DOOH, planning DOOH alongside channels like social media and mobile advertising as part of a multichannel strategy is becoming more straightforward. Advertisers can often adapt existing online or mobile creative for DOOH displays, while cross-channel insights and shared planning logic make it easier to extend reach and retarget audiences across connected digital channels.

How does programmatic DOOH work?

If your agency or brand uses online advertising, you may already know the basics of programmatic ad buying or have even set up a campaign using a demand-side platform (DSP). But even if the technology is similar, a few features of programmatic DOOH are unique compared to other digital formats.

The same is true from a traditional OOH perspective. While the environments and formats will feel familiar, programmatic DOOH changes how campaigns are planned, activated, and adjusted.

How targeting works

In traditional OOH and directly bought DOOH, targeting is defined upfront through fixed placements, environments, and schedules. Programmatic DOOH separates targeting logic from specific screens, allowing eligibility to be determined by predefined criteria rather than locked-in placement lists.

Targeting in programmatic DOOH is driven by contextual and aggregated signals, including:

Time-based criteria (time of day, day of week)
Location and environment (screen type, venue category, proximity to POIs)
Weather and situational factors (local events, traffic or transit conditions)

On top of this, programmatic DOOH supports a shift toward audience-based targeting. Instead of selecting screens directly, advertisers use aggregated audience signals like movement patterns or first-party data to inform where and when ads are eligible to run based on who is likely present in a given place and moment. These signals guide delivery without identifying or targeting individuals.

The same targeting logic can also support dynamic activation and dynamic creative optimization (DCO), allowing different approved creative variations to run based on audience context and real-world conditions, rather than serving a single static message throughout a campaign.

Platforms and DSPs: How advertisers access programmatic DOOH

In programmatic DOOH, the DSP is the central interface where buyers define campaign rules, budgets, and eligibility criteria, rather than selecting individual screens. For digital teams, this extends familiar DSP workflows into out-of-home; for OOH teams, it replaces screen-level booking with a single control layer that governs delivery across multiple environments.

DOOH inventory can be accessed either through a purpose-built DSP for out-of-home or via integration with the DSP your team already uses for other digital channels. In both cases, the DSP manages how and when eligible inventory is activated, supporting a range of buying methods from open auctions to more structured, pre-arranged deals.

Real-world examples

Looking for inspiration? Here are two pDOOH advertising examples that show how different agencies and brands have leveraged the medium. Explore our full case study catalogue for more programmatic success stories.

Visit Arizona: Inspiring travel planning with nationwide programmatic DOOH

Visit Arizona, the state’s official tourism organization, set out to influence travel consideration and planning among high-intent audiences across the U.S. Using programmatic DOOH, the campaign activated high-traffic screens in key markets and paired on-screen exposure with mobile retargeting to stay connected beyond the initial impression.

By combining DOOH with arrival-based measurement, the campaign linked media exposure to real-world travel behaviour and delivered strong mobile engagement. The result was a 30% lift in arrivals, outperforming national benchmarks for comparable tourism campaigns. Read the full Visit Arizona case study to see how programmatic DOOH supported measurable travel outcomes at scale.

HP: Building brand impact and driving sales with programmatic DOOH in Dubai

HP used programmatic DOOH to support awareness and consideration for its Smart Tank printer range in Dubai, a highly competitive and high-value media market. The campaign focused on reaching family households through frequent exposure on premium digital screens in malls, transit hubs, and other high-traffic, family-oriented environments.

By aligning screen environments with its core audience and measuring impact beyond impressions, the campaign delivered strong brand and business results. Exposure drove a 12% year-over-year sales lift, a 42% increase in purchase consideration for the Smart Tank 585, and a twofold increase in positive brand perception among exposed audiences. Read the full HP case study to see how programmatic DOOH supported both brand and sales outcomes in a key regional market.

See how HP leveraged programmatic DOOH to drive incremental sales in Dubai

FAQs about pDOOH advertising

How does programmatic DOOH differ from traditional OOH or DOOH advertising?

