Guide
Payment screen advertising in Australia.
By the Tap Ads team. Updated .
Payment screen advertising shows a full-screen ad on the screen customers face at the counter while they order and pay. In Australia it runs in cafés, restaurants and shops. It's the newest form of point-of-sale advertising, and on Tap Ads every view is counted on the screen rather than estimated.
Below are six ways to advertise at the point of sale in Australia, what each is best for, what it costs and the catch with each, so you can see where a payment screen fits.
Nobody scrolls past the payment screen. They're waiting to pay.
The formats
Six ways to advertise at the point of sale.
- 01
Printed point-of-sale displays
Counter stands, posters, shelf talkers and wobblers placed where people pay or pick a product.
- Best for
- Promoting a product the store sells, right where it's bought.
- Rough cost
- Low to print, but you need each store to agree to put it up.
- The catch
- Placement is up to store staff, and nobody counts who saw it.
- 02
Supermarket and retail media
Screens, aisle placements and digital ads sold by the big retail chains, in store and online.
- Best for
- Brands the retailer already stocks.
- Rough cost
- High, and set by the retailer.
- The catch
- Only open to brands on the shelf, and the results sit in the retailer's own data.
- 03
Checkout and queue screens
Screens above checkouts and queues in chains like service stations and pharmacies.
- Best for
- Repeat exposure across a whole chain.
- Rough cost
- Mid.
- The catch
- Your ad shares a loop with other brands, and the audience is usually an estimate.
- 04
Menu boards and in-store TV
Digital menu boards and screen loops in cafés, restaurants and shops.
- Best for
- The business's own specials, and some networks sell space to brands.
- Rough cost
- Low to mid.
- The catch
- People are reading the menu, so an ad in the loop competes with it for attention.
- 05
Receipt and card offers
Offers printed on receipts or sent with digital receipts, and card-linked offers run through banks.
- Best for
- Bringing a customer back for a second visit.
- Rough cost
- Low, often paid on results.
- The catch
- It reaches people after they've paid, and a receipt is easy to ignore.
- 06
Payment screen advertising
A full-screen ad on the customer-facing screen at the counter in cafés, restaurants and shops, shown while people order and pay, with every view counted.
- Best for
- Building a brand at the moment people are spending.
- Rough cost
- Low to mid. Book a location for your brand alone, or share it with other brands. Ask us for a rate.
- The catch
- It builds familiarity over repeat visits, rather than a same-day response.
Side by side
The formats, compared.
| Format | Best for | Rough cost | Measurement | When they see it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Printed displays | In-store promotions | $ | Not measured | While browsing |
| Retail media | Brands on the shelf | $$$ | Retailer's data | While shopping |
| Checkout and queue screens | Chain-wide exposure | $$ | Usually estimated | While queuing |
| Menu boards and in-store TV | The store's own offers | $ | Not measured | While choosing |
| Receipt and card offers | A return visit | $ | Redemptions | After paying |
| Payment screens | Brand at the moment of spend | $-$$ | Counted views | While paying |
Cost is relative: $ light, $$$ heavy. Treat it as a starting shape, not a quote.
Where Tap fits
The screen they're already looking at.
Most point-of-sale formats sit near the purchase. A payment screen is part of it: the customer faces the screen with a card or phone in hand while they wait for the total.
Tap Ads runs your ad full screen on those screens in cafés, restaurants and shops across Australia, and counts every view on the screen while your campaign runs, so the number you report is views that happened. You can book a location for your brand alone, or share it with other brands.
The basics
Point-of-sale advertising, explained.
What is point-of-sale advertising?
Point-of-sale advertising is any ad placed where people pay or decide what to buy: counter displays, posters, screens above checkouts, retail media and the payment screen at the counter. It reaches people while they're spending, which is why brands use it for launches, promotions and building familiarity.
What is payment screen advertising?
Payment screen advertising shows a full-screen ad on the screen customers face at the counter while they order and pay, on a POS or payment terminal. On Tap Ads, businesses earn a monthly rebate for showing the ads, and advertisers book the locations they want, with every view counted on the screen.
How much does payment screen advertising cost?
It's low to mid compared with other point-of-sale formats. Tap Ads doesn't publish a rate card, because the price depends on how you book. You can take a location for your brand alone or share it with other brands, and some campaigns are priced by location and others by counted views or results. Ask us for a rate for the locations you have in mind.
See what a payment screen campaign looks like.
Tell us the brand, the audience and the areas you want, and we'll show you the locations and what a campaign there would look like. A real person replies, and there's no obligation.