Walk into any Target, Walmart, or Kroger and count the screens. There’s one at the checkout showing promotions. Digital endcaps from Coca-Cola and Pepsi showcasing their products. E-ink price tags replacing paper labels across entire sections. Screens in electronics, pharmacy, customer service. Complex displays throughout the store.
Now walk into a local boutique or independent grocery store. Most likely, there’s one screen near the register.
The market research confirms what we all observe: digital signage is exploding in retail, and it’s happening on the sales floor. The global digital signage market reached $28.83 billion in 2024 and is projected to hit $45.94 billion by 2030—an 8.1% compound annual growth rate.1 In-store deployments dominate with over 70% of revenue share, and retail is leading the charge.1
Big retailers are winning the digital signage arms race. Small retailers are getting priced out.
2026 is when that changes.
The Numbers Tell a Clear Story
Multiple independent research firms confirm sustained, significant market expansion:
- Grand View Research: $28.83B (2024) → $45.94B (2030) | 8.1% CAGR1
- Allied Market Research: $23.6B (2022) → $50.6B (2032) | 8% CAGR2
- MarketsandMarkets: Software segment growing at 10.2% CAGR, outpacing overall hardware growth3
This isn’t a flash trend. The market is doubling every decade, driven by fundamental shifts in how retailers communicate with customers.
Where the Growth is Happening
North America dominates with 34%+ market share—this is the primary battleground.1 Asia-Pacific is growing faster (26.5% CAGR), but North American retail is where the infrastructure buildout is happening right now.
The research tells us 70% of digital signage revenue comes from in-store deployments.1 That growth isn’t happening in corporate lobbies or event venues. It’s happening on retail sales floors, in grocery aisles, at restaurant counters.
And here’s the key insight: software is growing faster than hardware (10.2% vs 8%).3 Customers are prioritizing content management, integrations, and ease of use over display specifications. The value is shifting from the screens themselves to what you can do with them.
What’s Actually Happening in Big Box Retail
The 70% in-store deployment statistic makes sense when you look at what big retailers are actually rolling out:
Digital endcaps from merchandisers: Major brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Unilever are bringing their own screens to retail locations. These aren’t store-managed displays—they’re brand-funded installations driving product attention at the point of decision.
E-ink price tags replacing paper: Entire sections of stores are converting to electronic shelf labels. Dynamic pricing, real-time inventory updates, promotional messaging—all automated. Kroger, Whole Foods, and other chains are deploying these at scale.
Checkout and self-checkout displays: Every register now has a screen showing promotions, upsells, and branded content. Self-checkout kiosks are mini advertising platforms.
Department-specific screens: Electronics sections showcasing product videos. Pharmacy displays explaining new medications. Deli counters showing meal ideas. Garden centers with seasonal planting guides.
Wayfinding and store navigation: Interactive kiosks helping customers find products. Screens showing inventory availability and store maps.
This is where that $28.83 billion market is being deployed. Not one screen per store—multiple screens throughout each location.
The Cost Barrier Keeping Small Retailers Out
Here’s the problem: traditional digital signage vendors sell hardware and software as a bundle. Each screen requires a proprietary media player costing $400-800, plus a monthly software license of $20-50 per screen.
Let’s do the math for a small retailer trying to compete:
Big box retailer (500 locations, 5 screens per location):
- 2,500 screens × $400 hardware = $1,000,000 upfront
- 2,500 screens × $30/month software = $75,000/month
- Vendor gives volume discounts, custom enterprise pricing, dedicated account teams
Small retailer (3 locations, 5 screens per location):
- 15 screens × $400 hardware = $6,000 upfront
- 15 screens × $30/month software = $450/month
- No volume discounts. “Contact sales” pricing. DIY support.
The small retailer pays proportionally more per screen than the enterprise customer, while getting fewer features and worse support.
Even more frustrating: that $400 media player is just a locked-down Android device or mini PC. A Raspberry Pi or Fire TV Stick delivers identical performance for $80-150. But traditional vendors won’t support BYOD because their business model depends on hardware margins.
This is the wedge that’s keeping small retailers from competing on customer experience.
Why 2026 Changes the Equation
Three converging trends make 2026 the inflection point:
1. Hardware Commoditization
Consumer 4K displays that cost $2,000+ five years ago now retail for under $300. Research reports cite “decrease in cost of displays” as a key market growth driver.2 The hardware is cheap and ubiquitous.
But incumbent vendors haven’t adjusted their pricing models. They’re still charging enterprise prices for commodity hardware.
2. Software Value is Decoupling from Hardware
Software growing faster than hardware (10.2% vs 8%) signals a fundamental shift.3 Customers care about content management, scheduling, integrations with existing systems. Not which brand of media player is in the back of the display.
The value is in the platform, not the device.
3. Small Retailers Need Multi-Display Deployments
The gap between big box customer experience and small retailer customer experience is widening. When Target has 8 screens throughout the store and your boutique has zero, customers notice.
Small retailers need to deploy 3-5 screens minimum to stay competitive:
- Window display
- Point of sale
- Featured products/promotions
- Wayfinding or store information
- Department-specific content
At $400-800 per screen for proprietary players, that’s $2,000-4,000 in upfront hardware costs before you even start paying monthly software fees.
With BYOD, it’s $400-750 for the same deployment (5 × Raspberry Pi at $80-150 each).
That’s a 70-80% cost reduction. Enough to change the ROI calculation entirely.
The Market Opportunity We’re Building For
We’re launching BrandCast in Q1 2026 because the market conditions are finally aligned:
The demand exists: 70% in-store deployments, retail leading, 8% annual growth. Big retailers are proving the ROI. Small retailers are falling behind.
The technology exists: Cheap consumer displays, ubiquitous computing devices, mature cloud infrastructure. The building blocks are commoditized.
The pricing gap exists: Enterprise vendors haven’t moved downmarket. They’re still optimizing for 50-500 location customers, leaving 1-10 location retailers underserved.
The software value shift is happening: 10.2% CAGR in software vs 8% overall means customers are buying platforms, not hardware.
This is a classic disruption setup: established vendors serving high-end customers, underserved low-end customers with different needs, and a technology shift that changes the cost structure.
Small retailers don’t need a $100,000 enterprise deployment with a dedicated account manager. They need:
- Simple setup they can do themselves
- Transparent pricing they can budget for
- Flexibility to use devices they already own
- Content management that works like the rest of their business tools
Nobody is building for that customer. That’s what we’re fixing in 2026.
What’s Next
We’re finishing alpha testing now and launching beta in Q1 2026. If you’re a small retailer watching big box stores deploy screens everywhere and wondering how you’re supposed to compete, we’re building for you.
The market data makes it clear: digital signage is the future of retail customer communication. The question is whether small retailers get left behind because of artificial cost barriers in vendor pricing models.
We don’t think they should.
Beta waitlist: app.brandcast.app/beta
Sources
Footnotes
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Grand View Research, “Digital Signage Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report,” 2024. Market valued at $28.83B in 2024, projected to reach $45.94B by 2030 at 8.1% CAGR. North America holds 34%+ market share. In-store deployments account for 70%+ revenue share. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
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Allied Market Research, “Digital Signage Market Outlook,” 2024. Market valued at $23.6B in 2022, projected to reach $50.6B by 2032 at 8% CAGR. Decrease in display costs and improved customer experience cited as key growth drivers. ↩ ↩2
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MarketsandMarkets, “Digital Signage Software Market Report,” 2023. Software segment valued at $4.48B in 2016, projected to reach $9.24B by 2023 at 10.2% CAGR, outpacing overall market growth. ↩ ↩2 ↩3