The difference lies in how the media is bought and managed, not where ads appear. Traditional OOH and DOOH campaigns are typically planned and booked upfront using fixed locations and schedules, while programmatic DOOH uses software-based buying to apply targeting rules, budgets, and conditions that determine when and where ads are eligible to run. The screens and environments remain the same — programmatic simply introduces more flexible, data-informed decision-making.

Is programmatic DOOH privacy-safe?

Yes. Programmatic DOOH does not rely on cookies, mobile ad IDs, or individual user tracking. Instead, targeting and delivery are informed by aggregated, privacy-safe signals such as location context, time of day, environmental factors, and anonymized audience insights. Because ads are delivered in shared, one-to-many public environments, programmatic DOOH aligns well with evolving privacy expectations and regulations.

Ready to turn data-driven decisions into real-world impact? Learn more about launching your programmatic DOOH campaign with Broadsign — or browse our inventory catalog to explore a global network of high-impact digital screens.

Product News | October 11, 2021

A conversation with JB Hi-Fi: Why the future of in-store retail media is hyperphysical

Panel discussion at Mumbrella REmade 2026, with five speakers seated on stage in front of a blue REmade backdrop.

In-store retail media is moving beyond screens.

At Mumbrella’s REmade event in Australia this month, Broadsign joined JB Hi-Fi, a leading Australian consumer electronics retailer, Retail Media Works, a retail media consultancy, and Criteo, a global commerce media company, on stage to unpack what it takes to build a retail media network that connects the physical store with the wider shopper journey.

With more than 200 stores forming its retail media network, JB Hi-Fi is taking a distinctly “hyperphysical” approach, exploring how its stores can create value for shoppers, suppliers and advertisers while staying true to the experience that makes the retailer unique.

The conversation offered a look at where in-store retail media is heading, and more importantly, what retailers need to consider as they build and grow their networks.

Start with the shopper

For JB Hi-Fi, retail media starts with the store itself. Scott Browning, General Manager, Strategy & Insights at JB Hi-Fi, spoke about the role the physical store has always played in the brand and the importance of keeping the customer experience at the centre of its retail media strategy.

“The store has always been the face of the brand. The website is actually the hidden face of the brand because you actually don’t see it in the real world until you arrive.”

That perspective is central to how JB Hi-Fi approaches retail media. The opportunity isn’t simply to add advertising to an existing retail environment. It is to understand how media can work within that environment in a way that feels natural to the shopper and stays true to the brand.

As Scott put it: “The way in which we position our brand, the way in which JB Hi-Fi is famous for what it does, we have to make sure that authenticity still comes through.”

That means thinking about the store as more than a collection of screens. It is a physical environment with its own customer journey, context and moments where media can add value. For JB Hi-Fi, retail media needs to build on that experience, not compete with it.

The screen is only the starting point

One of the key themes from the discussion was that creating an in-store media network requires more than installing digital screens. As Ben Allman, VP Platform Sales at Broadsign, explained, the physical screen itself doesn’t necessarily need to change. What changes is what happens behind it.

For a retailer operating hundreds of stores, that means having the infrastructure to manage inventory, campaigns, priorities and reporting across the network, while also being able to tailor content and campaigns to different locations and audiences. All while supporting the day-to-day needs of the retail business.

For JB Hi-Fi, the Broadsign Platform provides the technology to manage its in-store media environment across more than 200 stores. This allows the retailer to build on its existing digital footprint and bring those screens into a broader retail media network, rather than treating retail media as a completely separate business.

Measurement is key to making in-store a media channel

Another major theme of the conversation was measurement. As in-store media continues to grow, retailers need to give advertisers greater visibility into what they’re buying and how their campaigns deliver. That means bringing more accountability and measurability that advertisers expect from other media channels into the physical store.

The panel discussed the opportunity to make the store increasingly behave like a digital environment from a measurement perspective, while recognizing that measuring physical environments comes with its own considerations.

For JB Hi-Fi, this is part of building a network that can offer meaningful value to suppliers and advertisers while creating a better understanding of how media performs within the shopping environment.

