Convenience store advertising delivers 2x the visibility compared to campaigns in larger stores

• New data reveals convenience store advertising has twice the visibility, garners triple the attention and quadruple brand recall compared to campaigns in larger stores
• The industry-first research has also evidenced that retail media advertising has greater performance in brand recall compared to traditional media such as out-of-home, digital display and social.

A global-first attention study released by Co-op Media Network (CMN) today (Tuesday 25th February 2025) has unveiled how convenience retail media can super charge brand recall by four times compared to campaigns in larger stores, due to shopper frequency and the uniqueness of a convenience store’s format.

Research from the UK’s leading convenience retailer’s media network – in partnership with Lumen Research, an eye-tracking technology company and expert in consumer attention – has evidenced the recall power of advertising in a convenience retail setting and revealed the untapped potential of retail media as a brand-building marketing channel in comparison to traditional media.

CMN hypothesised that due to Co-op’s smaller store sizes, formats and high shopper frequency, advertising messages within convenience stores would be seen and recalled by more people, more often. Furthermore, in a convenience store, the presence of mixed category aisles leads to customers encountering a wide variety of advertisements within the same space.

The Lumen Research methodology involved shoppers navigating either a small or large Co-op store*, on a BBQ shopping mission – engaging with a mixture of categories from protein, produce, frozen, ambient and BWS – while wearing unobtrusive eye-tracking glasses. These devices monitored what the shoppers were viewing, the duration of their gaze and retinal movements.

This approach provided precise insights into what the shoppers were observing and offered an understanding of which advertisements were within their peripheral vision. It also assessed viewability and opportunities to see, indicating instances where advertisements could have been seen without direct focus. Upon leaving the stores, shoppers were tested on brand recall and completed brand choice surveys**.

Results indicated that larger stores do generate brand-building with shoppers. However, when comparing smaller Co-op stores to larger-format stores, attention and recall were significantly enhanced in the convenience setting. The data revealed that a shopper who walks into a convenience store has twice the visibility of the advertising, triple the attention and quadruple brand recall compared to a large store.

Lumen Research, a company that studies attention with brands and media agencies worldwide, further evaluated the impact of retail media and recall in comparison to traditional media methods such as out-of-home, online display, online video and TV advertising.

The findings of this part of the study further spotlighted the impact of retail media, proving that it was the second most effective channel for brand recall compared to traditional methods – surpassing out-of-home, online banners and social.

Kenyatte Nelson, Chief Membership & Customer Officer at Co-op, said: “Traditionally, in-store advertising has been viewed by media buyers as a pure sales activation tool that was great for last-minute promotions but not for brand-building. However, this groundbreaking evidence now spotlights retail media, especially in a convenience setting, as one of the most powerful brand recall tools.

“The results from the Lumen Research study showcase the unmatched impact of Co-op’s small-format convenience stores, and the findings position in-store advertising as a dual-purpose channel, driving both short-term sales and long-term brand growth.”

Mike Follett, CEO of Lumen Research, said: “Our research with Co-op confirms what we already knew – attention drives action. In small stores, shoppers revisit aisles multiple times and so encounter the same ads and messages multiple times, creating a higher frequency of exposure. That builds memories through aggregate attention, which drives memory-based outcomes such as awareness, consideration and intent.”

About Co-op 

Co-op is one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives with interests across food, funerals, insurance and legal services. Owned by over 5 million members, the Co-op operates almost 2,400 food stores, over 800 funeral homes and provides products to over 5,000 other stores, including those run by independent co-operative societies and through its wholesale business, Nisa Retail Limited.

Employing almost 60,000 people, the Co-op has an annual turnover of over £11billion and is a recognised leader for its social goals and community-led programmes. The Co-op exists to meet members’ needs and stand up for the things they believe in.

About Lumen Research

Lumen Research is an eye-tracking technology company that is expanding our understanding of human attention and helping brands to turn attention into action.

The company initially developed patented eye-tracking technology for creative attention studies, helping advertisers understand how consumers view advertising across online and offline media. Since then, Lumen has evolved to focus on helping brands plan, buy, measure, and optimise advertising based on attention across all types of media.