For years, retailers and brands have believed that digital screens in stores influence customer behaviour. Now, a major peer-reviewed academic study has provided some of the strongest empirical evidence to date that in-store digital signage directly increases sales.
A new field study published in the Journal of Marketing titled In-Store Advertising with Digital Signage analysed real-world shopper behaviour across hundreds of retail campaigns and millions of store visits. The results are compelling: digital signage is not just a branding tool — it is a measurable revenue driver.
In this article, we break down the key findings and explain what they mean for retailers, brands, and modern retail media networks.
The Study at a Glance
The research analysed:
• 237 in-store digital signage advertising campaigns
• Approximately 30 million shopper visits
• Multiple retail categories and store formats
• Actual purchase behaviour tracked against screen exposure
The methodology used controlled field experiments, which allowed the researchers to directly measure the causal impact of digital signage exposure on purchasing behaviour — a rare achievement in physical retail research.
The Headline Result: +8.1% Purchase Lift
The most striking outcome of the study was that:
Shoppers exposed to digital signage advertising were 8.1% more likely to purchase the featured product compared to shoppers who were not exposed.
In retail terms, this is a meaningful uplift — especially compared to many traditional in-store tactics that deliver much smaller increases. Notably, this result was measured through actual transaction data, not surveys or inferred estimates.
Which Products Benefit Most?
The study identified that digital signage works particularly well for:
• Impulse and hedonic products
• New or unfamiliar SKUs
• Lower-priced items
• Popular and established brands
This aligns closely with what many retail practitioners have observed: screens are especially effective at nudging discretionary purchases and promoting new products.
When and Where Screens Are Most Effective
The research also revealed environmental and placement factors that amplify performance:
Digital signage delivers stronger impact when:
• Placed near the advertised product
• Positioned in high-traffic areas
• Active later in the day or on weekends
• Used in busy stores
These findings underscore the importance of strategic screen placement and network design — not just screen count but where screens are deployed within the store layout.
Signage Drives Incremental Sales
One of the most commercially relevant conclusions is that digital signage does not simply redirect purchases. Instead:
• Sales increased for the advertised product
• Sales also increased for other products within the same category
This means signage expands total basket value rather than simply shifting where customers spend. For retailers, this translates to higher revenue per visit. For brands, it shows genuine incremental return on in-store advertising investment.
What This Means for Retail Media Networks
Retail media is one of the fastest-growing advertising channels globally. While ecommerce media networks have established performance metrics, in-store media has historically lacked similar proof.
This study changes that by showing:
• Digital signage influences purchasing at the point of decision
• In-store campaigns can be measured and optimised
• Screens can function as a performance advertising channel
In other words, digital signage belongs alongside ecommerce media, connected TV, and programmatic channels in a modern omnichannel media strategy.
Implications for Retailers
Retailers investing in professional signage networks gain:
• Higher average basket sizes
• Increased product discovery and upsell opportunities
• New high-margin advertising revenue streams
• Better utilisation of physical store real estate
• Stronger supplier relationships through measurable outcomes
When integrated with a centralised content platform such as the onQ CMS, analytics, and programmatic monetisation strategies, signage becomes a strategic commercial asset, not a cost centre.
Implications for Brands and Advertisers
For advertisers, digital signage offers:
• Proximity to the purchase decision
• Contextual relevance for messaging
• Audience engagement at scale
• Sophisticated measurement and reporting
As retail media budgets continue to expand, in-store digital signage is emerging as a credible performance layer within physical retail ecosystems.
Leveraging Data and Analytics
The next evolution in retail signage is data-driven placement and personalised messaging. Platforms like onQ Measure bring audience analytics and proof-of-play together, allowing brands and retailers to refine content delivery based on real-world engagement patterns.
Conclusion
The findings from In-Store Advertising with Digital Signage provide long-awaited academic validation that digital screens drive measurable sales uplift. With an average purchase lift of 8.1% and incremental category growth under the right conditions, in-store screens are no longer experimental or secondary — they are becoming core infrastructure for modern retail and retail media networks.
About onQ Digital
onQ Digital designs, deploys, and operates enterprise digital signage and retail media networks across Australia. We support major retailers, brands, and venue operators with:
High-impact digital signage hardware and displays
Centralised content management (onQ CMS)
Retail media monetisation solutions
Programmatic integrations
Audience analytics and reporting
End-to-end deployment and maintenance
If you’d like to explore how digital signage can drive measurable outcomes in your stores or venues, contact the onQ Digital team
