Retail Media in Hospitality: Fundamentals and Why It’s the Future
Few trends in marketing are generating as much buzz as retail media networks. Often described as the "third wave" of digital advertising after search and social media, retail media is widely hailed as a game-changer. In the US alone, retail media ad spending reached around $45 billion in 2023, and it continues to climb as advertisers seek highly targeted, point-of-purchase opportunities. But what exactly is retail media? At its core, it means advertising on a company’s own channels, for example, ads on a retailer’s website, mobile app, or in-store screens, allowing brands to target that company’s customers with highly relevant messages. This approach was pioneered by e-commerce giants like Amazon and Walmart, but it's now spreading beyond traditional retail. Hospitality businesses, with the help of innovative solutions like eMenu, are emerging as the next big players in this space, leveraging digital technology to transform how brands engage with consumers in-venue.
Retail media’s appeal lies in using rich first-party customer data to reach consumers at or near the point of purchase. The value proposition is so strong that retail media has already grown into a massive global market, one that’s on track to overtake television in ad revenue soon. Many believe retail media represents the future of advertising, and the hospitality industry is poised to ride this wave.
From Coasters to Connected Screens
Hospitality venues have long incorporated brands into their ambience. Walk into any pub or café and you might find a beer logo on a coaster or a poster for a new spirit on the wall, subtle ways to influence what customers order. These tactile ads (like branded beer mats given out with drinks) can reinforce a brand message in a relaxed moment, but they are static and one-size-fits-all. Today, the industry is moving from printed coasters to connected screens. Digital displays and interactive menus serve the same purpose as the old beer mat, but with far greater agility. Content on screens can be updated instantly, targeted to the time of day or audience, and even personalised based on data. And unlike a static print, connected screens drive action. Digital signage can significantly boost on-premise sales, for instance, Stonegate Group (the UK’s largest pub chain) found that 72% of its guests had their orders influenced by content on the company’s new in-venue digital screens. Hospitality marketing is no longer static, it’s dynamic, data-driven, and measurably more effective.
In fact, Marriott International was a first mover, rolling out the hotel industry’s inaugural media network in 2022. This lets advertisers reach travellers via Marriott’s own digital channels (from its app and website to in-room TVs), targeting guests with relevant ads during their journey.
As previously mentioned, Stonegate Group launched “MiXR,” a network of 4,500 digital screens across 850 pubs. This in-house media platform delivers targeted promotions to pub-goers and has unlocked significant new advertising revenue for the company. Both Marriott and Stonegate have essentially become media publishers on their own premises, leveraging their footfall and guest data to attract ad spend from brands. The hospitality retail media trend is still in its early days, but the momentum is unmistakable.
Making Retail Media Accessible to All
Not every venue can build a bespoke media network from scratch. Most hospitality operators will need turnkey solutions, this is where eMenu comes in. eMenu provides an off-the-shelf digital platform that allows venues to modernise their ordering systems and monetise their customer touchpoints without heavy investment or technical headaches. With one integrated solution, eMenu offers digital menus and mobile ordering, a mobile POS upgrade, and an in-venue advertising marketplace developed with drinks giant Diageo. In practice, any train, bar, café or hotel can use eMenu to turn its menu screens or ordering tablets into advertising space for brands.
Crucially, eMenu plugs into a venue’s existing tills and devices to minimise friction, so a business doesn’t need to install a fleet of new screens. The platform can run on a single tablet, old POS (with access to a web browser) and on guests’ smartphones (via QR digital menu), instantly transforming ordinary ordering interfaces into revenue-generating ad spaces. Major beverage brands are eager to participate, eMenu’s advertising marketplace is backed by Diageo and is already rolling out across thousands of venues. This model democratises retail media in hospitality. A small restaurant or pub can now earn advertising income from brands on its digital menu, gaining a new revenue stream while the brand gains a direct line to consumers in a buying mood. Platforms like eMenu are effectively creating a hospitality-wide media network spanning venues of all sizes.
Why Retail Media Is a Game Changer for Hospitality
Retail media promises to transform hospitality in several ways. First, it opens a new revenue stream in an industry of tight margins. Any pub, hotel or restaurant can generate extra income by hosting ads from brands, helping offset rising costs or improving guest services. Second, it can boost sales and enhance the guest experience simultaneously. The ads appear at the point of purchase, they’re highly relevant and often more a friendly suggestion than an intrusion. Venues using eMenu’s digital menus have seen featured drinks sales rise by at least 20%, a win-win, as guests find appealing options and both venue and brand enjoy higher sales. Third, these platforms provide measurable ROI and valuable data insights. A digital system can track engagement and conversions in real time. Operators can immediately see how on-screen promotions drive orders, and brands can monitor campaign performance via live sales data, enabling continuous optimisation of content.
Finally, retail media is shifting the role of hospitality businesses. Hotels, bars and restaurants are no longer just service providers- they’re becoming part of the marketing ecosystem. eMenu’s Co-Founder, Joel Satchi, has likened this shift to hospitality’s own “Google Ads moment”. A new marketplace for buying and selling customer attention. There are millions of daily in-venue interactions that until now carried no advertising value. With major brands like Diageo on board and technology making implementation easy, widespread adoption of retail media in hospitality seems only a matter of time. Before long, venues of all sizes may routinely run digital ads alongside their core services, fundamentally changing the industry’s economics and making a hotel stay or pub visit into an interactive media experience.
