How Albertsons Media Collective Is Building a Smarter Feedback Loop for In-Store Media
Albertsons Media Collective wants to solve one of the biggest pain points in retail media by making it easier to measure the impact of in-store media.
The company launched this week a matched model framework that measures sales, order and unit lift at the store level by comparing sales performance to ads in control stores without media exposure. The methodology draws from almost 60 variables and is applicable across both existing and new in-store screens, according to Albertsons Cos. It can be used to test a range of placements across stores, including for cross-merchandising.
Albertsons Media Collective’s in-store incrementality measurement builds on the expansion of its in-store digital display network, launched last year in partnership with Stratacache. As part of this partnership, Albertsons is developing an ad server and content management system so it can target and measure in-store advertising with the same precision as digital, Liz Roche, VP of media and measurement at Albertsons Media Collective, told P2PI.
During CES in Las Vegas this week, Roche and Brian Monahan, SVP of Albertsons Media Collective, demonstrated a range of interactive displays and installations that are currently in stores and future-state, including lift-and-learn installations that employ RFID to let shoppers compare products.
Beacons installed into baskets and carts also enable measurement of shoppers' physical dwell time to help understand if and how long they engaged with an ad.
An early test with Mondelez International to promote Sargento Cheese Bakes showed promising results. Mondelez integrated in-store digital screens across 116 banner stores with on-site and off-site media. The company recorded a 14% sales lift in-store, as well as $2.41 matched market iROAS, a 1.5% increase in conversions and 5.5 million impressions, according to Albertsons.
The retailer's in-store fleet will include about 800 additional stores in 2026, with presence across 10 divisions, and the matched model can be used across any size test, Roche said. In addition to screens, it is also testing the impact of in-store audio in partnership with Stingray.
Ultimately, the company aims to duplicate the feedback loop that digital retail media provides by understanding physical dwell time and ad efficacy.
"What we've learned about digital retail media, the key to growth is targetability and measurement," said Roche. "With this tech stack, we want to be able to feed all of that information back to create a better experience in real time vs. [asking] six weeks from now" if and why a campaign worked, said Roche. "Instead, we can actually make those changes on the fly."
Looking ahead, Albertsons Media Collective will be increasingly exploring how cross-merchandising retail media strategies can grow basket size and maintain share of wallet, according to Monahan. By understanding why shoppers are coming into the store, such as for an entertaining occasion, it can work with brand partners to connect relevant products from other categories to that trip through tailored messaging and experiences.
This can help brands reach new-to-category buyers while enabling the retailer to build larger, more valuable baskets, Monahan noted.
The company also sees potential in co-creating content experiences with some of its more sophisticated partners in order to maximize the potential of in-store media, he said.
