When DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions launched in 2019, the goal wasn’t just to build a retail media network (RMN). It was to build the RMN for premium beauty – one that could guide millions of shoppers across nine European markets in making purchase decisions and seamlessly connect online influence with in-store decision making.
Today, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions is setting the benchmark for omnichannel retail media, and their in-store digital network is proving a core engine behind that success. Powered by the Broadsign Platform, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions’ omnichannel RMN offering is transforming beauty aisles into a measurable, high-impact media channel. They’re not only elevating brand visibility but also strengthening shopper engagement and setting a new standard for in-store retail media.
A retail media powerhouse ready for its next frontier
With 1,970 stores, a category-leading eCommerce platform, and over 60 million Beauty Card members, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions had everything it needed to deliver a true omnichannel experience. But there was one missing piece: a dynamic in-store media layer that could match the precision, speed, and transparency of digital, from online and mobile, to social and email.
The brands they work with were increasingly expressing interest in influencing consumers at the point of purchase while shoppers were asking for more guidance in a high-choice, premium environment. DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions responded by working to unify the entire journey, from online discovery to in-store purchases, with measurable, data-driven impact. The vision was clear: bring digital intelligence to the shelf and elevate the beauty shopper experience.
The turning point: Choosing the right partner to bring the vision to life
As DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions prepared to modernize its in-store media offering for brands by adding digital screens, one thing became apparent. They’d need the right technology partner to determine how quickly and confidently their team could scale the vision across nine European markets.
Finding a digital signage software provider who understood the complexity of retail media was a priority. The ideal technology partner also needed to have a firm grasp on the expectations of premium beauty brands and DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions’ ambition for a truly unified omnichannel network.
In searching for a solution, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions found that most platforms could manage screens. Far fewer could support the speed, transparency, and enterprise rigor they needed. Only Broadsign demonstrated a willingness to co-create a solution tailored to DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions’ RMN strategy.
Broadsign provided the technical backbone to power a dynamic, multi-market in-store network, but just as importantly, they showed a genuine investment in DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions’ long-term vision. From KPI transparency to enterprise-grade scalability and seamless programmatic advertising readiness, the Broadsign Platform aligned perfectly with DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions’ standard for innovation and operational excellence.
“Broadsign stood out as the partner of choice. Beyond their robust technology and broad functionality, what convinced us was their genuine interest in understanding our business needs and co-creating the right approach for our in-store vision. Their platform provides the flexibility, scalability, and accountability required to bring our omnichannel retail media strategy to life,” said Charina Lumley, Managing Director, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions GmbH.
With Broadsign, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions adopted more than a digital signage solution. They gained a partner capable of evolving with them, supporting the ambitions of a retail media business built for long-term, international scale.
Bringing the vision to life: Precision, agility, and real-time impact
Since launching their digital in-store network, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions has redefined how beauty brands show up at the shelf. What began as a vision to modernize the in-store experience has evolved into a fast, data-driven, and highly collaborative media channel — powered by the Broadsign Platform.
Their teams described the shift as moving from manual, fragmented, and time-intensive workflows to an environment where campaigns can be planned, launched, and measured with the speed and clarity expected of modern retail media. Here’s how it was achieved:
1. Campaign planning is fast, consistent, and frictionless
Before digitizing in-store advertising, campaign planning required extensive coordination among brand teams, internal departments, and local markets – often resulting in delays and inconsistencies.
With the Broadsign Platform, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions now has:
- A unified and real-time view of available inventory
- Automated workflows that eliminate back-and-forth on feasibility checks
- Consistent pricing, packaging, and delivery logic across countries
- A planning experience that mirrors how partners buy media in other digital channels.
By streamlining workflows, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions can now move from proposal to activation far more quickly, creating a predictable and efficient experience for both their team and brand partners.
2. Content management is instantaneous and built for retail
One of the biggest culture shifts DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions has experienced since adopting the Broadsign Platform is consistent speed. It enhances flexibility, enabling DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions to deliver more timely messaging that benefits both shoppers and brand partners. Content can now be:
- Activated or paused within minutes
- Localized at scale across markets, regions, or individual stores
- Optimized mid-flight based on product availability, promotions, or store priorities
This agility allows DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions to align in-store messaging with fast-moving beauty trends, supplier campaigns, and omnichannel initiatives, which would have previously been difficult with a basic digital setup or limited static signage.
3. Targeting is smarter, more meaningful, and rooted in real shopper context
For the DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions team, ensuring that the right message hits the right shopper in the right setting has always been a core focus. Using Broadsign’s criteria-based rules, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions can automatically target by:
- Store tier or format
- Screen type and position
- Category adjacency
- Time of day
- Priority product focus
The technology ensures their digital screens deliver contextual messaging that highlights hero products in premium stores, aligns with category zones, and adapts based on local shopper profiles. The result is far more premium, relevant brand experiences.
4. Reporting is transparent, credible, and built to prove impact
For DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions and its brands, accountability was essential in the decision-making process. Reporting had to be straightforward and transparent to demonstrate to brands clear evidence of delivery, justifying their investment in omnichannel retail media.
Broadsign’s APIs enabled that. DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions can now feed those APIs to their custom reporting platform to gain comprehensive, real-time insights into how their in-store screens drive business outcomes. With over 100 active API integrations, Broadsign is one of the most open and flexible platforms in the industry, giving DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions the control and transparency required to measure, optimize, and scale their in-store campaigns with confidence.
To meet advertiser demand for comprehensive, real-time data on campaign performance, the team opted to deploy Broadsign’s CMS and Guaranteed Campaigns. The choice has unlocked:
- Verified proof-of-play
- Transparent delivery reporting
- The ability to connect exposure with product performance
- Insights that help refine future campaigns
The result
A connected media ecosystem where in-store, onsite, CRM, and open-internet campaigns reinforce each other — not operate in silos. DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions now runs its in-store media strategy while upholding the same precision and measurement standards as its digital channels.
Brands have already noticed the impact of DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions’ in-store retail media network. With richer audience and campaign insights, faster turnaround, and the ability to influence shoppers at the moment of decision, more advertisers are leaning in.
Demand is surging, repeat bookings continue to grow, and omnichannel briefs are expanding. DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions is tapping into a new level of marketing sophistication inside the store.
Scaling with confidence: A roadmap for the future
DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions’ ambition doesn’t stop at the migration. The team plans to expand their in-store capabilities, strengthen data integrations, and evolve towards even more personalized, real-time relevance at the shelf. With Broadsign as a foundational partner, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions is on track to set the gold standard for omnichannel retail media in Europe.
Their advice to other retailers
“Be strategic with your tech stack. Avoid the Frankenstack. Choose partners, like Broadsign, who listen, evolve with you, and help build a long-term vision.” – Charina Lumley, Managing Director, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions GmbH
The takeaway
If you’re looking to build or scale your in-store media network, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions’ success proves one thing: When you pair a strong retail brand with the right technology partner, in-store can become one of your most powerful revenue and relationship-driving channels.
With Broadsign powering their network, DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions is reimagining their stores, turning them into high-performance media touchpoints that deliver measurable results, from driving shopper clarity and brand confidence to generating commercial impact.
Broadsign’s platform provides the flexibility, reliability, and scalability that the DOUGLAS Marketing Solutions group needs to plan, activate, and optimize campaigns across nine markets – proving that, with the right tools, in-store media can become one of a retailer’s most effective revenue and relationship-driving channels.
