NRS Digital Media operates a point-of-sale (POS) terminal-based platform for independent retailers and bodega owners nationwide, delivering over 600 million monthly impressions. NRS operates 10,000 digital screens across the country, primarily in urban areas.
The Place Exchange team spoke with NRS Digital Media’s Chief Operating Officer, Eli Korn, and Senior Director of Programmatic Partnerships, Billy Scheiner.
What are some recent company milestones?
Eli: We have seen tremendous growth in our demand. We recently had our best quarter, with 2 of our top 3 months ever.
Billy: Yes, the past quarter was our best yet with 300%+ YoY growth. Much of it came through programmatic channels. Place Exchange was a big part of it. NRS now owns and operates 10,000 digital screens across the USA in grocery and convenience locations. We serve ads directly to consumers at checkout during the transaction. It is a very engaging experience to have a consumer watch their purchases on screen alongside ads. Our advertisers appreciate this experience, which is why we’re able to grow at this pace.
Which verticals do you work with most?
Eli: We work with a very large scope of brands. Some common verticals that drive demand include CPG, Telecom, and Healthcare.
Billy: Brands that are sold in grocery and convenience stores are clearly aligned with our offering. We also get a lot of demand from other products and services where advertisers are targeting our urban locations. We can serve both general market and multicultural markets depending on the brand targets. Our locations are ideal for targeting specific communities.
What differentiates NRS Digital Media in the Digital Out-of-Home space?
Eli: NRS Digital Media is predominantly in multicultural city locations. We are in the hard to reach but very important segments of the population, giving brands access to high frequency multicultural buyers who have tremendous aggregate buying power.
Billy: We have a large network of uniquely located screens serving ads alongside 40MM monthly transactions, with a rapid growth rate, allowing us to scale delivery to large audiences.
What do you value most in your partnership with Place Exchange?
Eli: Place Exchange is revamping the entire DOOH marketplace and creating a true programmatic environment for DOOH which has never really been done before. This type of innovation will help the DOOH segment grow to rival online and mobile.
Billy: The Place Exchange team understood from the very start that DOOH needs to behave just like other digital channels. Place Exchange is making it seamless for marketers to buy and measure inventory like ours using the same workflows they’re used to.
What are your predictions for convenience culture?
Eli: Due to the uncertain times we live in, I think that convenience stores will become more important than ever. We saw, during the beginning of Covid, a huge increase in foot traffic and purchases made in convenience stores. With factors such as the change in people’s behavior brought about by the pandemic, the rise of the millennial demographic, and the need for instant gratification, the convenience store market is poised for huge growth over the coming months and years.
What are your predictions for Digital Out-of-Home?
Billy: I think that the majority of DOOH buying will soon be handled by programmatic buyers. Especially as DOOH publishers tap into open exchanges and have the opportunity to sell their entire inventory like online and mobile channels.