retail stores are designed. So what can we expect? The rise of screens The big grocers dipped their toes with front-of-store screens and now they are set to proliferate.  Stand by for screens popping up in multiple store locations within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. Other retailers such as Chemist Warehouse already have multiple screen opportunities in their larger stores.  Expect to see big-box retailers in Australia playing catch up to the FMCGs and building coherent screen strategies as part of their retail media mix. Digitisation We’re already seeing smart retailers create blended retail experiences where learnings from e-commerce are injected into physical retail.  The inevitable outcome of retail media monetisation and demand for measurement will be the increase of in-store screens as well as the digitisation of point of sale within display and merchandising.  The shelves will ultimately be digitised enabling real-time, targeted brand and activation messaging.  Right now, the cost of entry is prohibitive for big retailers but within 24 months it’ll be a very different story. There are already some innovative solutions for fridges and cool rooms involving screen technology.  Prepare for a digitally-led re-imagining of the store experience.  Clean store policy Currently, many stores operate a ‘clean store’ policy where the retailer tightly controls the message and the type of display or merchandising in-store. As it stands, clean store policies can constrain creativity. But prepare for this to change.  Inevitably, as stores become media-monetised, and more value is ascribed to comms, incremental opportunity will emerge.  An ‘everything communicates’ principle will apply to in-store creativity and innovation will abound.  It won’t be the wild west of 20 years ago but quality innovation that drives incremental media dollars for retailers will be encouraged.  A mindset of the store as a publisher rather than simply a retail environment will shift conventional wisdom on what great retail experiences look like. Clean store policies will become a thing of the past. Store zones There are clear impact zones in different retail categories where shoppers are more likely to take in messages. Savvy retail publishers will look to increase retail media monetisation by designing to these impact moments.  For example, opening up store entrances for more screen opportunities. It can’t be long until security shrouds contain screens, for example, while aisle ends and in-fixture screens will be high-value real estate. Correlating formats within each retail zone will be increasingly important as well as establishing relevance to the shopper mindset. For example, retailers will need to be more strategic about directional messaging hanging above aisles versus cross-sell opportunities within categories on fixtures. Social media The principles guiding enlightened store design – store, stock and sell – are being replaced by connect, entertain and share. Traditional retailers that prioritise stock on the floor over experience are set up to lose in the new age. For example, social proof is increasingly being built into store display. Think TikTok in-store recommendations such as ‘as seen on’ or ‘TikTok’s #1’.  Insta-worthy visual merchandising is clearly on trend and depending on your retail category the lost store footprint is worth it for the footfall generated. Think about how you can pull social media cred into your retail offer or create social-ready moments in-store. Sampling As store square metres become more monetised and online deliveries proliferate, there is a huge opportunity to deliver quality sampling to the home where usage occasion is locked in and experiences can become a habit.  Who wants to sample a new coffee in the aisle of a supermarket when it could be sent directly to the home for specific audiences of interest?  Brands also need to shift their thinking here. A sample alone isn’t going to cut it. Wrapping an experience around the sample and creating unboxing moments should be the aim. The forecast growth of retail media isn’t going to happen on its own. Retailers need to seize the opportunity, and what better way to signal the new age than by embracing it in your store design?