After spending 13 years in the digital signage industry, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing its evolution from a hardware- and project-driven sector to a SaaS-dominated space. As I reflect on these changes, I can’t help but wonder what the next phase will be. Will SaaS revenue and in-store experiences continue to be the primary focus, or will the spotlight shift entirely to how much media retailers can sell? The growing emphasis on media revenue certainly suggests this might be the case, especially when we consider the current retail trends. That said, I believe there will be room for both, though I’m betting that advertising revenue will be top-of-mind for retailers who are grappling with rising costs and shrinking margins.
Did you know that Amazon now generates more revenue from ads than from selling products? The thought is staggering, but what does this have to do with in-store retail?
The start
It all started with Amazon. Traditional retailers soon followed with their own e-commerce ventures, seeing the enormous profit potential. In fact, traditional retailers still reach far more consumers in stores than they do online, and over 80% of all purchasing decisions are made in-store. Given that, while the competition online is fierce, the early movers in in-store retail media have a significant advantage—and there’s still room for many more players in the market.
In-store retail media is on track to grow by approximately 20% annually, and the potential for growth in this sector is immense. It's inevitable that store audiences will be monetized, and as the industry continues to expand, in-store retail media will likely double in scale for many years to come.
Why team up with Craneworks?
They are true pioneers of in-store retail media in the Nordics. With years of experience working with Finland’s largest retailer, S-Group, they’ve built an extensive in-store media network that spans thousands of screens. Their platform is a comprehensive solution for all aspects of in-store media, and they are not just talking the talk—they are walking the walk.
Doohlabs - a sister company of Craneworks -has developed an advanced all-in-one tool for in-store retail media: In Store IMPACT. Beyond being a modern, user-friendly digital signage CMS, the platform uses algorithms to optimize ad delivery by leveraging first-party data from retailers. Doohlabs has already earned recognition from the Gartner Group and is gaining traction as a leader in the field. Since in-store retail media has the potential to reach more people than online ads, the real opportunities are just beginning.
The development in this area has exploded, with major global players like Tesco, Planet Fitness, and T-Mobile investing heavily in in-store media. In Finland, Craneworks’ client S-Group is already leading the way, and I’m confident that Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia will follow suit soon.
The development in Sweden
But don’t Swedish retailers already have digital signage networks and sell ads—either directly or with partners? Some do of course, even on large networks. However, these are often treated more as indoor digital-out-of-home networks, with scheduled ad loops running at fixed times—breakfast specials, lunch deals, or other generic promotions. The problem is these don’t always hit the right target audience efficiently and can require significant manual work.
The true potential for media revenue—and advertisers’ ROI—comes when retailers can use their first-party data to build precise audience profiles. By integrating this data into a dynamic inventory within the software, retailers can track who is in-store, when, and what they’re looking to purchase. This approach works even on large international networks and allows for extremely granular targeting—down to demographics and purchase history. Precise audience segmentation makes ad publishing more efficient, opening up more slots for media sales.
With media sales tools, self-service options for trade partners, and access to programmatic marketplaces, retailers or their media partners can work directly on the platform to define and refine target audiences. In real time, they can see hit rates and CPM, as well as the cost of reaching specific groups. They can sell ads and track campaign results directly on the platform. Unlike traditional digital signage CMS systems—which often rely on generic attributes and fixed publishing schedules—this approach offers much more flexibility and precision.
That’s why Craneworks and Doohlabs are committed to advancing true in-store retail media—and why I’ve joined the team. With my 13 years of experience in the Scandinavian digital signage market, my mission is to lead the expansion of Sweden’s in-store retail media landscape. I’m excited to explore the opportunities in this space, and I look forward to discussing them with you.
Read more about in-store retail media from Craneworks website or reach out to me directly for a discussion or a free demo.
