Why Retail Onsite Display Advertising is a Must-Try Strategy | Criteo

Why Retail Onsite Display Advertising is a Must-Try Strategy

Retail onsite display is the online equivalent of shelf-talkers and POS displays in physical stores. Learn all about it and why you need it.

Updated on March 19, 2026

The digital shelf has become a key battleground for brands of every size. Retail onsite display advertising brings the power of eye-catching in-store displays straight into the digital realm. Whether you’re a small to mid-size brand looking to stand out on busy retailer sites or aiming to boost product visibility without breaking the bank, retail display ads offer a strategic way to connect with shoppers exactly when and where they’re making buying decisions.

Here’s why retail onsite display advertising is a must-try strategy to help your products grab attention and drive more sales.

The Role of Retail Display in the Shopper Journey

In a brick-and-mortar retail store, shelf-talkers, panels, and point-of-sale (POS) in-store display advertising are key strategies that brands use to elevate their presence and build awareness and influence consideration. As online has grown in importance, retailers and brands have embraced retail display as a way to achieve the same upper funnel objectives in the digital space.

Retail display is the online equivalent of shelf-talkers and POS displays and is arguably even more important for the ‘infinite’ digital shelf, where products can be hidden below the fold of search and browse pages. In fact, 90% of all products purchased appear on the first page of search results. Even for brands that are household names, if their product isn’t instantly noticeable on a retailer site, the potential sales opportunities will be tremendously reduced. Retail display is the best way to boost visibility on retailer websites and influence the shopper journey.

And it isn’t just for big brands with massive budgets. Smaller brands can benefit from retail display, helping them compete with larger competitors without overspending. This form of advertising allows brands to precisely target and capture shopper attention, driving impactful results.

How Retail Display Differs from other Onsite Ad Formats

For comparison purposes, here’s what a sponsored product ad, the most commonly known retail media format, looks like. These are great for lower-funnel strategies like driving the highest conversion rate:

And here’s an example of a retail/ecommerce display ad. These are ideal for upper funnel strategies geared toward awareness and consideration:

It’s obvious from this example that retail display ads are more attention-grabbing. But that’s not the only difference.

Display in Retail is a Hybrid of Branding and Conversion

Display formats that are custom built for retail are the perfect addition to standard IAB display formats. For smaller brands, this hybrid approach means you can optimize your budgets more effectively, ensuring every dollar spent aligns closely with your sales goals. Retail display ads enable you to showcase your unique brand story while also providing immediate pathways for purchase.

It’s Built to Blend In

Because retail display ads are specifically built for retail, they blend seamlessly into the shopping experience, ensuring relevancy and visual alignment with each retailer’s environment.

It’s a First-Party Data Strategy

Retail display is cookie-free and powered by first-party data. This enables the most relevant targeting and personalization by leveraging keywords, categories, retailer audiences, and other first-party data sources.

Retail Display is Tied to Sales

Though retail display is an upper-funnel tactic geared more towards awareness and consideration, the ultimate goal of standing out on the digital shelf is to drive more product sales.

Real-world Success Story: Michaels.com

To illustrate the tangible benefits of onsite display, consider the success story of an art materials brand that partnered with Criteo to boost their return on ad spend (ROAS) at Michaels.com, a leading arts and crafts retailer. This strategy resulted in an impressive 926% increase in ROAS, a 412% jump in sales, and generated over 125,000 impressions.

Retail Display Benefits for Brands and Retailers

To sum it up, this built-for-retail format has benefits for both sides of the retail media ecosystem:

Interested in learning more about retail display? Contact us.