How to Advertise in Retail Parks
Key Takeaways
Retail park advertising works best when the format, location and message are planned around shopper intent.
Strong campaigns use clear creative, point-of-purchase relevance and a simple next step, such as visiting a store or searching online.
One Day Agency can plan retail park campaigns across OOH, digital screens, local media, PPC, paid social and wider integrated activity.
Retail park advertising helps brands reach shoppers close to purchase. To advertise in retail parks effectively, you need to understand who visits the location, how they move through the site and which formats can influence them before, during or after the shopping trip.
Retail parks are useful because people are already in a buying mindset. They may be visiting a supermarket, furniture store, gym, restaurant, DIY retailer, cinema or fashion outlet. That gives brands a strong opportunity to place a clear message in front of people who are already planning to spend.
At One Day Agency, retail park campaigns can be planned alongside OOH advertising, billboard advertising, digital OOH, local advertising, PPC and paid social.
Start With the Campaign Goal
Before choosing media, decide what the campaign needs to achieve. A retail park campaign could be designed to increase store visits, promote a new product, support a store opening, push a seasonal offer or build awareness in a specific town or region.
The goal will shape the format. A store opening might need bold entrance media and local digital support. A product promotion might work better close to a relevant retailer. A national brand campaign may need a larger retail park network supported by search and paid social.
Retail park advertising can support:
Store launches
Retail footfall
Product promotions
Seasonal campaigns
App downloads
Food and drink offers
Click and collect messaging
Local awareness
The clearer the objective, the easier it is to choose the right location and creative.
Understand the Retail Park Audience
Retail parks attract people who are often there with a practical reason to shop. They may be buying groceries, homeware, furniture, DIY products, electronics, sportswear or food. Many visitors arrive by car, often with enough time and space to make larger purchases.
This makes retail parks different from high streets or shopping centres. The visit is often more planned, more convenient and more task-led. Free parking, large units and easy access all help shape the behaviour.
CBRE reported continued strength in occupier demand for UK retail parks, with discount food chains, homeware retailers and gym operators expanding their presence in the first half of the year. Its UK retail park report also highlights convenience and accessibility as key strengths of the format.
Choose the Right Retail Park Locations
Location is the most important planning decision. The best retail park is not always the largest one. It is the one that matches the audience, category and campaign objective.
Useful location factors include:
Tenant mix
Nearby roads
Parking layout
Entrances and exits
Proximity to anchor stores
Footfall by day and time
Food and drink areas
Local demographics
Competitor locations
A homeware brand may prioritise parks with furniture and DIY stores. A food delivery brand may focus on parks with leisure and restaurant anchors. A gym, college or local service might use retail park media to target nearby residents and commuters.
For wider route planning, retail park advertising can also be combined with roadside advertising or transport advertising to reach people before they arrive.
Select the Right Advertising Format
Retail parks can use a mix of large-format OOH, digital screens, car park media, entrance signage, directional media and near-store placements. The format should reflect where the audience is most likely to notice the message.
Large-format billboards work well for simple awareness messages and retail launches. They can reach drivers and passengers as they enter, exit or pass the retail park. Digital screens are useful when the campaign needs flexible messaging, different creative by time of day or short-term promotional updates.
Car park media can be especially effective because many visitors move through car parks before entering stores. It can be used to remind people about offers, direct them to a specific retailer or prompt a digital action before they leave.
Near-store media works best when the message is linked to a product, category or retailer. It is useful for point-of-purchase influence, especially when the advertised product is available nearby.
Make the Message Fit the Shopping Moment
Retail park advertising should feel useful in the moment. People are already shopping, parking, comparing options or deciding where to go next, so the message needs to be practical and quick to understand.
Good retail park messages include:
A clear offer
A store opening message
A directional prompt
A seasonal promotion
A product launch
A click and collect reminder
A food or drink offer
A loyalty app prompt
Avoid trying to say too much. Retail park visitors may be driving, walking with children, carrying shopping bags or moving between stores. The message should be easy to understand in seconds.
JLL has noted that retail parks have outperformed other retail locations in terms of openings and net closures, with food, leisure, homewares and bulky goods retailers active across recent retail park demand. Its retail park analysis shows why the format remains attractive to occupiers and, by extension, advertisers.
How to Advertise in Retail Parks
Connect Retail Park Ads With Digital Media
Retail park advertising can influence both physical and digital behaviour. A shopper might see an ad in the car park, search the brand on mobile, then visit a store or convert later online.
Useful channel pairings include paid social, PPC, local SEO, programmatic display, radio, digital OOH and email. The role of digital is to reinforce the retail park message and make the next action easier.
For example, a retailer could use retail park OOH to promote a local offer, then use PPC to capture search demand and paid social to retarget people in the surrounding area. For this type of joined-up planning, media buying, programmatic and creative campaigns can help connect the media and message.
Measure the Campaign
Measurement should be planned before the campaign starts. Retail park advertising can drive awareness, visits and online actions, so brands should track more than impressions.
Useful measurement methods include:
Estimated reach
Footfall uplift
Store visits
Sales by location
Search uplift
Website traffic
QR scans
App downloads
Promo code usage
Brand awareness surveys
Retail park performance can vary by month and category. BRC-Sensormatic data showed retail park footfall increased by 7.5% year on year in April, outperforming high streets and shopping centres during the same period. The BRC’s footfall update shows how seasonal timing, weather and trading periods can affect performance.
“Retail park advertising works when the media is planned around intent. People are already in a shopping mindset, so the strongest campaigns make the next step obvious, whether that is visiting a store, searching a product or acting on an offer.” - Sailor Parsons, Senior Growth Manager, One Day Agency
How One Day Agency Can Help
At One Day Agency, we plan and activate retail park advertising across classic OOH, digital screens, roadside media and local placements. We help brands choose the right retail parks, formats, locations and creative approach based on audience, budget and campaign objective.
We also connect retail park advertising with wider digital and media activity, helping brands turn visibility into search demand, store visits and measurable action.
Learn more about place-based advertising, shopping mall advertising, outdoor advertising, Google Shopping and integrated marketing with One Day Agency.
References
JLL: The Case for UK Retail Parks
BRC: Spring Sunshine and Late Easter Boost UK Footfall
FAQs
How do you advertise in retail parks?
To advertise in retail parks, define the campaign goal, identify the shopper audience, choose the right retail park locations, select the format, prepare clear creative, secure approvals, book the media and measure performance.
What advertising formats are available in retail parks?
Formats can include large-format billboards, digital screens, car park advertising, entrance and exit media, directional signage, near-store media and experiential activations.
What brands should advertise in retail parks?
Retail park advertising can work for retailers, FMCG brands, food and drink businesses, leisure brands, gyms, homeware brands, fashion brands, automotive brands, apps and local services.
Is retail park advertising good for local campaigns?
Yes. Retail park advertising is useful for local campaigns because it reaches people close to stores, services and leisure destinations.
How can retail park advertising be measured?
It can be measured through reach, footfall, store visits, sales by location, search uplift, website traffic, QR scans, app downloads, promo code usage and brand awareness studies.
