Digital signage is entering 2026 on a growth tear, powered by programmatic buying, retail media momentum, and rapid advances in AI. U.S. out-of-home revenue hit a record in 2025, with DOOH cited as a prime driver, and forecasts point to continued expansion through 2026 as brands seek attention in real-world contexts that amplify social and performance channels. The Out of Home Advertising Association of America reported 18 consecutive quarters of growth heading into late 2025, underscoring the medium’s resilience and appeal to major advertisers.
REACH Media Network is extremely excited for what’s in store for them in 2026. With the launch of CMS 2.0, REACH is ready to evolve the digital signage experience for its clients. With a streamlined UI, fleshed-out user permissions, improved apps and integrations, and new tools, creating engaging digital signage content is easier than ever. Now let’s see what trends the industry can expect going into the new year.
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PROGRAMMATIC DOOH BECOMES A DEFAULT BUY
Automated buying is shifting from a test-and-learn approach to a table-stakes requirement. The industry expects U.S. programmatic DOOH to grow again in 2025 and reach roughly $1.23 billion by 2026, reflecting advertisers’ shift toward flexible, data-triggered placements that respond to time, location, and conditions. Industry groups are also working to standardize practices. The OAAA’s Programmatic OOH Transparency Pledge aims to bolster trust and accountability across transactions, signaling that governance is catching up with demand. Meanwhile, vendors highlight real-time creative triggers (weather, traffic, audience flow) as a key differentiator versus static OOH.
RETAIL MEDIA EXTENDS TO THE AISLE
Retail venues are expanding from websites and apps to in-store screens, making digital signage a frontline channel at the point of decision. Nielsen projects U.S. retail media spending to reach $60 billion in 2025 and $100 billion by 2028, with North America respondents most likely to increase RMN investment, a tailwind for endcap screens, self-checkout displays, and pharmacy kiosks. Reports focused on in‑store retail media describe screens as a “must‑have” for closed-loop attribution and shopper engagement, while detailing measurement and infrastructure hurdles retailers must solve to scale consistently. Location analytics further show that brick-and-mortar traffic remains substantial, reinforcing the value of messaging inside stores and the opportunity for non-endemic brands to tap networks like Walmart Connect.
AI MOVES FROM CONTENT HELPER TO COMMUNICATIONS CO‑PILOT
In 2026, expect CMS platforms to embed AI across the workflow: generating localized creative, translating messages, auto‑narrating content, and optimizing delivery based on outcomes rather than schedules. Appspace has publicly outlined this shift from “what to show and when” to “what result to achieve” with multi‑channel card editors and analytics closing the loop across signage and employee apps. Industry research inventories deployments that adjust menus or promos by time of day, weather, and inventory, citing uplifts in dwell time and sales when content is contextually tuned. Vendors also forecast broader AI use in 2025–26 for audience analytics and touchless experiences with privacy controls as cameras, sensors, and models mature.
SUSTAINABILITY: E‑PAPER GOES BIG, AND “NEAR‑ZERO POWER” MATTERS
Energy costs and climate targets are pushing signage buyers toward lower-power formats. Analysts note that while e‑paper’s adoption faces unit-cost and size constraints, regulatory pressure and sustainability goals are creating room for growth in poster replacements, window displays, and transit signage. Industry commentary also emphasizes the health and readability benefits of non‑emissive displays and their deployment flexibility in extreme environments.
MEASUREMENT AND PRIVACY MATURE
Standardized measurement has long lagged the pace of DOOH innovation. In 2025, the IAB released a comprehensive DOOH Measurement Guide that defines impressions, presence, and aligns the channel with omnichannel analytics and attention metrics groundwork that should make 2026 planning and reporting more comparable across networks. The guide’s frameworks are being publicized by trade outlets and adopted by operators, signaling a push toward consistent definitions and reporting. At the same time, privacy and biometric laws are tightening. Illinois’ BIPA continues to drive litigation around face and fingerprint collection, and more states, including Colorado, with biometric rules effective July 1, 2025, require clear notice, consent, and retention policies for biometric identifiers. The Security Industry Association’s 2025 guide catalogs 24 state-level regimes, underscoring the need for “privacy-by-design” analytics and signage deployments.
HARDWARE: SOC DISPLAYS CONSOLIDATE THE FLEET
Commercial screens with embedded system‑on‑chip (SoC) players will continue to simplify rollouts by removing external media boxes. Comparative guides and vendor notes call out improved remote management, 24/7 reliability, and energy efficiency as reasons enterprises standardize on SoC, while acknowledging that high‑end interactivity can still favor discrete players. How‑to resources for webOS and platform primers emphasize cost savings and speed of deployment for small and mid‑size networks.
INTERACTIVE KIOSKS AND TOUCHLESS JOURNEYS INTEGRATE WITH SIGNAGE
Kiosks are increasingly part of the same cloud stack as screens, enabling QR/NFC handoffs, voice or gesture input, and AR try‑ons, with research reporting shorter waits and higher basket sizes when self‑service is well designed. Sector roundups highlight the role of connectivity and secure payments as kiosks move from standalone devices to integrated endpoints in retail, hospitality, and healthcare.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR 2026 PLANS
For marketers and operators, the 2026 playbook is clear: pair standardized measurement with privacy‑safe analytics, lean into programmatic for agility, and connect retail media screens to attribution pipelines. Consider piloting e‑paper in locations where static dwell and energy costs dominate, while reserving LED for high‑brightness or 3D experiences that demand motion. Treat AI as an operations accelerator, not a gimmick, to localize creative, automate scheduling, and optimize outcomes across signage, apps, and kiosks.
Digital signage in 2026 is less about “screens” and more about connected endpoints that can be bought programmatically, measured consistently, powered efficiently, and controlled by AI, all while respecting evolving privacy law. Brands that align those layers will own both the street and the feed.
READY TO START YOUR DIGITAL JOURNEY?
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