Dick's Sporting Goods is using interactive sports experiences in its stores to build better opportunities for advertisers on its retail media network.

“We’re seeing what we’re doing [with] in-store advertising as an extension of what we’re doing with our retail environment holistically,” said Dick's Sporting Goods vice president of retail media David Young, at a recent retail media session hosted by DPAA.

It’s not just about making the in-store experience more attractive for paying customers, but building connections between those experiences and in-store media.

House of Sport

Dick's is supporting new interactive experiences through its growing concept store, House of Sport. Currently there are approximately 50 of these stores, with plans to increase the number to 100 in the next two years, according to Young.

With a 100,000+ square foot layout, the DICK’S House of Sport concept has room for hands-on sports activities, featuring climbing walls, batting cages and golf simulation bays. These added experiences, along with dedicated areas for products and featured brands, allow for new ways to blend commerce and media.

“We’ve started the retail media execution in-store at House of Sport locations because they are the pinnacle of our brand expression and how we show up authentically,” said Young.

Dick's Media Network is in 20 House of Sport locations, with plans to have the network live in 50 locations by the end of 2026, Young stated. All told, the media network is connected to over 850 stores in 47 states.

Media-enhanced merchandizing

The Dick's Media Network is allowing brands to take advantage of in-store screens that enhance the shopper’s journey, including video screens at checkout and screens at mall entrances.

Dick's customers (internally called “athletes”) are no strangers to multi-channel purchase journeys.

• 80% of online orders were fulfilled by stores.
• Over 65% of 2024 sales came from omnichannel customers who have made purchases online and in-store.

As an omnichannel shopper, the Dick's customer is the kind of shopper primed for an enhanced in-store experience.

Interactivity and measurement

One feature in some House of Sport designs is an interactive shoe wall. For a recent Adidas campaign promoting the AE2 basketball shoe, magnetic shelves were used to trigger nearby screens that showed video content starring Anthony Edwards, guard for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves.

“Who’s better at selling the AE2 than ‘Ant’ himself?” Young asked. “If we can pull that creative into the store environment, through sight, sound, and add that to the tactile experience of holding the product…we’re creating a brand-building moment that’s going to drive lifetime value for that partner, as much as purchase of the product in that moment.”

Dick's is figuring out ways to support advertising in these dedicated environments using radar and RFID technology, Young said. Insights coming from these measurement tools allows advertisers to time their campaigns for key moments when shoppers are close to the product, and close to making a purchase.

For example, in the recent Adidas in-store campaign, Dick's could report how many times a customer picked up the featured product, how many visitors interacted with the environments, then also map that back to sales and share with similar products in the store’s inventory, Young explained.

The top barrier to more in-store advertising is the infrastructure/capital investment needed in the stores (38.8%), according to a March survey of advertisers and agencies by EMARKETER and Placer.ai.

With relevant sports activities and strategic placement of screens and creative, Dick's demonstrates through its House of Sport design how retailers can make investments in in-store media profitable for advertisers and retailers, and meaningful for shoppers.

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