Grocery TV adds 3,500 audience attributes through new Esri partnership

The partnership marks a shift in retail media from basic digital signage to data-driven addressability comparable to online video segments. By moving past geography-only planning, Grocery TV allows regional and independent grocers to compete for national performance-driven budgets that typically favor automated, high-precision digital channels. This move aligns in-store physical inventory with the broader programmatic streaming ecosystem, where audience-based buying is the established standard. For the industry, this represents a crucial step toward 'omnichannel' parity, where physical store displays function as targetable video endpoints. Watch for whether this behavioral data improves closed-loop attribution metrics, a key requirement for CPG brands moving budgets from traditional TV to retail media networks.

The expansion of behavioral targeting comes as retail media is projected to reach $176.9 billion globally by 2025, according to GroupM reported in September 2025. This growth has historically been dominated by 'on-site' digital ads from giants like Amazon and Walmart, but the sector is now diversifying into physical store environments. Per eMarketer’s December 2025 forecast, in-store retail media is expected to reach $580 million in the U.S. in 2026, representing a 33.1% year-over-year increase as retailers seek higher-margin advertising revenue to offset thin grocery margins. Technological maturity is also being driven by new industry standards. In January 2024, the IAB and Media Rating Council (MRC) released the official Retail Media Measurement Guidelines to standardize audience metrics and viewability across diverse networks. In December 2024, the IAB and IAB Europe finalized specific in-store measurement standards, establishing common definitions for store zones and 'opportunity to see' metrics to provide advertisers with the confidence and comparability they enjoy in other digital video formats. Strategic leadership in the space is also consolidating around traditional media expertise. Per PR Newswire in October 2024, Grocery TV added NBCUniversal’s President of Advertising and Partnerships, Alison Levin, to its board of directors, signaling a deeper push to integrate in-store screens with national video and streaming media plans. This follows high-profile network expansions for the company, including recent partnerships with major regional chains such as Giant Eagle in February 2025 and Hy-Vee in December 2024.