Retail media goes beyond digital screens

The conversation also expanded beyond digital signage. Static placements, physical store assets, sponsored search, online channels and off-site media can all play a role in the broader retail media ecosystem.

That creates an important opportunity for retailers: rather than defining their media network around a particular format, they can think about how different touchpoints work together across the shopper journey.

For JB Hi-Fi, its physical footprint is a significant part of that opportunity. The store can work alongside digital channels to create a more connected experience for shoppers and more opportunities for brands to engage them.

Build, test and learn

Perhaps one of the most practical takeaways from the discussion was that retail media networks don’t need to be built perfectly from day one.

The panel spoke about the importance of testing, learning what works in the physical environment and evolving the offering based on shopper and advertiser needs. That mindset is particularly important as retailers continue to establish what in-store retail media looks like within their own businesses. Every store environment is different, and the most effective approach needs to reflect the retailer, its shoppers and its commercial model.

JB Hi-Fi’s approach is a strong example of this in action: taking an established physical network and building the media capabilities around it, while continuing to learn and evolve.

Looking ahead to the next phase of in-store retail media

The conversation at REmade made one thing clear: the future of retail media isn’t about choosing between physical and digital. It’s about connecting the two.

JB Hi-Fi is showing what that can look like in practice by bringing its physical stores into a broader retail media strategy, while keeping the shopper experience at the centre.

For Broadsign, we’re proud to support that journey by providing the technology infrastructure behind JB Hi-Fi’s in-store network and helping bring its vision for retail media to life across its stores.

Interested in turning your in-store environment into a measurable media channel? Connect with our team to see how Broadsign helps retailers grow their in-store media networks while keeping the shopper experience front and centre.

Product News | October 11, 2021

Context Networks Selects Broadsign to Scale Contextual Advertising Across Display Networks

A person plays a slot machine in a casino, with a digital ad displayed on the machine’s lower screen.

Broadsign Platform to unlock programmatic demand and scalable OOH operations across Context Networks inventory, with gaming environments a launch focus ahead of G2E

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – September 24, 2026 – Context Networks, a contextual advertising and monetization platform for gaming and network digital display environments, today announced a collaboration with Broadsign, the leading global platform for managing and monetizing out-of-home (OOH) media, to support the next phase of growth of Context Networks’ Contextual Promotions Media Network™ (CPMN™). As a result, Context Networks now has a unified foundation for managing, delivering and monetizing screen-based media as the company expands across gaming and other controlled display environments.

Through the collaboration, Context Networks is connecting eligible CPMN™ inventory to the Broadsign Platform, the company’s complete, reliable Ad Server and Content Management System (CMS). This will enable Context Networks to manage business-critical content and advertising across its network of displays as well as the Place Exchange supply-side platform (SSP), Broadsign’s programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) SSP.

Context Networks brings contextual intelligence, a monetization model designed for controlled screen environments, specialized integrations, and operator and reseller relationships that can help extend Broadsign technology into non-traditional screen environments as the network grows. It introduces a differentiated source of digital inventory and vertical expertise for Broadsign in environments where customer attention, dwell time and operator-controlled screens create a distinctive media opportunity. Broadsign delivers enterprise network management, campaign automation, reporting and established programmatic demand connectivity.

While gaming is Context Networks’ immediate launch focus ahead of Global Gaming Expo (G2E), taking place September 28 through October 1 at The Venetian Expo in Las Vegas, the collaboration is designed to support its broader display network strategy. Context Networks’ business model extends beyond casino floors to operator-controlled environments that include distributed gaming, ATMs, kiosks, gift-card kiosk networks, digital faucets, hotel concierge apps and other connected screens.

The company’s current footprint spans 14 states and 23 designated market areas, with advertising and operator-owned content already running in distributed gaming environments. Broadsign provides Context Networks with a more scalable way to onboard additional screen networks and reseller partners while maintaining consistent campaign logic, delivery and reporting.

