Programmatic technology is making out-of-home ads more accessible for small businesses. Vistar Media’s Ben Baker reveals why OOH might finally earn its place in SME budgets.
What’s Happening: Out-of-home advertising is entering a new phase in 2026, with programmatic digital out-of-home technology enabling real-time campaign adjustments based on sales data, store performance and audience movement.
Why This Matters: Small businesses have traditionally avoided out-of-home advertising due to high costs and limited measurability. However, automation and the resurgence of physical retail are changing the equation.
Out-of-home advertising, long dismissed by small businesses as too expensive and impossible to measure, is undergoing a transformation that could finally make it relevant for SME marketing budgets.
The shift centres on programmatic digital out-of-home technology, which enables real-time campaign adjustments based on sales trends, store performance, audience movement and even weather triggers. This automation is turning traditional billboards and street-level displays into dynamic, data-responsive advertising channels.
Ben Baker, Managing Director APAC at Vistar Media, argues that 2026 will mark a turning point for the industry. “The media industry is at a turning point. As we look to 2026, the out-of-home sector isn’t just evolving, it’s accelerating into a new phase of maturity, with agile data-driven formats like programmatic digital out-of-home at the forefront,” Baker said.
The technology addresses a longstanding pain point for marketers. Traditional OOH required lengthy planning cycles and offered limited flexibility once campaigns launched. Programmatic tools now allow buyers to plan and activate both static and digital OOH from single platforms, streamlining what was once a fragmented process. “Agencies and marketers are under pressure to do more with less, from tighter timelines to bigger expectations. The demand for results hasn’t changed, but the way we get there will,” Baker said. Tools like Vistar Media’s Adstruc are connecting previously siloed buying processes, enabling marketers to manage campaigns across formats and environments from one interface. This consolidation matters particularly for small businesses, which typically lack the resources to navigate complex media buying systems.
Retail resurgence drives change
Contrary to predictions that e-commerce would dominate consumer behaviour, physical retail is experiencing renewed vitality. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, retail turnover increased 1.2% month on month in June 2025, with through-the-year growth of 4.9%. Shopping centres anchored by supermarkets and essential services continue delivering consistent foot traffic across economic cycles.
Baker points to this trend as a key driver of OOH’s evolution. “What’s happening in retail tells its own story. Despite predictions of e-commerce dominance, physical retail is thriving, not as a relic of the past, but as a reinvigorated channel for brand interaction. Store openings are up. Foot traffic is back. And consumers aren’t just shopping; they’re seeking out experiences,” Baker said.
This shift creates opportunities for proximity-based advertising that targets consumers near physical locations. Small businesses with retail presences can now activate campaigns using store-level insights, adjusting messaging based on inventory availability or time-of-day patterns. “By 2026, we’ll see more campaigns activated using store-level insights, based on sales data, inventory availability, or time-of-day triggers. This level of contextual targeting isn’t a future fantasy, it’s already here, and we anticipate seeing it more,” Baker said.
The approach differs significantly from traditional small business marketing strategies. Research from Dynamic Business shows that outdoor ads remain among the least popular methods for SMEs, with only 7.8% of small business owners using them, primarily due to high costs. However, programmatic technology could alter this calculation by reducing minimum spend requirements and improving measurability.
Automation meets street advertising
The evolution mirrors broader trends in digital advertising, where automation and data integration have become standard. Baker characterises the transformation as fundamental rather than incremental. “The narrative around OOH is evolving. We’re no longer talking about panels and static placements. We’re talking about one of the last remaining channels that can deliver both scale and specificity,” Baker said.
The shift from broadcast medium to performance channel represents a significant repositioning. Traditionally, OOH served primarily as a branding tool, valued for reach and frequency but difficult to tie directly to business outcomes. Programmatic capabilities now enable closed-loop measurement, tracking campaigns from impression through to incremental sales.
“OOH is becoming a dynamic, data-rich, and highly addressable medium that even rivals digital for agility and measurability,” Baker said. This matters particularly as holding groups merge and operating models prioritise efficiency. Marketers seeking consolidated platforms that span multiple channels can now include OOH alongside digital and social advertising within unified planning systems.
Performance metrics arrive
The Asia-Pacific region is demonstrating how retail media strategies can incorporate OOH as a performance channel rather than purely a brand awareness vehicle. Baker notes that early adopters are using programmatic DOOH to drive measurable commercial outcomes.
“As we’ve seen across APAC, where retail media strategies are quickly maturing, programmatic DOOH is proving itself as far more than a branding tool. It’s being used to drive tangible commercial outcomes, delivering not just impressions, but incremental sales. For marketers, that’s a game-changer. For agencies, it’s a way to reintroduce performance metrics into a traditionally ‘broadcast’ medium,” Baker said.
For small businesses navigating tight budgets, this shift could prove significant. The ability to target specific geographic areas, adjust campaigns based on real-time data, and measure return on investment addresses three major barriers that previously kept SMEs away from OOH advertising. Marketing experts have previously noted that small businesses often struggle with expensive advertising methods, making programmatic DOOH’s promise of efficiency and measurability particularly relevant for proximity-based campaigns targeting local customers.
Baker frames 2026 as a year of execution rather than experimentation. “OOH will be back on the agenda; not just because it works, but because it works harder, smarter, and faster than ever before. Next year won’t be about proving the value of OOH but pushing how far it can go,” Baker said.
Reality check for SMEs
Whether small businesses will embrace OOH at scale remains to be seen. Whilst programmatic technology reduces some barriers, challenges persist. Minimum spend requirements for premium locations still exclude many micro-businesses, the effectiveness depends heavily on access to quality first-party data, and campaigns only deliver results when targeting aligns with actual customer geography.
However, for SMEs with physical locations and sufficient budget flexibility, the combination of automation, retail resurgence and performance measurement capabilities is creating conditions that could finally make street-level advertising accessible to businesses seeking alternatives to saturated digital channels.
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