6 keys to getting the most out of your network
Best Practices for Running a Successful In-Store Retail Media Network
The six keys to getting the most out of your network—from screen placement to shopper engagement.
Optimize Network Design: Choose best screen size, fixturing and placement to maximize viewership in highly trafficked aisles or in key departments.
Choose the Right Technology: The best fit RMN Content Management System plus the most robust media player technology for scalable, reliable content delivery to each screen in each store.
Develop Engaging Programming: A creative and programming strategy that is tailored for each demographic in each store, accounts for trip frequency and dwell times, and enhances the shopper experience.
Ensure Successful Deployment: Leverage a team of experts to manage all aspects of deployment including logistics, system installation and successful network activation.
Guarantee Reliable Network Operation: Use skilled resources to manage end-to-end network operations including system monitoring, remote troubleshooting, field service and store level support.
Maximize Monetization: Understand viewership using measurement technologies like AI and cellphone detectors to convert your audience into a highly profitable stream of ad revenue.
1. Optimizing Network Design
Determine Best Screen Placement: Choose heavily trafficked aisles for storewide messaging, highly shopped departments for category level messaging, and endcap screens for demo-worthy products.
Choose Optimal Screen Sizes: Consider viewing distances and natural line of sight when picking screens sizes for optimal visibility and impact while properly fitting the available physical space.
Ensure Good Network Connectivity: Digital media players powering your RMN screens will require reliable internet connectivity to download content and be monitored remotely by an RMN Content Management System.
Maximize Viewing Opportunity: Position screens to face the natural flow of traffic, in some instances use back-to-back double facing screens to maximize shoppers’ opportunity to see the screen.
Factor Safety and Installation: Hire professional to determine best fixturing for screens in each placement to ensure screens can be installed safely and efficiently.
Use Directional Audio: Where audio is needed to optimize the shopper experience, use directional audio speakers to create an audio zone in the area around the screen.
2. Choosing the Right Technology
Use an In-Store RMN Content Management System: This will support key functional requirements including highly scalable, micro targeted delivery of content to media players, proof-of-play reporting, and in-app content creation.
Select the Right Media Players: Consider key questions to get the right devices for your network such as whether you need standalone players or can you use your screens’ built-in media players, and what video resolutions need to be supported.
Choose Commercial Grade Screens: This is a must to ensure the highest picture quality as well as maximizing screen uptimes and screen longevity over time. These screens can also be controlled remotely and scheduled to turn on/off at specific scheduled times.
Optimize Network Infrastructure: Ensure the networks in your stores can effectively support networked devices such as media players through wired or wireless connections, with sufficient bandwidth for large video file content downloads.
Identify Appropriate Screen Fixtures: In-depth site surveys will help you choose the right fixtures for each screen factoring wall or ceiling screen mounted requirements, proximity to power sources, and ease of maintenance.
Plan for Auxiliary Equipment: Consider including extra equipment in each kit that’s shipped such as cables and other parts. Careful pre-planning will save time, money, and avoid headaches during install.
3. Developing Engaging Programming
Develop a Winning Programming Strategy: A successful strategy is tailored for your shopper profiles and shopping behaviors such as department dwell times, and trip frequency.
Make the Experience Relevant: Leverage your RMN CMS’s targeting and real-time rendering capabilities to display the right content on the right screen at the right time to always align with the shopper mindset.
Consider the Right Content Mix: Depending on screen placement consider combining ads with other content such as health tips, or sports clips to keep shoppers engaged with your screens.
Refresh Content Often: Shoppers should have a fresh and engaging experience with your screens on every trip, so it’s important that content is updated regularly.
Use the Right Creative Approach: To deliver clear messages while shoppers are in front of screens creative approaches should be bold and direct, with clear visuals supported by easy-to-read text.
Let Shoppers Interact with Screens: Consider overlaying QR codes on content so shoppers can interact with screens and briefly change the content on the screen or be driven to a digital experience on their phone.
4. Ensuring Successful Deployment
Select the Right Team of Experts: Determine which internal and external resources will be needed for each phase of deployment which will likely include selecting 3rd party vendors for project & logistics management and system installation.
Develop a Detailed Project Plan: Your project management team should develop a detailed schedule reflecting the start and end date for each major project milestone from initial kick-off to successful network activation in each store.
Conduct Site Surveys: Site surveys are a critical first step to ensure the project team is aware of any layout anomalies in each store such as department configurations or ceiling heights that might require different system configurations.
Align with Store Operations: Ensure store management and operators are informed about the details of upcoming network deployment, when their store is scheduled for installation and the right communication channels if any issues arise post install.
Manage Equipment Purchasing, Kitting and Shipping: Equipment will need to be ordered against a Bill of Materials (BOM) for each store and shipped to your chosen consolidator who will then manage shipping kits to each store in-line with the project schedule.
Complete System Installation: Leverage a tier 1 help desk team to oversee the installation process in each store, provide install teams with support and remote troubleshooting and sign-off on each install.
5. Guaranteeing Reliable Network Operation
Implement Robust Network Monitoring: Maximize network uptimes by deploying an RMN CMS that has 24/7 automated device and system monitoring capabilities and can detect and automatically fix issues in real-time.
Enable Efficient Remote Troubleshooting: Leverage your CMS’s centralized remote troubleshooting capabilities to resolve problems with networked devices swiftly, minimizing downtime.
Leverage Skilled Field Service Personnel: Ensure fast issue resolution in-field by leveraging teams with experience handling on-site repairs and system upgrades.
Deploy Network Redundancy and Failover: Build redundancy into your network with backup systems that automatically activate when needed, ensuring seamless operation even during unexpected failures.
Regularly Update and Maintain Your System: Keep your network up to date and fully operational by scheduling regular system software updates and routine hardware maintenance at the store level.
Drive Maximum Compliance: Implement a solution that can monitor status for all devices on your network and guarantee the right content is playing on the right screen at the right time.
6. Maximizing Monetization
Leverage First-Party Data: Combine network data with first-party data and sales data to demonstrate the effectiveness of in-store ad campaigns in driving sales lift and conversion.
Optimize Screen Placement: Drive media value and audience metrics by placing screens in heavily trafficked aisles, highly shopped departments or on endcaps for demo-worthy products.
Partner with Programmatic Platforms: Add incremental revenue streams by leveraging programmatic platforms, opening your RMN to national ad budgets from endemic and non-endemic advertisers.
Measure Your Audience: Implement audience measurement technologies to deliver key metrics to advertisers for specific screens such as shopper impressions, dwell time, and engagement.
Implement A/B Version Testing: Drive campaign effectiveness by measuring sales lift in different store clusters against different creative executions.
Adopt a Phased Rollout Approach: Maximize network profitability by optimizing network design with a POC, then moving to a supplier funded pilot for audience measurement before rolling out chain wide.
Want to put these best practices into action? Book a demo or explore our retail media CMS.
