As marketers increasingly bet on in-store commerce media and consumers shorten their shopping trips, GSTV argues that brevity is a reason advertisers should bet on convenience stores.

• Some 60.4% of commerce media ad buyers invest in some form of digital in-store media this year, according to a September 2025 EMARKETER survey.
• Marketers expect to increase their budgets for retailer on-site display ads (40%) and retailer on-site video ads (46%) this year, according to a November 2025 Skai and Stratably survey.

While consumers are still prioritizing in-store purchases, their shopping trips are shortening, making it harder for brands to capture their attention.

• The share of in-store visits to Walmart, Kroger, and Target that last less than 10 minutes has increased from 2019 to 2025, according to a November Placer.ai report.

While quick trips can limit how much consumers notice in-store messaging, GSTV has expanded its footprint in the channel, including a partnership with Casey’s last year that increased its video screens by more than 10%.

Consumers are more willing to make instant decisions at the convenience store without reading reviews or doing price comparisons, said Lauren Lazarus, senior vice president of insights and analytics at GSTV.

“Everyday convenience moments matter because they’re when purchase decisions actually happen without overthinking,” she said.

Sparking speedy sales

While 45% of consumers are delaying big purchases, 82% list grabbing items without a full grocery trip as a reason to hit a convenience store, according to an April GSTV report.

“Marketers know that convenience stocks fewer SKUs than larger big box and grocery channels, yet it’s a prime place for discovery and trial,” said Lazarus.

Physical stores are the top channel (48.2%) that US shoppers said they’d recently discovered a new product in a June 2025 EMARKETER survey.

“After picking up a single serve snack or beverage, a consumer may or may not buy a larger pack at grocery that same day; however, the brand has made its way into their routine on at least a trial basis,” she said.

The Gen Z snacking spree

Gen Z’s exposure to advertising has made them savvier consumers, especially sensitive to digital formats, said Kristina Lutz, chief marketing officer at GSTV at an IAB event.

“They do the research, and they know what is and isn’t an ad, therefore earning that trust is really, really difficult,” she said.

That’s where in-store commerce media has an opportunity, she said.

“This is a moment in time when we have full attention, high attention, and low distraction, and it's a way to break through to Gen Z,” said Lutz.

Gen Z has first heard about products on social media just as much as in-store in the last six months (52.1%), according to a June 2025 EMARKETER survey. Only 46.1% of non-Gen Z consumers said the same about stores.

This tendency for in-store discovery is most pronounced among Gen Z. Beyond the fact that they over-index on impulse purchasing, they have a higher affinity with convenience stores specifically than other generations, said Lazarus.“The convenience store is more of a destination for Gen Z, versus just another errand for older generations,” she said. “Gen Z views convenience as a place to meet up and grab snacks before doing something else as a group.”

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