Robbie Thain
Founder, CEO
AI-generated illustrative image. Not an official campaign image.
Web Tonic's September 2026 retail data reveals that 67% of shoppers webroom before buying. Learn how CPG brands can align digital and physical retail media.
On September 21, 2026, Web Tonic updated its "Stores vs. Screens: Retail Data 2026" article with fresh consumer findings. The publication reported that online research and physical store purchasing increasingly function as one connected journey rather than competing channels. This new data challenges how consumer packaged goods brands allocate their advertising spend. The findings suggest a potential budget mismatch between online marketing investments and the actual influence of physical retail media.
The logistical facts confirm that digital research directly impacts physical retail purchasing. According to the updated report, U.S. e-commerce sales totaled $340.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026. Web Tonic cited U.S. Census Bureau data showing that this figure represents approximately 17% of total retail sales for the quarter. This financial baseline demonstrates that a massive portion of retail dollars still changes hands inside physical stores.
The shopper journey across these channels is highly fluid. Web Tonic cited 2026 consumer research from Salsify surveying nearly 3,000 shoppers across the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. That research found that 67% of shoppers research a product online before purchasing it in a physical store. This behavior runs concurrently with showrooming, as 53% of shoppers browse in-store before buying online.
Store environments also remain critical for new product discovery and trial. Web Tonic reports that 69% of shoppers purchased a new product in a physical store during the previous year. This figure represents an increase of 11 percentage points from the source's early-2025 comparison. The publication also notes a 2026 dunnhumby report ranking in-store displays at 35% of measured retail media influence.
This 35% influence metric placed physical displays ahead of online ads at 22% and personalized recommendations at 18%. We believe that securing a measurable sales pipeline requires strict control over the physical activation footprint. Our team has built hands on brand moments that connect emotionally and turn customers into ambassadors for over thirty years. Across our history, we have delivered more than 1,000 campaigns in all 50 states for more than 200 brands.
That historical range has given us experience across different products, retail settings, and events rather than a single activation format. When data shows that the majority of shoppers webroom before buying, brands must build a single unified funnel. A shopper might check a product page on a retailer app before walking into a store. If the physical store lacks a compelling demonstration, the brand loses the momentum built by digital advertising.
We deliver carefully executed, face-to-face marketing experiences designed to capture attention and generate measurable sales pipeline. We design memorable live experiences that bring brands and people together through interaction, emotion, and engagement. Our focus remains strictly on turning these fleeting consumer interactions into qualified leads for premium CPG brands. You cannot optimize a physical activation without a clear baseline for store-level sales lift.
Live engagements consistently prove their value when executed with operational discipline. OAAA reports that 73% of adults ages 18 to 64 prefer products or retailers that engage them through in-person experiences or local outdoor events. Live marketing creates measurable traction beyond simple attendance metrics. In OAAA's research, 40% of consumers who attended a live marketing event reported making a purchase.
Furthermore, 38% reported trying a product sample, 35% visited a website, and 33% posted about the experience on social media. Shifting budgets toward the point of purchase completely changes how field marketing teams operate. Merging these channels means physical retail activations must meet the precise measurement standards of digital advertising. Brands need structured operational frameworks to keep multi-city programs on schedule and producing trackable Return on Investment.
Without these frameworks, physical media campaigns risk becoming uncoordinated efforts plagued by poor booth flow and scattered attention. Digital screens alone cannot carry the entire in-store experience. Grocery TV reported that 62% of surveyed U.S. grocery shoppers had purchased a product after seeing it on an in-store screen. However, those digital placements must coordinate with product availability, accurate pricing, and physical sampling.
Web Tonic further reports that 63.1% of in-store shoppers cite better prices than online as a reason for visiting a store. Additionally, 27.4% cite immediate product availability and 27.0% cite in-store-only deals or exclusives. Understanding how shoppers spend their time dictates where field teams should deploy physical assets. Web Tonic cites Placer.ai data indicating that 37.6% of indoor-mall visits lasted more than 75 minutes.
This compares with 33.4% of open-air-center visits and 34.6% of outlet visits. Despite this substantial dwell time, the same publication reports that only 30% of shoppers say stores excel at inspiring them. Bridging this inspiration gap requires physical environments that invite people to try, share, and act. Strategic placement of physical media requires analyzing how long consumers linger in specific store zones.
Testing physical touchpoints near high-traffic areas helps guarantee that your experiential investments reach the right shoppers at the right time. When you pair strategic placement with exceptional field staff, you create an environment that inspires action rather than passive observation. Our team focuses entirely on turning these brief physical interactions into lasting brand equity.
A VP of Marketing in the CPG beverage category told us: "Robbie, your leadership and vision turned our campaign into something truly special. The Makai team brought our new drink to life with energy, creativity, and flawless execution. Thanks to you, our brand isn't just tasted, it's remembered." Our team's approach transformed their product launch into a memorable brand experience.
Aligning online research with real-world execution is critical for securing physical retail media budgets. You must track how your live events connect to downstream actions like website visits and physical store traffic. OAAA reports that 86% of consumers would take some action after seeing an interesting retail out-of-home advertisement. Integrating this approach with in-store retail media screen placement helps bridge the gap between online browsing and physical sales.
Understanding how first-party shopper data optimizes in-store engagement gives marketing leaders a clear advantage in a crowded market. Brands that deploy interactive environments find much greater success converting digital awareness into physical transactions. When shoppers transition from digital product pages to physical store aisles, your field strategy must be ready. As you evaluate your current in-store operations, are they disciplined enough to capture the purchase intent generated by your online media spend?
Once brand directors finalize their digital tracking mechanisms for new product rollouts, Makai builds the physical activation spaces needed to validate that online interest. When scattered attention and poor booth flow block your ability to convert digital awareness into retail conversion, our Mobile Sampling Tours deliver your brand directly to audiences through on the go experiences that drive trial and awareness.
30 Years Experiential & Retail Activation Partner for CPG & Beverage Brands | Multi-Market Demos, Roadshows & Costco/Club Programs That Actually Sell
