JB Hi-Fi just made the most significant retail media move in Australia this year. The electronics retailer is rolling out a full retail media network across all 207 stores, partnering with Criteo for the digital component and Broadsign for in-store screen advertising.
This isn't another retailer bolting a sponsored listings feature onto their website. This is physical retail media at scale.
Retail media in Australia has been dominated by Coles, Woolworths and Amazon. Their networks focus primarily on digital placements: sponsored products in search results, display ads on category pages, programmatic off-site targeting using first-party shopper data.
JB Hi-Fi's play is different because it bridges the gap between digital retail media and physical store environments. In-store screens at point of purchase, powered by the same data layer that drives their online advertising. A trial store is already live, with the full network rollout planned across the 207-store footprint.
JB Hi-Fi locations set to carry in-store retail media screens, creating Australia's largest electronics retail ad network
For brands selling through JB Hi-Fi, this creates a new budget line item. In-store retail media sits somewhere between trade marketing and digital advertising, and most marketing teams don't have a clear owner for it yet.
The Criteo partnership handles the programmatic piece: self-serve buying, audience targeting based on JB Hi-Fi's purchase data, measurement tied to actual transactions. Broadsign handles the physical screens: digital out-of-home inventory inside the stores themselves.
The combination is what makes this interesting. A brand could run a product launch campaign that targets high-intent shoppers online through Criteo's sponsored listings, then reinforces the message on in-store screens at the exact moment those shoppers are standing in the relevant aisle.
For Australian businesses, particularly in consumer electronics, appliances and entertainment, this changes how you think about channel allocation. Retail media is no longer just a line item in your e-commerce budget. It's a physical presence play.
The question isn't whether retail media works. It's whether your team is set up to buy it.
Three things to consider. First, if you sell through JB Hi-Fi, get your retail media strategy sorted before the network fully launches. Early adopters in retail media consistently get better placement rates and lower CPMs. Second, audit your current trade marketing spend. Some of what you're spending on traditional in-store marketing may be better deployed through this new programmatic channel. Third, make sure you have someone who actually understands retail media on your team or in your agency. This isn't display advertising and it's not trade marketing. It's its own discipline.
Sources: Mi3 Australia, Criteo, Broadsign
