In-Store Content Coming Your Way
We did think it was a little unfair — being criticized because our editorial coverage strayed from having a primary focus on what’s happening in the store. Granted, our company’s history was rooted in a reverence for store displays. (Remember P-O-P Times magazine?)
As shopper marketing, first, and then digital marketing and e-commerce really took off after the turn of the century, the content we produced understandably shifted.
We — and everyone else who covered retail/commerce marketing — couldn’t ignore the times. Most of our audience wanted and needed to know so much more beyond in-store marketing.
Our organization even changed its name from the In-Store Marketing Institute to the Path to Purchase Institute to match the times.
Through the years, we heard from some in our community that we walked away from our roots, but we never agreed with the notion that we abandoned those who supported the store environment.
Peruse the archives of P2PI.com for evidence. You’ll find countless case studies based on in-store marketing from that time. And nothing is more telling than our Image Vault, which now provides members with access to more than 150,000 images, mostly from the store environment.
Through the years, we have stayed engaged with the in-store community through our Design of the Times awards and our events, most notably our live expos.
Then, in the late 2010s, throw in the emergence of retail media, which initially and seemingly resided in the digital realm, and a perceived lack of focus on in-store by some continued.
But now things have changed with retail media, and long story short, in 2025 we are extremely focused on the store environment — to match the times.
Among the many things to know about P2PI and our content related to in-store marketing:
We are in the stores, almost daily. Many P2PI staffers, not just editors, do store visits every week and take photographs, which are uploaded to our Image Vault. These visits continually provide jumping-off points for our case studies and Field Reports.
Our visits in February included: Acme, Kroger, Walgreens, Office Depot, Stop & Shop, Fresh Thyme, Jewel-Osco, ShopRite, Ulta Beauty, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Plum Market, Nino Salvaggio, Food Lion, Meijer, Quick Chek, Target, Publix, Walmart, PetSmart, Tractor Supply, GNC and Lowes Foods. Furthermore, in Canada, we’ve visited Loblaws, Metro, Dollarama and Shoppers Drug Mart.
We’re planning a new event, the In-Store Marketing Forum. It’ll take place Aug. 19-20 in Chicago. We’re billing it as a highly curated, two-day event designed for those ready to lead the next era of in-store shopper experiences.
P-O-P Showcase. This month, and again later this year, we’re offering P-O-P producers a chance to showcase their work — best-in-class displays/activations. Keep an eye out for the recurring roundups on our website, in our newsletters and on our social media channels.
Research: Evolution of the In-Store Shopping Experience. In partnership with Great Northern Instore, our fourth annual survey is currently being fielded. Expect to see the results in May.
What else? There’s plenty more to come, including the sessions related to in-store that we’ll stage at our Retail Media Summit, May 6-8 in Rosemont, Illinois; and also at P2PI LIVE, Nov. 11-13 in Schaumburg, Illinois. And don’t forget about our Retail Intel webinars, which always include an in-store focus.
To be clear, we know that what’s happening in the store will always be an important part of our Path to Purchase Institute editorial efforts.
