What New OAAA Research Means for Retail Billboard Advertising

What does the new OAAA research say about retail billboard advertising?

New research from the OAAA and The Harris Poll says out-of-home advertising reaches shoppers at every stage of the purchase process. Half of consumers say retail ads influence them in the days before shopping, and 86% say they’d act on a retail ad that interests them. For local retailers, the lesson is timing, placement, and follow-through.

The study was released on September 17, 2026, by the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA). Billboard Insider was the first to cover it.

Headlines are easy to share. This post focuses on what a store owner or marketing manager should actually do with the numbers.

What are the key takeaways for local businesses?

• Influence climbs as shoppers get closer to the store. Consumers rated retail out-of-home ads as more influential right outside a store than in the days before shopping.
• Most people act online first. Visiting a website or app and searching online were the top reported actions after seeing a retail ad.
• Specific, timely messages beat general ones. Same-day availability and time-limited offers drew strong response.
• These are survey answers, not sales data. Use them to shape your plan, then measure your own results.

How was the study conducted, and how much should you trust it?

The report is called “The Power of the Human Medium: OOH Across Experiential + Retail.” According to the OAAA release, The Harris Poll surveyed 2,015 U.S. adults online from August 4 to 5, 2026. The analysis focused on 1,474 adults ages 18 to 64.

The Foundation for Out of Home Advertising Research and Education (FOARE), a nonprofit tied to the industry, sponsored the study. That doesn’t make the findings wrong. It does mean you should read them as the industry’s case for the medium.

The bigger point is the data type. Most of these numbers describe what people say they would do. Stated intent is useful for planning. It isn’t the same as a receipt. A smart buyer uses research like this to pick a direction, then tests it in their own market.

Where does a billboard fit in the path to purchase?

A billboard does its best work before the shopper reaches your aisle. The research breaks retail influence into three moments. Only two of them belong to roadside billboards.

According to the study, 50% of consumers say retail out-of-home ads affect their purchase decisions when they see them in the days before shopping. That rises to 59% for ads immediately outside a store and 64% inside the retail environment.

The days before shopping

This is where most billboard advertising lives. A commuter passes your board on the way to work several times a week. When the need comes up, your name is already familiar.

The study also found that 77% of adults ages 18 to 64 recall recently seeing retail out-of-home advertising, rising to 81% among Gen Z. Recall is the first job. If people don’t remember you, nothing else in the funnel happens.

The drive near the store

A roadside billboard isn’t the same as a sign on your storefront. But a board on the main route to your location sits much closer to the buying moment than one across town. It can turn “I should go there sometime” into “It’s right up here.”

This is why placement matters more for retail than for many other categories. When you review available faces on a billboard locations map, look at which roads your customers use to reach you, not just which roads have the most traffic.

Inside the store

The 64% figure applies to ads inside the retail environment. That’s in-store signage and displays, not billboards. It’s worth knowing, because it shows the value of a consistent message. Your billboard offer should match what shoppers see when they walk in the door.

Why does timing matter more than most buyers expect?

Timing matters because the strongest responses in this research came from specific, current messages. General brand messages build memory. Timely messages create a reason to act today.

Two findings stand out for retailers:

• 73% say they’d visit a nearby store that same day if an out-of-home ad said a specific product was in stock and ready for same-day pickup.
• 87% of adults ages 18 to 64 say they’d redeem a time-limited offer delivered through an out-of-home ad.

Both messages depend on being accurate right now. That points toward digital billboards for retailers who want to run in-stock or limited-time messages. A digital face can change copy quickly. A printed vinyl needs design approval, production, and installation, so it suits evergreen or longer-running messages better.

Digital also lets you match the message to the hour. If your offer only makes sense before closing time, dayparting on digital billboards lets you run it when people can still act.

A realistic retail example

Picture a hardware store before a forecast freeze. A general board says the store has “everything you need.” A timely board says pipe insulation and faucet covers are in stock today. The second message answers a question the driver already has. It also gives them a reason to stop on the way home instead of ordering online.

That kind of swap is realistic on a digital face. It’s rarely realistic on a printed one, because the weather will change before new vinyl goes up.

