Physical retail is entering a new phase

A recent McKinsey and ICSC report on shopping in the age of AI argues that store visits may become less frequent, but more valuable. The report identifies three structural shifts shaping the future of shopping: the growing role of AI in purchase decisions, rising expectations for transparency and convenience, and the increasing spending power of younger generations. Together, these forces are changing what customers expect from physical retail.  

For retailers planning the next generation of digital in-store concepts, the question is no longer simply where to add screens. The more important question is: what role should each digital touchpoint play in the customer journey — and how will it be managed, measured, and scaled?

That is where In-Store Experience Management becomes critical.

The store visit now needs a clearer purpose

The McKinsey/ICSC research describes a new shopping trip calculus. As more of the journey moves into AI-enabled search, comparison, and purchase automation, the decision to visit a physical store is no longer automatic. Shoppers ask, consciously or not: Will this trip be fast? Will the product be available? Can I complete the task easily? Or, if I am going out of my way, will the experience offer something I cannot get online?

In the report, store visits are increasingly shaped by two broad missions: convenience and discovery.  

A convenience-led store must be fast, reliable, and easy to navigate. Customers want clear information, predictable inventory, smooth pickup and returns, and a frictionless path from intent to action.

A discovery-led store has a different job. It needs to inspire, guide, and engage. It should help shoppers explore products, understand choices, connect with the brand, and experience something that feels more valuable than a purely digital journey.

Both missions matter. But they require different operating models, different content strategies, and different digital touchpoints.

The risk for many retailers is ending up in the middle: adding digital screens, media surfaces, or interactive experiences without a clear connection to the store’s purpose. A convenience store that introduces more visual noise may create friction. A discovery store that treats digital touchpoints as static signage may miss the opportunity to deepen engagement.

The future store does not need more disconnected technology. It needs a stronger digital in-store core.

Digital in-store is moving beyond signage

Digital touchpoints are now part of the store’s operating system. They help shape navigation, service, product discovery, campaign activation, local relevance, and Retail Media. But to create value, they must be orchestrated as part of one connected experience.

This is the role of Dise IXM platform.

Dise IXM platform supports brands and retailers in creating and managing customer experiences by connecting the journey from online to in-person through digital touchpoints in-store. Dise is built to support partners with a platform that reduces operational complexity, enables adaptable integrations, and strengthens recurring revenue opportunities.  

That distinction matters. Digital in-store is no longer only about what appears on a screen. It is about how content, context, data, store format, campaigns, and operations work together.

A retailer may want one store format to support quick pickup and product availability. Another may need storytelling, brand theatre, and interactive exploration. A third may need Retail Media capabilities that protect the customer experience while creating new commercial value.

All of these require the same foundation: a platform that can manage digital touchpoints consistently, securely, and at scale.

What mission-led stores need from digital touchpoints

For convenience-led stores, digital touchpoints should remove friction. They should help customers find what they need, understand what is available, move through the store with confidence, and complete the visit quickly. This could include location-specific messaging, real-time screen updates, campaign scheduling, condition-based content, and clear operational communication.

For discovery-led stores, digital touchpoints should increase relevance and engagement. They can support curated storytelling, product education, interactive content, personalized journeys, limited-time campaigns, and richer brand moments.

Dise IXM platform is designed for this type of orchestration. It is intuitive, API-first, secure, cloud-hosted, ISO 27001 and SOC2 Type II compliant, and hardware-agnostic across supported operating systems and display environments. It supports campaign, condition, and share-of-voice-based scheduling, real-time screen takeovers, live screen views, data-driven and interactive content, and Retail Media integration.

The strategic value is not the feature set in isolation. The value is that retailers and their partners can manage digital in-store as a scalable experience layer, rather than a collection of separate screens, systems, and workflows.

That is what makes IXM different from traditional digital signage.

Retail Media is a layer on top of experience

The rise of in-store Retail Media adds another reason to build a strong digital in-store foundation.

Retailers are increasingly looking at their physical stores as owned media environments. But the opportunity must be handled carefully. In-store Retail Media should not turn the store into a screen network for ads. It should be retailer-owned, customer-first, and integrated into the broader digital in-store strategy.

Dise’s position is clear: digital in-store Retail Media is a monetizable part of the digital in-store ecosystem, but control should remain with the retailer. That includes control over content, relevance, data, audience, brand safety, and the customer experience.  

This is especially important in an AI-shaped shopping environment. If shoppers become more selective about store visits, every message in the store must earn its place. Retail Media can create value when it is relevant, contextual, measurable, and governed. It becomes a monetization layer on top of IXM, not a replacement for customer experience.

Dise supports this through capabilities such as share-of-voice management, proof of play, campaign analytics, and integration with third-party ad platforms through AdConnect. The purpose is to help retailers and partners activate Retail Media in a way that protects the store experience while opening new revenue opportunities.  

Why this matters for retailers expanding digital in-store concepts

The next generation of store investment will be judged by how well it supports the customer journey.

Adding digital touchpoints is easy. Making them useful, scalable, and commercially valuable is harder.

Retailers should ask a different set of questions before expanding digital in-store:

• Can our digital touchpoints support different store missions?
• Can we adapt content by location, context, campaign, audience, or business goal?
• Can we integrate with existing retail systems and workflows?
• Can we scale across regions, formats, and hardware environments?
• Can we maintain control of the customer experience?
• Can we add Retail Media without compromising trust, relevance, or brand safety?
• Can our partners manage, support, and expand the solution over time?

These are not only technology questions. They are strategic retail questions.

The McKinsey/ICSC report argues that retailers must define the role of each store with precision, deploy technology to reinforce that role, and upgrade capabilities to match the store’s mission.  That is exactly the environment where IXM becomes relevant.

A store designed for convenience needs digital touchpoints that make the journey faster and clearer. A store designed for discovery needs digital touchpoints that make the journey richer and more engaging. A retailer building an in-store Retail Media network needs governance, measurement, and control.

All of this points to the same need: a digital in-store platform built for retail.

Ask for Dise or Scala in your digital in-store concept

Dise is a partner-first, partner-only SaaS company offering Dise IXM platform and Scala digital signage software. That means Dise does not compete with its partner community. Instead, Dise enables digital in-store experts, integrators, and full-service partners to deliver scalable retail experiences with a future-ready IXM platform.

For retailers, this creates a stronger way to approach digital in-store transformation. You do not need to start with isolated technology decisions. You can start with the customer journey, the role of the store, and the business outcome — then work with your digital in-store partner to define the right concept.

With Dise and Scala now part of the same broader growth story, retailers have a stronger reason to ask how these capabilities can support their next digital in-store strategy. The point is not to add more screens. The point is to bring the store to life with digital touchpoints that are integrated, governed, measurable, and built to scale.

As AI changes how shoppers make decisions, the store must become more purposeful. Convenience must be easier. Discovery must be more engaging. Retail Media must be more responsible. And every digital touchpoint must work harder for the customer, the retailer, and the partner delivering the experience.

If you are planning new digital in-store concepts, ask your digital in-store expert or someone of our digital in-store partners how Dise IXM platform and Scala can help bring them to life.