As retailers look to bridge the gap between digital and physical shopping, T-Mobile Ad Solutions is betting big on the rise of in-store retail media. Cherian Thomas, senior director of retail media and digital out-of-home at T-Mobile Ad Solutions, told Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan that while bringing digital capabilities inside brick-and-mortar environments is challenging, it’s also one of the industry’s biggest opportunities.
“If it was easy, everybody would do it,” Thomas said. “But when you solve big problems, you reap big rewards. We haven’t yet reached the point where every retailer has screens inside their stores, but that’s where the puck is going, and we’re excited to lead the charge.”
In-store screens as a ‘co-pilot’
Thomas said digital screens inside retail locations can serve multiple stakeholders beyond advertisers. For customers, he said, these screens can enhance the shopping experience without disrupting it.
For store employees, they act as a “co-pilot,” helping to guide shoppers through products and services. When done right, the result is a win-win-win that benefits customers, associates and brands alike.
Connecting data and driving outcomes
Unlike traditional digital signage, T-Mobile’s in-store retail media strategy is deeply data-driven. Thomas highlighted the power of connecting in-store displays to SKU-level point-of-sale (POS) data, enabling marketers to finally answer the ultimate question: “Did the register ring?”
By tying ad exposure directly to transaction data, in-store retail media can drive measurable outcomes similar to online retail media networks (RMNs), while complementing them. “It’s an omni-channel approach,” Thomas explained. “If someone’s shopping online, you’re front of mind. If they’re in-store making a purchase, you’re part of that journey too.”
Measuring what matters
Measurement, Thomas said, is “the most important thing.” He credited T-Mobile’s internal analytics experts — including teams led by Andrea Zapata and Sierra Prince — with establishing campaign measurement frameworks before launches. These include setting up control groups, identifying statistically significant store pairings, and tracking incremental sales lift to ensure unbiased, actionable insights.
Making it easier for retailers
The rise of in-store retail media is also being accelerated by declining hardware costs and simpler deployment options.
“The cost of screens has come down tremendously over the past 10 years,” Thomas said. “And we’ve created what we call the ‘easy button,’ a cellular-enabled media player with all the tech stack needed to spin up an in-store network.”
By combining T-Mobile’s connectivity with retailers’ brand reach, Thomas sees a future where every retail store integrates digital media seamlessly into the customer journey.
“We want to leverage our superpowers with theirs,” he said, “to help every retailer enhance the in-store experience and make it more meaningful.”
T-Mobile’s Cherian Thomas: We Can Finally Tell You If the Register Rang
