Outdoor advertising drives purchase and activates. It reaches along the shopping path and at the point of purchase in shopping centres and grocery stores. Outdoor advertising can ensure wide reach and repetition at key points in the shopping environment. It is an excellent way for both online retailers and traditional stores to reach where the purchase decision is made.

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76% of metropolitan residents are reached in shopping centres during the ^week1

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Shopping centres have become urban hubs that have diversified their role in everyday life. They are no longer just places to shop, but increasingly offer all everyday services, from groceries and public transport to leisure and recreation, under one roof.

According to a ^study5, Finns are among the most avid webroomers in the Nordic countries, with 46% of us looking online for inspiration for our shopping, but actually shopping in a bricks-and-mortar store.

Shopping centres in central locations are not only places to spend time, but also important transit routes.

In fact, the reach of shopping centres has increased in recent years, with 62% of all Finns and as many as 76.4% of people living in the Helsinki metropolitan area being reached in a shopping centre during the week.

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Almost everyone (97%) visits a physical grocery store on a ^weekly basis1

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In 2024, Finns will spend €23.5 billion on groceries, of which online shopping accounted for ^3%2. The S Group's grocery stores are the single most visited by Finns (86.6%), making them the single most targeted ^outdoor advertising environment1.

Visibility at the point of purchase is effective, as 78% of brand choices are made ^in-store3. In-store advertising also lends itself to branding, as it is uniquely accessible and consumers are receptive to advertising outside the grocery ^sector4.

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Outdoor advertising acts as a physical shop window

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Premises still play an important role as a marketing channel for businesses: companies have found that online sales double in areas where their store is physically located. ⁸

In particular, online-only brands should find a way to keep themselves visible and in the minds of consumers. Outdoor advertising is the optimal channel to make your brand visible where people move, spend time and shop, reaching up to 99% of Finns in a week. No other media can do this^.9

Effectively reaching shopping centres and shopping streets are therefore part of the shopping journey, not only as a place to shop but also as a means of inspiration and experimentation.

Contextuality brings even more opportunities for shops

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The flexibility brought by digital enables advertisers to deliver the desired message in a more rational way and to respond more quickly to consumer needs.

The product being advertised can change according to the weather, the day of the week or the stock situation, for example. Check out, for example, this great Elisa case.

With the rise of mobile, consumers are just a few clicks away from a purchase when they encounter outdoor advertising. This is also worth bearing in mind that the vast majority of online shopping in Finland is done on a mobile device^.7

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5 facts about outdoor advertising:

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1. Outdoor advertising boosts the effectiveness of many media channels, but it has been found to have a particularly strong impact on online searches (+54%) ^.10

2. In a Facebook study, outdoor advertising was found to be the best media channel of all, alongside social media, increasing purchase intentions by +15%.¹¹

3. 57% of Finns buy more products or spend more money than planned during their shopping trip. ⁽¹²

4. 90% of Finns have paid attention to advertising media in shopping centres and 86% in grocery stores ⁽¹²⁵. 44% of Finns say they have bought a product they have seen on digital advertising screens in a grocery store and 42% have bought a product they have seen on an advertising screen in a shopping centre ^(12‍

^Sources

1.^{Kantar Mind, 2024 January-December (data includes only K-Citymarkets, K-Supermarkets, K-Markets, Prismat, S-markets, Alepa and Salet)} 2^{. Päivittäistavarakauppa ry, 2025}
3.<sup>Norstat Finland 3/2023 (18+ years, n=1031)
4. Consumer Compass Oy. Target group: N1040, Population 18-69
5: Paytrail. Online shopping in Finland. 2019.
6: Kuulas. Retail Buying Study. 2019.
7: Price Guide Consumer Survey. 2019.
8 CACI: The Online Halo. 2019.
9 Kantar Mind. 2024
10: Rapport. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. 2019.
11: Facebook IQ: Maximize Reach With Out-of-Home and Facebook Campaigns in EMEA. 2019.
12. Consumer Compass Ltd. 2018. Consumer Compass, 2018.</sup>

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