“Broadsign gives us a proven infrastructure to scale our model without losing what makes it valuable: contextual relevance, operator control and measurable monetization,” said Matthew Olden, Founder, COO & Executive Chair of Context Networks. “Gaming is an important launch market for this work, but the underlying opportunity is broader. Across network digital display environments, operators already control valuable screens and audience relationships. Our job is to help turn those assets into new commercial value while giving advertisers a better way to reach qualified audiences in the moments and environments that matter.”

For operators and media owners, the combined model creates a path to turn existing digital displays into measurable new revenue without requiring them to build a separate advertising technology business. Operators retain governance over eligible inventory, campaign rules, house content and the customer experience, while CPMN™ creates a new commercial layer around screens and systems they already own or manage.

Brands and agencies can now access differentiated inventory in high-attention environments that traditional media plans might miss. Contextual signals can help align advertising with place, activity, timing and audience value, while the Broadsign Platform makes eligible inventory easier to access through familiar OOH and programmatic workflows. As a result, advertisers get a stronger contextual fit, more relevant delivery and clearer performance feedback.

“Context Networks is opening a compelling category of inventory that fits naturally with the continued evolution of out-of-home,” said Robert Loftus, VP of Platform Sales at Broadsign. “By connecting Context Networks’ operator relationships and specialized integrations with the Broadsign Platform and Place Exchange SSP, we can help make these screens easier for buyers to access while giving operators the control, transparency and flexibility they need to participate with confidence.”

Operator control is particularly important in gaming environments, where security, regulatory oversight, and operational continuity are central considerations. Rather than asking operators to introduce an isolated advertising stack, the Context Networks model uses established digital signage and programmatic infrastructure while preserving operator control over what appears on each participating screen. Existing promotions and operational content can continue to run alongside paid advertising based on rules set by the operator.

During G2E, Context Networks will demonstrate how the combined technology stack can connect gaming and other operator-controlled digital screens to the broader advertising ecosystem, while meeting with operators, integrators, resellers, advertisers and agencies about opportunities to activate new screen inventory.

About Broadsign

Broadsign develops the leading global platform for managing and monetizing out-of-home (OOH) media. The company, which also operates Place Exchange by Broadsign, the largest independent SSP for Digital OOH, empowers media owners, media buyers, and retailers to harness the power and reach of out-of-home to connect with audiences in ways unlike any other advertising channel. More than 3 million static and digital signs along roadways and in airports, shopping malls, grocery and convenience stores, health clinics, transit systems, and more run on Broadsign. For more information, visit https://broadsign.com.

About Context Networks

Context Networks is a contextual advertising and monetization platform for gaming and network digital display environments, helping brands deliver more relevant, personalized messages in high-attention moments enabling operators to turn existing screens into measurable new revenue. By combining contextual intelligence, secure marketplace infrastructure, real-time buying, and operator-controlled delivery, Context makes emerging screen inventory easier to access, buy, measure, monetize, and scale. The result is a marketplace that helps advertisers improve campaign relevance and performance while helping operators create new commercial value without compromising the player or customer experience. For more information, visit https://www.contextnetworks.net.

Product News | October 11, 2021

Retail media ad servers explained: How retailers can turn in-store inventory into revenue

Smartify Media digital screen outside a retail store in Sussex, New York, displaying a Pret advertisement.

For many retailers, physical media assets are already in place, from screens in aisles and at checkout to displays above end caps and in other high-traffic areas of the store. Together with other in-store media placements, these existing assets can become a scalable, sellable media channel that generates meaningful revenue.

But monetizing an in-store network is more complicated than making ad space available. Retailers need to understand exactly what advertising opportunities they have to sell, manage campaigns across different screens and placements, and balance merchandising, operational, and advertiser priorities.

That raises some practical questions. What advertising space is available to sell? How do you make sure campaigns run where and when they’re supposed to? And how do you prove that delivery back to advertisers?

That’s where a retail media ad server comes in. It provides the infrastructure that connects a retailer’s advertising inventory — the media placements available for advertisers to buy — to advertiser demand, helping teams sell, schedule, deliver, optimize, and measure campaigns across their networks.

What is a retail media ad server?

