Published, December 12, 2024
Keeping pace with the rapidly evolving technology that’s driving the evolution of In-store Retail Media and finding standardization requires extensive cross-team and industry collaboration. The Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) latest publication, “In-store Retail Media Definitions and Measurement Standards”, establishes an important framework for evaluating and measuring In-store Retail Media products and services, ensuring uniformity and quality across the board.
Developed through a joint initiative between IAB and IAB Europe, these standards build on the IAB/MRC Retail Media Measurement Guidelines and aim to reduce market complexity and simplify media buying across continents.
These standards set the benchmark and vision for In-store Retail Media technology companies such as Advertima, challenging us to develop a clear understanding of our place and value within that framework.
Meeting the standard
Online has already set clear audience measurement standards and metrics for digital advertising. The IAB wants to ensure that similar standards are set and maintained for in-store digital retail media.
The new standards confirm two minimum values that every retailer needs to report on: ad plays and gross impressions.
Establishing a baseline is essential. New metrics and definitions provide a solid starting point for developing more sophisticated metrics and ensure a shared understanding into the future. While it’s important to uphold these standards, we must also acknowledge when advanced technologies like Advertima Audience AI surpass the agreed-upon fundamentals of plays and impressions.
A delicate balance must be struck between upholding industry norms and acknowledging our technology’s leading capabilities.
Adding value
Advertima Audience AI has been developed for In-store Retail Media networks. It operates in the field with advanced AI, computer vision and sensor technology that drives real-time audience-based reach and data delivery similar to online. Navigating the Future of In-store Retail Media explains how In-store Retail Media is poised to reach the same level of sophistication and effectiveness that has long been online’s hallmark.
The IAB’s In-store Retail Media metrics are mapped to the following categories:
Media Metrics
- Ad Serving Metrics
- Impression Metrics
- Traffic and Exposure Metrics
Our measurement framework closely aligns with the IAB’s Media Metrics definitions and terminology, adding more value through our technology’s precise capabilities. This allows us to accurately measure these metrics, providing real-time targeting and audience insights that further enrich the IAB’s framework.
We provide detailed audience metrics, capturing real-time visual (e.g., age, gender, group compositions) and contextual (location-based) attributes, as well as affinity attributes based on retailer data from loyalty, POS, and eCommerce sources. This supports real-time audience segmentation and activation, enriching the IAB’s Impression, Traffic and Exposure Metrics with actionable insights.
For example, our technology enables campaigns to target specific in-store groups, like less affluent Millennial Females in the snacks category, and measure real-time engagement.
Setting higher expectations
The In-store Retail Media standards define Likelihood-To-See (LTS) Impressions as evidence that an ad has been seen. Here’s how our In-store Retail Media technology is at the forefront of meeting and exceeding that requirement.
Advertima Audience AI captures shopper groups in front of a screen and tracks the exact timing of an ad play, from start to finish. This enables us to precisely determine when a person is exposed to an ad play, establishing a clear and measurable impression.
Viewability is determined by factors such as screen size, distance from the screen, and store layout specifics. However, it does not guarantee that a person actually saw an ad. Assessing and differentiating whether a person had an opportunity to view an ad or actually viewed it – and for how long – requires highly sophisticated technology with real-time measurement capabilities.
We leverage positional data, including proximity, distance, and orientation, to evaluate two key aspects: first, whether a person had an opportunity to view an ad, and second, whether they actually viewed it.
As part of this process, our technology captures when a person or impression is actively engaging with the screen. It then accurately measures the view time for each ad played, allowing us to determine whether the impression qualifies as a qualified view or Likelihood-To-See (LTS).
Finding common ground
The IAB expects that the methods used for measuring digital place-based media should be disclosed, supported and based on the IAB/MRC Retail Media Measurement Guidelines.
Although there are some variations between the IAB’s and Advertima’s in-store media metrics and definitions, we currently meet and exceed all the IAB criteria and expectations, including calculation rigor and transparency.
The goal now is to find common ground that broadens understanding and facilitates progress without adding excessive complexity or nuance. Below is an outline of how we map to the most relevant IAB In-store Retail Media metrics.
