Iceland Retail Media’s 5,000 Screen Rollout & The Future of Measurable In-Store Media

This week on Retail Media Therapy, Viv Craske and Colin Lewis sit down with Adam Smith from Iceland Retail Media to unpack one of the most ambitious in-store retail media projects in the UK.

Iceland isn’t just refreshing its network - it’s rolling out up to 5,000 in-store screens across in under a year. And they’re not just adding screens - they’re transforming measurement.

What You’ll Learn

Resetting a Retail Media Network

• Iceland Retail Media relaunched in 2025 after restructuring its agency model.
• Screens have been part of the business for years - but this rollout takes them to an entirely new level.
• A fast-moving, privately owned business means rapid execution.

Why Screens? Why Now?

• Every major UK retailer is investing in in-store screens - the question is how well they measure.
• Iceland chose to double down on screens as a core channel of its retail media strategy.
• The rollout could become one of the largest non-London-centric in-store networks in the UK.

Clickstream for the Store

Adam describes the ambition as bringing “clickstream media to bricks and mortar.”

Key elements include:

• Real-time in-store impression measurement
• Dwell time tracking
• Viewable impression data
• Closed-loop attribution linking media exposure to EPOS sales

The goal? Prove that £1 spent in-store can outperform £1 spent elsewhere.

Privacy-First Measurement

Instead of cameras or facial recognition:

• Iceland is using millimetre-wave sensors
• Tracking is based on water-content scanning
• Each shopper is anonymised via temporary RFID tagging
• Fully GDPR compliant
• No personal identification or ongoing tracking

This approach delivers measurable impressions without compromising shopper trust.

Beyond Media: Operational Insights

The data doesn’t just power media measurement. It also enables:

• Live footfall tracking
• Customer flow mapping
• Hotspot identification
• Smarter merchandising decisions
• Better labour planning

Retail media becomes infrastructure - not just advertising.

The Mustard Case Study

A standout example with McCormick:

• AB test: stores with screens vs. without
• Non-promoted EDLP product
• 10% sales uplift
• Category share increase
• Clear link between impressions and sales

And this isn’t just a one-off - this level of reporting is now standard for Iceland suppliers.

The Operational Reality

Installing thousands of screens is no small task:

• Overnight installations in live retail environments
• Infrastructure challenges
• Store team coordination

Retail media isn’t just marketing - it’s operations.

Grace & Co | Retail Media Experts

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