Dentsu overlays eye tracking tech for retail media tool

Dentsu is ramping up its media planning tool by integrating retail eye tracking data, in a move which it maintains marks a major shift in how brands can engage with consumers.

The new tool brings together the platform’s original data – derived from comprehensive global surveys – with the eye tracking research conducted by Lumen Research on behalf of the Co-op Media Network.

Findings from the research challenge conventional wisdom about in-store media’s effectiveness, Dentsu claims. For instance, the data reveals that smaller stores provide over twice the opportunity to see certain products, three times the attention and quadruple the brand recall compared to larger counterparts.

The agency insists these insights disrupt the outdated perception that in-store media lacks the impact of major advertising channels, such as social and out-of-home advertising.

It is claimed that the integration of real-world attention data into Dentsu’s planning tool will grant brands deeper audience insights and enable precedented accuracy in media planning. Users will now be able to quantify the volume of attention generated by different in-store advertising formats, ensuring more strategic investment decisions.

No longer just a tactical tool for last-minute purchases, retail media is emerging as a powerhouse driver of long-term brand-building, Dentsu reckons.

Dentsu managing director of product and innovation Katie Hartley said: “Retail media is rapidly evolving into one of the most influential advertising channels. Historically, it has been viewed as tactical rather than strategic, but this research and integration proves otherwise. We’re proud to collaborate with Co-op Media Network and Lumen to bring this game-changing data to market – reshaping how brands approach in-store advertising, both in the UK and globally.”

Co-op Media Network head Dean Harris added: “By bringing our in-store attention data into Dentsu’s planning tool, convenience media now sits alongside mainstream channels in the planning process. It’s no longer a bolt-on or an afterthought – it’s right where it belongs. Dentsu’s planners now have a high-attention channel they can use to strengthen client campaigns.”