Digital native brands are breaking out of the scroll, blending e-commerce with programmatic DOOH to capture real attention outdoors.
Key Takeaways
- Global DOOH ad spend is expected to reach $26.2 billion by 2028, up from $14.8 billion in 2023, according to Statista.
- E‑commerce brands are converting interest into action by using location-based triggers and weather-responsive creatives to connect online interest with real-world moments.
- Maximize relevance and efficiency via programmatic DOOH by automatically targeting audiences in real time to reduce wasted impressions and boost engagement.
- Prove impact with end-to-end attribution by linking DOOH exposures to store visits, app downloads, and conversions so you can optimize spend and demonstrate clear ROI.
This evolution transforms DOOH from a branding channel to a revenue driving touchpoint in the customer journey.
Beyond the Scroll: Capturing Real Attention
Brands face fierce online competition and digital saturation. Meanwhile, consumers spend hours in public spaces commuting, dining, and waiting. DOOH captures their attention in these real-world moments. With programmatic platforms and data tied to footfall and weather, digital-native brands can now activate physical presence in smarter, measurable ways.
The timing is perfect: consumers are back outdoors and screens are more programmable than ever.
The Macro Trends
Brands are no longer just competing online. According to Statista, global spending on Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) is set to jump from $14.8 billion in 2023 to a massive $26.2 billion by 2028. Why the surge of over 50%? Because with programmatic DOOH, being visible when it matters is easier than ever. Meanwhile, Grand View Research reports that the global data analytics market is growing at over 26% a year, underscoring that marketers want every campaign to be smarter and measurable. And in the U.S., eMarketer says OOH ad investment has already crossed $9 billion, with digital formats doing the heavy lifting. All signs point to one thing: the offline world is becoming just as programmatic, measurable and impactful as our digital lives.
Where Digital Alone Falls Short
Let’s face it, consumers don’t live their whole lives online. According to DataReportal’s 2024 Global Report, the average person spends around 6 hours and 40 minutes online each day. That leaves over 6 to 10 hours spent offline (excluding sleep) commuting, shopping, dining, or just moving through the world. This is where DOOH for dining and online booking DOOH come into play—capturing attention during those real-world moments and influencing decisions when people are actively out and about. It’s a huge window where digital-only strategies simply don’t have the opportunity to show up.
And even during those online hours, the digital space is crowded. People scroll fast, skip ads, and tune out. With so much noise, even great campaigns can get ignored.
Now think about this: your customer could be walking past your store or near a key location, but if you’re not visible in the real world, that moment’s lost. That’s where digital alone falls short; it delivers impressions, but not presence.To truly connect, brands need to show up everywhere their audience is online and offline. That’s where programmatic DOOH steps in, helping e-commerce brands bridge the gap with smart, location-aware messaging.
The 3 Levers of E-Commerce + DOOH Success
1. Smarter Targeting with Location Intelligence
E-commerce Programmatic DOOH begins with precision. By tapping into mobility and location data like GPS signals and footfall patterns brands can identify high-traffic zones where their audience is most likely to be. This ensures messages appear in the right place, at the right time, to the right people – maximizing both visibility and impact. According to Factori, geospatial targeting is central to the effectiveness of DOOH campaigns.
2. Relevance Through Contextual Triggers
Unlike static ads, programmatic DOOH adapts to the moment. Campaigns can be triggered by real-time conditions such as weather, time of day, or even inventory availability. For instance, showing a cold drink ad during a heatwave drives far more relevance. According to a research feature in MarTech, this type of contextual targeting significantly boosts viewer engagement and campaign performance.
3. Measuring What Matters in the Real World
DOOH advertising is no longer just about visibility, it’s about validating impact. With modern tools like footfall tracking, brand lift studies, and geo-behavioral attribution, you can actually link a screen impression to real-world outcomes whether it’s store visits, online purchases, or app downloads. A report from IAB Europe on programmatic DOOH highlights how mobile device ID tracking combined with transaction data makes this level of measurement possible and essential for proving ROI and optimizing campaigns
Case in Action: Neutrogena Bright Boost From Impressions to Impact
To increase visibility for its Bright Boost skincare line, Neutrogena, a digitally-savvy brand, partnered with Moving Walls to run a programmatic DOOH campaign at the Mumbai International Airport. The campaign activated across 38 large-format digital screens in the Terminal 2 Prime Passage, a high-footfall area for premium travelers.
Using DV360 and Moving Walls audience targeting capabilities, the campaign served contextually relevant ads to the right audience at the right time.
Results that Mattered:
- 2.45 million+ impressions in just 15 days
- Boosted brand recall significantly among urban, travel-savvy consumers
- Demonstrated how digital-first brands can leverage DOOH to influence offline behavior at scale
This success reinforces how programmatic DOOH bridges the gap between online reach and offline impact, especially for e-commerce oriented brands looking to expand their presence in high-value environments and among their target audience.
Guiding Principles: Before You Launch Your DOOH + E-Commerce Campaign
To ensure your programmatic DOOH campaign delivers both visibility and measurable impact, here’s a quick checklist:
- Identify high-footfall zones based on audience movement and dwell time
- Set contextual triggers like time, weather, or location to boost relevance
- Ensure real-time creative flexibility through your programmatic platform
- Integrate attribution tools (e.g., footfall tracking, app download analytics) to measure impact
- Tailor messaging by screen environment airport, retail zone, transit hub, etc.
- Align creative and campaign goals with both online and offline KPIs
From Scrolls to Streets: A Revenue-Driving Shift
The shift from purely digital strategies to DOOH-integrated campaigns reflects a growing recognition: attention lives offline too. For e-commerce brands, merging the precision of online data with the real-world presence of DOOH can unlock massive business value.
DOOH is no longer just a billboard, it can be a measurable, contextual, and a powerful part of your customer journey.
👉 Ready to activate your brand in the real world?
Book a demo with Moving Walls to see how we help online-first brands go offline with measurable impact.
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