What happens after someone sees your retail billboard?

Most people go online before they walk in. Among consumers who said they’d act on a retail out-of-home ad, 45% would visit the retailer’s website or app, 42% would search for the retailer online, and 33% would visit a store in person.

That order matters. For many shoppers, your billboard sends them to Google or your website first. If that step fails, the billboard gets blamed for a problem it didn’t cause.

A pre-launch checklist for retailers

• Search your exact business name on a phone. Make sure your Google Business Profile shows correct hours, address, and phone number.
• Check that any product or offer on the billboard appears on your homepage or a clear landing page.
• Confirm the store name on the billboard matches how people will search for it. Don’t use a nickname on the board and a legal name online.
• Test your site on mobile. Most follow-up searches after a drive happen on a phone.
• Brief your staff on the offer so the in-store experience matches the board.

A clear, short call to action on your billboard makes every step above easier, because people know exactly what to look for.

What do retail advertisers get wrong about research like this?

The most common mistake is treating a survey percentage as a promised result. “86% would take action” doesn’t mean 86% of drivers will visit your store. It means most people say billboards can move them when the message interests them. The “interests them” part is your job.

Other mistakes we’d warn against:

• Running a vague message. The strongest responses in the study came from specific offers and same-day availability, not slogans.
• Choosing reach over route. A high-traffic board far from your store can build awareness, but it won’t catch the near-store moment the research highlights.
• Ignoring the online step. If 42% say they’d search first, a weak listing or slow website leaks the board’s value.
• Running a time-limited offer on the wrong format. Expiring promotions and printed vinyl often don’t mix. Leftover copy for an offer that already ended hurts trust.
• Judging too early. Recall builds with repeated exposure. A few weeks is rarely enough time to read results from a new board.

What does this look like from the operator side?

From where we sit as a billboard operator, this research matches a pattern buyers often miss. The board rarely fails on its own. The handoff fails.

A retailer runs a strong design, then the phone number on Google is outdated, or the promo isn’t on the website, or staff doesn’t know about the offer. The billboard did its part by getting attention. The follow-through didn’t hold.

We also see retailers ask for timely, promotional messages and then choose a printed face because it’s cheaper. That can work for a long-running brand message. It works poorly for anything tied to a date, a stock level, or the weather. Match the format to how often the message needs to change.

How should a retailer measure a billboard campaign?

Measure the behaviors the research points to: searches, website visits, and store visits. No single metric proves a billboard worked, but several together tell a clear story.

• Branded search. Watch searches for your business name in Google Search Console before and during the campaign. Here’s how to track branded search from billboards in GSC.
• Google Business Profile actions. Look at calls, direction requests, and website clicks from your listing.
• Direct website traffic. Compare visits during the flight to the same period before it.
• Offer redemptions. A unique code or phrase that appears only on the billboard gives you a direct count.
• Store traffic and sales by location. If you have more than one store, compare the store near the board to one that isn’t.

Set your baseline before the board goes up. Without a “before” number, it’s hard to show what changed.

Frequently asked questions

Do billboards work for retail stores?

Billboards can work well for retail stores when the message is specific, and the board is on routes customers use to reach the store. New OAAA and Harris Poll research found 86% of consumers say they’d take action after seeing a retail out-of-home ad that interests them.

How close should a retail billboard be to my store?

There’s no single distance rule. Look for boards on the main roads your customers drive to reach you. The OAAA study found consumers rated ads seen right outside a store as more influential than ads seen days before shopping, so proximity to the buying moment matters.

Should retailers use digital or printed billboards?

Use digital billboards for messages that change often, such as in-stock products, weekly deals, or time-limited offers. Printed billboards suit long-running brand messages. The deciding factor is how often your message needs to change.

What do people do after seeing a retail billboard?

Most go online first. In the OAAA study, 45% said they’d visit the retailer’s website or app, 42% said they’d search for the retailer online, and 33% said they’d visit a store in person.

How reliable is the OAAA Harris Poll research?

The Harris Poll surveyed 2,015 U.S. adults online in August 2026, and an industry nonprofit sponsored the study. It measures what people say they would do, so use it to guide planning and confirm results with your own data.