IAB and Advertima In-store Retail Media Metrics and Definitions
IAB Media Metrics: Impression Metrics
| IAB Metric | IAB Definition | Advertima Equivalent | Advertima Calculation Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ad Play | Number of times an ad is displayed or rendered on a particular format | Ad play | The number of times a media asset file has been played on any player. |
| Gross Impression | The number of individuals over a period of time, where presence in the defined Display Exposure Zone exists while the Display is functional. This metric, however, does not necessarily mean that the ad was seen. For example, the ad might have been displayed but no one was in direct proximity or in store. Ad impression = audience x ad play. | Gross Impression | The number of all shoppers in front of a screen, precisely captured by Advertima Audience AI (within the Advertima sensor’s field-of-view) and while one media asset file is played from start to end. One shopper generates as many Gross Impressions as the Ad Plays they are exposed to. |
| Opportunity To See (Viewable Impression) | The number of individuals over a period of time, where presence in the defined Display Exposure Zone exists while the Display is functional. This metric, however, does not necessarily mean that the ad was seen. For example, the ad might have been displayed but no one was in direct proximity or in store. Ad impression = audience x ad play. | Viewable Impression | The number of all shoppers in front of a screen, precisely captured by Advertima Audience AI (within the Advertima sensor’s field-of-view) and while one media asset file is played from start to end. One passer-by generates as many Gross Impressions as the Ad Plays they are exposed to. |
| LTS Impression (Likelihood-to-See) | Single opportunity to view an advert. This is the number of people who could pass by an in-store activation (or in the case of in-store radio, who could hear it) The word ‘Opportunity’ is key here – it isn’t that the individuals saw the advert but that by entering a store that they had an opportunity to see the advert. It is important to note here that an ad may be displayed on a screen in an area of the store a customer didn’t visit, which would be considered an impression. | Qualified View | The number of all shoppers in front of a screen, precisely captured by Advertima Audience AI, and which are not only within the Advertima sensor’s field-of-view but also within the screen’s viewability zone, ensuring that the ad had the opportunity to be seen by the passer-by but without evidence that the ad has been seen. One passer-by generates as many Viewable Impressions as the Ad Plays they are exposed to and for which the above criteria are satisfied. |
Actionable Insights
Our technology enables the precise measurement of shopper engagement within retail environments by defining multiple zones around key promotional areas, such as entrances/out-of-category zones, end caps, in-aisle displays, and checkout areas. These zones allow for accurate tracking of Audience Traffic (the number of shoppers passing through the zone) and Dwell Time (the time shoppers spend in proximity to the promoted product), providing actionable insights into shopper behaviour, engagement, and in-store promotion effectiveness. Below is an outline of how we map to the most relevant IAB Traffic and Exposure Zone metrics.
IAB Media Metrics: Traffic and Exposure Metrics
| IAB Metric | IAB Definition | Advertima Equivalent | Advertima Calculation Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-store Traffic | The number of measurable shoppers in-store, located at various zones (total store, entrance, near screens, shelves, aisles, check-out). |
Audience Traffic | The number of all shoppers captured by Advertima Audience AI (within the Advertima sensor’s field-of-view). |
| Dwell Time | The time spent within view of the advertising display, indicating the opportunity to engage. Retailers should provide aggregate or average time as well as a distance matrix of viewability (see example IAB standards p.14) by zones for transparency. | Dwell Time | The total time Advertima Audience AI captures a shopper within a specific zone. |
| Display Exposure Zone | An area in which exposure to the video can be determined, and there is no assurance as to whether the ad can be seen. This area is referred to as the Visual Exposure Zone. | Display Exposure Zone | An area in which exposure to the video can be determined. This area is referred to as the viewability zone where the ad had the opportunity to be seen but without evidence that the ad was seen |
Redefining In-store Retail Media
In this digital age, it’s essential that in-store media technology and standards continue to progress and evolve to keep pace with other retail media channels. In-store media activations are not new but with the IAB’s guidance, we have an exciting opportunity to advance our industry through positive collaborations and healthy competition. It’s a watershed moment to redefine the perception of In-store Retail Media and what it can deliver to retailers, advertisers, partners and, of course, shoppers.
