Vistar Media Study Finds Store Locator Placement Swings DOOH Ad Performance
2026-09-28 · via DailyDOOH
Vistar Media has published research on how store locator information in DOOH ad creative affects visit and purchase intent, and the findings suggest that where an operator or agency places that locator, and how it is designed, matters more than simply including it at all.
The study, called "The Store Locator Effect," tested creative with location information placed at the top, middle and bottom of an ad, plus a control version with no location details. Campaigns spanned Retail, Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) categories, according to Vistar Media.
For anyone buying or planning DOOH campaigns, the practical takeaway is that middle placement underperforms. Vistar Media says top and bottom placements consistently beat the middle of the creative, where store information competed with headlines and imagery and was more easily overlooked. Top placement drove the strongest purchase intent lift for CPG campaigns, at 20% versus the control. For Retail and QSR campaigns, bottom placement drove the strongest visit intent lift, at 9% versus control.
The category breakdown is notable. Vistar Media reports the largest effect showed up among CPG impulse-buy products, citing sweets and chocolate as an example, where purchase intent rose by more than 110%. The company suggests store locators become especially valuable when a purchase decision can be made on the spot, which has implications for how CPG brands brief their creative teams for out-of-home compared with retail or QSR advertisers chasing a physical visit.
Design choices add up
Placement was not the only factor. According to the study, using a familiar location "pin" icon lifted visit intent by 16%, and applying high-contrast design between the store information and the rest of the creative lifted visit or purchase intent, depending on category, by 10%.
Vistar Media also flags a tradeoff worth noting for brand-building campaigns: when a store locator prominently featured another brand, such as a supermarket, dealership or retailer, that additional branding appeared to split viewer attention between the advertiser and the reseller. The company says this matters most for newer or emerging brands trying to build recognition.
Martine Hammink, VP of Creative Studio and Creative Solutions at Vistar Media, said the research shows small creative decisions have a quantifiably meaningful effect on audience response, and that the study is meant to give brands and creative teams evidence for making outdoor creative decisions more intentional. Roos Goesz, OOH Director at Omnicom NL, said programmatic DOOH and dynamic creative optimization let advertisers deliver ads more efficiently at the right place and time, and that the study gives the industry backing to move from claiming potential to proving value.
The announcement does not specify sample size, number of markets, or the research methodology behind the intent measurements, details an operator evaluating the findings would want before applying them to a campaign. The full report is available on Vistar Media's website.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from DailyDOOH for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
The research shows that adding store locator information to DOOH ad creatives, in order to help customers discover and navigate their way to physical store locations, can increase visit and purchase intent. However, the extent of that effect depends on where the information sits in the advert, how it’s designed and the category of business behind the campaign.
Roos Goesz , OOH Director, Omnicom NL, told us “With Programmatic DOOH and DCO, we can deliver outdoor ads far more efficiently at the right place, time, and moment. That means better visibility, attention, and engagement. This study gives us the solid backing and real insights we need. Seeing how dynamic solutions like store locators perform lets us shift from ‘using potential’ to ‘proving real value’.”
The study tested advertising creatives for three store locator placements, with location information placed at the top, middle and bottom of the ad, and a control unit without any location details. They ran across Retail, Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) campaigns.
Placement within the ad creative matters: Across the study, top and bottom placements consistently outperformed the middle of the creative, where store information competed with headlines and imagery and was more easily overlooked. For CPG campaigns, top placement drove the strongest overall purchase intent lift (20% vs. control), while for Retail and QSR campaigns, bottom placement drove the strongest overall visit intent (9% vs. control).
Placement within the ad creative matters: Across the study, top and bottom placements consistently outperformed the middle of the creative, where store information competed with headlines and imagery and was more easily overlooked. For CPG campaigns, top placement drove the strongest overall purchase intent lift (20% vs. control), while for Retail and QSR campaigns, bottom placement drove the strongest overall visit intent (9% vs. control).
The effect varies by category: Store locators had a strong impact across the board, with Retail and QSR campaigns seeing significant lifts in visit intent. The largest effect was observed among CPG impulse-buy products (e.g., sweets and chocolate), where purchase intent rose by over 110%, suggesting that store locators become especially valuable when a purchase decision can be made spontaneously.
The effect varies by category: Store locators had a strong impact across the board, with Retail and QSR campaigns seeing significant lifts in visit intent. The largest effect was observed among CPG impulse-buy products (e.g., sweets and chocolate), where purchase intent rose by over 110%, suggesting that store locators become especially valuable when a purchase decision can be made spontaneously.
Design is as important as placement: Independent of where store information appeared, creative execution had a measurable effect. Using a familiar location “pin” lifted visit intent by 16%, and applying high-contrast design between the store information and the rest of the creative lifted visit or purchase intent (depending on category) by 10%.
Design is as important as placement: Independent of where store information appeared, creative execution had a measurable effect. Using a familiar location “pin” lifted visit intent by 16%, and applying high-contrast design between the store information and the rest of the creative lifted visit or purchase intent (depending on category) by 10%.
Additional branding can influence brand recognition: When a store locator prominently featured another brand, such as a supermarket, dealership or retailer, the additional branding appeared to divide attention between the advertiser and the reseller. For campaigns focused on building brand recognition, particularly for newer or emerging brands, this is worth keeping in mind when designing store locator content.
Additional branding can influence brand recognition: When a store locator prominently featured another brand, such as a supermarket, dealership or retailer, the additional branding appeared to divide attention between the advertiser and the reseller. For campaigns focused on building brand recognition, particularly for newer or emerging brands, this is worth keeping in mind when designing store locator content.
“This research shows that small creative decisions, like where a store locator sits and how it’s designed, have a quantifiably meaningful effect on how audiences respond. When thoughtfully considered, a simple store locator becomes a measurable driver of consumer intent,” said Martine Hammink , VP, Creative Studio & Creative Solutions at Vistar Media. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, but we hope this study gives brands and creative teams real evidence to make their creative outdoor advertising decisions more intentional and impactful.”
The complete ‘The store locator effect’ report is available here: vistarmedia.com/the-store- locator-effect-research
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