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WHSmith has partnered with retail adtech firm In-Store Marketplace (ISM) to power digital and audio ads across more than 700 digital screens inside its more than 350 U.S. airport stores. The partnership promises to give advertisers access to “high-value travelers with long dwell times and strong spending power.”
Advertisers will be able to manage, sell, and schedule digital inventory across screens and audio channels inside stores through a single system, streamlining campaign activation for advertising partners. The network further reportedly offers the ability to deliver more contextually relevant and timely messaging to consumers while they shop, helping align content with traveler needs and moments.
Early adopters, including Frito-Lay and Bose, are activating campaigns, with additional brands expected to follow.
“We're able to open our entire airport footprint to advertisers in a way that's seamless, scalable, and built for today's travel audience,” said Alison O'Keefe, partnership director of WHSmith North America Media Network. “The result is the most sophisticated travel retail media network, moving from isolated placements to a true media ecosystem that delivers measurable impact."
In-store media -- including QR-enabled screens, digital endcaps, smart displays, and in-store audio -- is gaining more traction as retailers embrace formats that integrate naturally into the shopping experience. However, it is expected to remain a small part of the overall retail media due to challenges competing against the ability of digitally linked purchases to ads.
“Do I want to get in front of the shopper in store? Yes. Is there an infrastructure to support that properly yet? No,” Benoit Vatere, CMO of water brand Liquid Death, said on a panel at last year’s Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Connected Commerce Summit, according to Marketing Dive.
Vatere cited Amazon among the few able to adequately leverage demand-side platforms to track the path to purchase of consumers inside Whole Foods.
In-Store Media Still Faces Challenges in 2026 and Beyond, But Progress Is Being Made
EMarketer predicts U.S. in-store media spend will reach $1 billion by 2029, representing less than 1% of overall retail media spend, a challenging hurdle.
In a recent column for TotalRetail, Toni Restrepo -- VP of retail media networks at ISM -- said a challenge for in-store media has been the “disconnect” between marketing and media, particularly in making messaging adjustments to overstocks or understocks.
However, artificial intelligence-powered systems are introducing the ability to inform in-store media using inventory levels, demand patterns, and merchandising priorities. Restropo wrote, “Rather than relying on rigid schedules, retailers can adjust content strategies with greater flexibility, deciding when to reinforce brand messaging, shift creative emphasis, or spotlight available products.”
Adam Skinner, managing director of unified retail media at Epsilon, added in-store media will also benefit as AI advances personalization and recommendations efforts at the shelf level.
He said, “Retailers are doubling down on first-party identity and real-time audience solutions to deliver person-based, cross-channel engagement and dynamic ad decisioning tied to margin and inventory.”
The adoption of AI agents in the online shopping journey is also expected by many to be highly disruptive to digital media, potentially making in-store media more attractive. Tyler Murray, chief enterprise solutions officer for VML in North America, told Marketing Brew, “The best strategic moat retailers can do to combat AI is to shift dollars towards in-store retail media, because there’s no AI that’s impacting shoppers as they’re in Walmart going down aisle seven.”