A retail media ad server is a platform that helps retailers manage and monetize advertising inventory across their retail media network. That network can include everything from websites and apps to email, loyalty programs, and physical in-store placements. For retailers monetizing their in-store screens, an ad server provides the infrastructure to manage advertising opportunities across their in-store media network.

While ad servers originated in online advertising, in-store retail media comes with a different set of considerations. Retailers aren’t just managing ad space; they’re balancing media campaigns with merchandising priorities, supplier relationships, store operations, and the overall shopper experience.

Across an in-store screen network, advertising opportunities can vary by store, screen, location, and time. An ad server brings those opportunities and the campaigns running across them together in one place, giving retailers a central way to manage booking, scheduling, delivery, optimization, and reporting.

Ad server vs. digital signage CMS: What’s the difference?

A digital signage content management system (CMS) and a retail media ad server play different but complementary roles. Put simply, a CMS helps you operate your network, while an ad server directly monetizes it.

A CMS handles the day-to-day management of screens and content, including playlists, scheduling, devices, and network operations. An ad server focuses on the advertising business across those screens, helping retailers understand what inventory is available to sell, book and manage campaigns, support different buying methods, optimize delivery, and report back to advertisers. It can also bring direct and programmatic demand together within the same network.

Retailers don’t have to choose between the two. An ad server can work alongside an existing CMS and broader technology stack, adding the capabilities needed to monetize in-store media without replacing the systems already in place. Broadsign’s retail media ad server, for example, can integrate with existing systems via APIs, enabling retailers to build on their current infrastructure.

When does a retailer need a retail media ad server?

There is no magic number of screens that means a retailer needs an ad server. The tipping point is complexity. Selling ten campaigns across a handful of screens is one thing. Managing hundreds or thousands of screens, stores, formats, advertisers, campaign goals, and buying models is another.

As an in-store media network grows, spreadsheets and manual processes can quickly become a bottleneck. Teams need a reliable way to understand inventory availability, manage competing demand, deliver on campaign commitments, and identify opportunities to monetize capabilities that might otherwise go unsold.

So, how do you know when you’ve reached that point?

Checklist: You may be ready for an ad server if…

You’re spending too much time figuring out what ad inventory is available
You can’t confidently tell a brand what inventory you can sell them
You’re manually reshuffling campaigns to meet commitments
You’re managing digital and static inventory separately
Your advertisers want to buy based on impressions or audience
You want to introduce non-endemic programmatic ads
You oversell your ad space and can’t meet advertiser commitments
You have ad inventory going unsold, but no easy way to identify or package it
Your retail, trade, and media teams are managing the same inventory separately, creating a risk of double-booking

What should a retail media ad server actually do?

At its core, a retail media ad server should make it easier for retailers to manage and monetize their media inventory as their networks grow, with better visibility, greater flexibility, and less manual work.

Create a clear view of sellable inventory: Bring inventory across stores, screens, formats, and dates into one place so teams can see what’s available, what’s already committed, and where there’s additional capacity to sell.

Support more ways to buy: Accommodate campaign requests based on budgets, impressions, share of voice, takeovers, locations, dates, and other objectives, giving brands and agencies more flexibility in how they buy.

Connect sales with campaign execution: Turn campaign bookings into schedules that determine where and when ads will run, while keeping media sales, merchandising, trade marketing, and store operations aligned around the same campaign plan.

Optimize campaign delivery and inventory: Manage pacing and competing brands to help campaigns deliver as promised while making better use of available capacity and minimizing unsold inventory.

Connect with existing retail technology and data: Integrate with your existing CMS, POS, CRM, inventory, and audience platforms, while incorporating real-world data signals like product availability, time of day, weather, location, audience, or foot traffic to help plan and execute more impactful campaigns.

Provide reliable proof of delivery: Capture when and where a campaign ran, giving retailers the data they need to report on delivery and demonstrate that advertiser commitments were met.

Support direct and programmatic ad sources: Manage direct ad sales while creating the infrastructure to introduce programmatic demand, giving retailers more ways to monetize available inventory.

