Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Retail Media Network

Building a retail media network is a multi-stage process that requires careful planning across technology, commercial, and operational dimensions.

Step 1: Define Your Network Strategy

Before deploying any technology, define your network strategy: what is the primary objective, what is the target scale, what is the target audience, and what is the commercial model (direct-sold only, programmatic, or both).

Step 2: Specify and Deploy the Physical Infrastructure

This includes commercial-grade screens specified for your environment, media players, networking infrastructure, and in-store audio systems if required. Hardware specification is critical: consumer-grade displays are not suitable for commercial retail environments due to their limited brightness, warranty, and continuous-operation ratings.

Step 3: Deploy a Retail Media CMS

The CMS must support content scheduling, multi-site management, retail media campaign logic, proof-of-play reporting, and programmatic SSP connectivity. onQ CMS is the only Australian-built platform that combines all of these capabilities in a single system.

Step 4: Connect to Programmatic Demand

Connecting your screen inventory to programmatic demand via an SSP is the key to maximising revenue. onQ Digital’s SSP connects to 35+ DSPs, enabling real-time bidding for in-store impressions. This drives CPM uplifts of 30–80% versus direct-sold-only models.

Step 5: Build Your Commercial Infrastructure

The commercial infrastructure includes the advertiser onboarding process, campaign management workflows, and reporting capabilities. For retailers without in-house commercial teams, onQ Digital provides managed commercial operations as part of its full-stack service.

Step 6: Launch and Grow

Launch with a defined set of anchor advertisers and a clear value proposition. Grow the network by adding screens, expanding to new locations, and increasing programmatic fill rates through SSP optimisation.