BJ’s Pushes In-Store Retail Media Into the Aisle and Raises the Bar for Point-of-Decision Engagement

In-Store Retail Media Enters a More Demanding Phase

Retail media networks have grown rapidly over the past five years, fueled largely by ecommerce data and off-site digital advertising. Now, attention is shifting to the physical store, where the majority of grocery and club sales still occur. Retailers are under pressure to prove that in-store media can do more than display ads. It must deliver shopper value, integrate with operations and demonstrate measurable impact.

BJ’s Wholesale Club’s expanded use of Looma’s in-store digital platform reflects this shift. The retailer has added interactive in-aisle screens to complement the digital end caps already operating across its clubs. The new screens are focused on beer, wine and spirits departments and provide members with curated recommendations and educational content directly at the shelf (Progressive Grocer, 2025).

This expansion moves in-store media away from the edges of the store and closer to the decision itself.

Why the Aisle Matters More Than Ever

Historically, in-store digital media has been concentrated at entrances, checkouts and promotional end caps. These placements deliver visibility, but they are often disconnected from the actual choice a shopper is making. The aisle changes that dynamic.

Alcohol is a high consideration category where shoppers often benefit from guidance on pairing, taste and occasion. By placing interactive screens adjacent to the assortment, BJ’s is testing whether digital content can reduce friction and support faster, more confident decisions.

Looma’s platform is designed to integrate media with merchandise rather than operate as a standalone advertising layer. According to Progressive Grocer, the screens are intended to support brand storytelling, shopper education and recommendations at the point of decision, rather than interrupt the shopping flow (Progressive Grocer, 2025).

This approach aligns with broader industry thinking. Supermarket News has reported that the next stage of retail media growth depends on embedding media into the shopping journey in ways that feel useful and relevant, not disruptive (Supermarket News, 2024).

Personalization Without Overreach

Personalization inside a physical store presents different challenges than online retail. Shoppers are not logged in, and expectations around privacy and intrusion are higher. As a result, many retailers are leaning toward contextual relevance rather than individual targeting.

In BJ’s case, personalization is driven by the shopping moment and category context, not by identifying the individual shopper. The screens deliver recommendations based on product adjacencies and use cases, functioning more like an always-available associate than a targeted advertisement.

This approach reflects established consumer research. McKinsey has found that shoppers respond most positively to personalization when it feels timely and relevant, and negatively when it feels intrusive or disconnected from their needs (McKinsey, 2024).

Measurement Moves From Impressions to Outcomes

One of the long-standing criticisms of in-store media has been the lack of clear measurement. That is changing as retailers and technology providers invest in closed-loop analytics that connect exposure to sales.

Looma’s platform includes remote content management, digitized planning for end caps and other high-value spaces, and performance measurement tied to sales outcomes, according to the company’s description of the solution (Progressive Grocer, 2025). These capabilities are increasingly important as brands scrutinize retail media spend.

eMarketer notes that retail media’s appeal to advertisers is closely tied to retailers’ access to first-party purchase data and the ability to demonstrate impact beyond awareness metrics (eMarketer, 2024). In-store environments that can support this level of measurement are likely to attract a growing share of brand investment.

A Signal of Where Retail Media Is Headed

BJ’s is not alone in exploring deeper in-store digital engagement, but its approach highlights several broader trends.

First, in-store media is becoming infrastructure, not an experiment. Screens are being integrated into merchandising strategies rather than layered on top of them.

Second, usefulness is becoming the price of entry. Digital touchpoints must help shoppers make decisions, not simply capture attention.

Third, execution matters. Deploying aisle-level media requires coordination across merchandising, store operations, technology and brand partners. Not every retailer is structured to do this well.

Looma’s broader expansion underscores this point. The company has grown its in-store screen network across multiple national grocers and has announced new funding to support continued deployment and category expansion, including wine and spirits departments at Kroger following a multi-year pilot (PR Newswire, 2024).

What This Means for Retail and CPG Leaders

For retail leaders, BJ’s expansion illustrates how physical stores can evolve without sacrificing simplicity. Digital tools that clarify choice and support the shopper journey can strengthen differentiation and member value.

For CPG brands, the implications are equally clear. In-store retail media is no longer about repurposing digital ads. It requires content designed for the shelf, built around education, relevance and context.

BJ’s decision to push digital engagement into the aisle suggests that the future of retail media will be defined less by where screens exist and more by what they help shoppers accomplish. As in-store media matures, the aisle may become the most important place to prove that retail media can drive both shopper value and measurable results.

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