Building the infrastructure for scalable in-store retail media

The opportunity in in-store retail media goes beyond putting more advertising on screens. It’s about building a media channel that brands can buy reliably, and retailers can monetize effectively. Getting there requires more than putting advertising on screens. Retailers need the right infrastructure to connect inventory, sales, campaign delivery, optimization, and reporting, while working alongside the technology and data they already have.

Broadsign’s Retail Ad Server brings those capabilities together, helping retailers turn their in-store media assets into a scalable, measurable media business and drive more media revenue.

Turn your in-store media into a revenue opportunity with Broadsign’s Retail Ad Server. Learn more.

Product News | October 11, 2021

Digital out-of-home for holiday marketing: How to win high-intent shopping moments

A busy two-level shopping mall atrium with shoppers gathered along the upper-floor railing. A large digital billboard dominates the center, displaying a SportChek holiday advertisement beneath a glass skylight.

If your holiday marketing strategy is still built around the same playbook from a few years ago, you’re already behind.

In 2026, consumer trends point to a more deliberate, hybrid holiday shopper: one who starts deal hunting months before decorations go up, takes more time to research and compare options, and routinely moves between mobile devices, AI tools, and physical stores before making a purchase. As a result, the path to purchase is becoming longer and more fragmented, creating dozens of high-intent micro-moments where brands have an opportunity to inform or influence what shoppers do next.

As agencies and marketers seek ways to connect digital discovery with brick-and-mortar purchasing behaviour, digital out-of-home (DOOH) inventory offers them a unique opportunity to reach consumers at key moments throughout their IRL holiday shopping journey. And with programmatic making campaigns faster and easier to launch and adjust, DOOH can play a vital role in an omnichannel holiday strategy — with the flexibility to meet campaign needs as they evolve.

Why holiday shopping micro-moments matter in 2026 — and how DOOH can help

Major sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday remain at the centre of the holiday shopping calendar, but they represent just a few moments in a purchase journey that now starts earlier and moves fluidly between digital and physical touchpoints. According to new Microsoft research, the average holiday conversion journey now takes 52 days, with 63% of U.S. shoppers starting before Halloween. That journey is also increasingly hybrid: per Salesforce, 42% of shoppers visit stores to buy products they previously researched online, while 79% use smartphones while shopping in-store.

It’s within this extended, omnichannel journey that holiday shopping micro-moments occur: reflexive, high-intent windows when consumers turn to a device or their surroundings to act on an immediate need, like:

Comparing gift ideas or researching products
Looking for a nearby store or point of sale
Seeking inspiration for holiday hosting, decorating, or gifting
Checking local product availability, promotions, or seasonal offers
Making a last-minute purchase

For advertisers, these moments create opportunities to reach shoppers with messages that reflect what they need in that moment. And because DOOH combines broad reach and repeated exposure with the ability to deliver relevant messaging in real-world contexts — often close to the point of purchase — it’s particularly well suited to making those moments count.

Chanel campaign displayed on Simon Media’s DOOH inventory at The Galleria in Houston, Texas

Strategy #1: Leverage advanced targeting to reach holiday shoppers at high-intent moments

Use advanced DOOH targeting to activate screens in and around the physical locations where your target customers are most likely to be — particularly when proximity to a store, venue, or other destination signals stronger purchase intent.

Depending on the campaign objective, advertisers can narrow their inventory using:

Location targeting: Go broad with nationwide or city-level campaigns, or get more granular with zip codes, POIs, custom geofences, and individual screens. A retailer promoting a Black Friday sale, for example, could prioritize screens within walking or driving distance of its stores.
Audience targeting: Use first-party data and third-party audience segments to identify screen locations where target customers are most likely to be present — whether that’s parents shopping for toys, beauty buyers looking for gifts, or travellers heading home for the holidays.
Venue and asset targeting: Match placements to the activity happening around them, from gift shopping at malls and stocking up at grocery stores to dining, celebrating, and travelling over the holidays.
Dayparting: Adjust when ads appear to align with relevant shopping and travel behaviours throughout the day.
Layered targeting: Combine multiple signals to get more precise. For example, target mall-adjacent inventory within a specific New York City geofence during peak afternoon and evening shopping hours.

De’Longhi recently put this kind of high-intent targeting into practice with a programmatic DOOH campaign promoting its Eletta Explore coffee machine during the competitive holiday shopping season in Poland. By activating inventory in high-traffic shopping malls, reaching gift-seekers close to the point of purchase, and using dayparting to align ad delivery with peak shopping hours, the campaign ultimately drove a 121% lift in brand preference and a 190% lift in intent to interact with the brand or visit its website.

For holiday campaigns focused on purchase-ready micro-moments, targeting can extend all the way into the store. According to Salesforce, 77% of consumers plan to shop in physical stores this holiday season, making in-store advertising a particularly valuable way to reach shoppers when they’re most likely to make a purchase. The same targeting principles still apply: advertisers can prioritize the stores, audiences, locations, and times most relevant to what they’re selling rather than treating all retail foot traffic equally.

Cineplex Media DOOH screen at CF Carrefour Laval in Quebec, Canada, directs shoppers to nearby Bell stores

Strategy #2: Use dynamic creative and contextual triggers to match DOOH messaging to the moment

Targeting can help put a holiday ad in the right place at the right time. Dynamic creative in DOOH takes that relevance a step further by adapting the ad itself based on what’s happening in that moment. Using signals like time, weather, location, proximity, product availability, or other live data, advertisers can automatically serve the creative variation that best fits the current context.

For holiday campaigns, that opens up practical ways to make creative more useful and timely:

React to the weather: Promote coats, hot drinks, delivery, or indoor activities when temperatures drop, then switch creative as conditions change.
Make proximity useful: On screens near a store, dynamically show the closest location, distance, or a directional call to action.
Adapt as shipping deadlines approach: Shift from standard delivery messaging to expedited shipping, pickup, immediate availability, or digital gift cards as Christmas gets closer.
Build urgency around key sales moments: Use live countdowns to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, promotional deadlines, or other limited-time offers.
Respond to inventory levels: Feature products or offers based on what’s currently available at nearby locations rather than promoting something shoppers can’t buy.

The most effective dynamic DOOH creative strategies are built around signals that meaningfully change what’s useful or relevant to the shopper, allowing advertisers to adapt messaging at scale without manually building and trafficking every possible variation.

Strategy #3: Pair physical DOOH exposure with mobile activity to extend reach and drive action

Mobile plays a major role in holiday commerce, with eMarketer projecting that nearly 60% of online holiday purchases will happen on mobile devices in 2026. That makes mobile and DOOH a natural pairing, with each channel reinforcing the other across the shopping journey. OAAA research also found that 74% of mobile users took action on their devices after recent exposure to DOOH ads, while an Ocean Neuroscience study found consumers are 48% more likely to engage with a mobile ad after seeing the same campaign on a DOOH screen.

For holiday campaigns, advertisers can use that relationship in several practical ways:

Location-based retargeting: Extend a DOOH campaign with follow-up mobile ads served to audiences who were near campaign screens. A shopper who encounters a holiday campaign while out shopping, for example, could later see a mobile ad featuring the same product or promotion.
Mobile push notifications: For opted-in app users, use location signals like geofencing or beacons to deliver relevant notifications when they’re near a store or campaign location — for example, alerting loyalty members to an offer nearby.
Interactive QR codes: Give shoppers a direct path from a DOOH ad to an offer, coupon, product page, store locator, or other mobile experience. Dynamic QR codes are particularly useful on screens where consumers are close enough — and have enough dwell time — to scan.
In-app AR experiences: Use DOOH creative as an entry point to augmented reality experiences on a shopper’s phone, like virtual product try-ons, interactive holiday experiences, or content designed for social sharing.

The best approach depends on what you want the shopper to do next. QR codes, push notifications, and AR can encourage action while a shopper is still nearby, while mobile retargeting can reinforce the message later in the purchase journey.

Ready to make the most of this year’s holiday shopping micro-moments? Explore our inventory catalog to discover premium digital screens in high-impact locations.