Circle K
Scaling digital in‑store experiences across 3,000+ stores and 9,500 digital touchpoints
Circle K, a global leader in fuel and convenience retail, partnered with Visual Art to transform the in‑store experience through a scalable digital signage and in‑store experience management solution. Today, Visual Art is an integrated partner in Circle K’s in‑store concept, delivering a global digital in‑store ecosystem that drives sales, improves customer experience and enables in‑store retail media opportunities across thousands of locations.
What started as small pilot projects in Sweden has evolved into a large‑scale international deployment across Europe and the United States, covering:
- ~3,100 stores
- ~9,500 digital screens
Today, Visual Art is an integrated partner in Circle K’s in‑store concept, delivering a global digital in‑store ecosystem that drives sales, improves customer experience and enables scalable retail communication.
9,500
digital in‑store touchpoints
3,100
stores
13
markets
The Challenge
Increasing food and beverage sales in a fast‑paced retail environment
In convenience retail, purchase decisions are made in seconds. For Circle K, creating a clear, engaging and effective in‑store communication system was critical.
Key challenges included:
- Limited ability to upsell food and beverage products
- Difficulty communicating product quality and range clearly
- Need for a more premium and consistent in‑store experience
- Lack of scalable tools for managing menus across markets
The objective was to modernise the in‑store environment and use digital signage to drive sales in key categories:
- Hot food
- Coffee
- Baked goods
The Solution
A full‑service digital signage and in‑store experience platform
Visual Art delivered a complete end‑to‑end digital in‑store solution, combining strategy, design, content and technology.
Digital menu boards and in‑store screens
The solution includes a full ecosystem of retail digital signage:
- Digital menu boards
- Digital coffee menus
- Car wash screens
- Merchandising screens (candies, gum, chocolate)
These screens create a consistent and engaging in‑store customer experience while enabling real‑time updates and campaign flexibility.
IXM platform – centralised digital signage CMS
All screens and content are powered by Visual Art’s IXM platform, an enterprise digital signage software and retail CMS.
The platform enables Circle K to:
- Manage content across thousands of screens
- Ensure consistency across markets
- Update menus and campaigns in real time
- Scale digital in‑store communication globally
Enabling an in‑store retail media network
As part of the digital in‑store solution, Visual Art enables Circle K to leverage its screen network as an in‑store retail media platform.
By using digital menu boards and in‑store screens as media channels, Circle K can:
- Run targeted campaigns at the point of purchase
- Promote high‑margin and strategic products
- Unlock new revenue opportunities through retail media
- Adapt messaging dynamically based on time, location or campaigns
Powered by the IXM platform, this creates a scalable in‑store retail media network across thousands of stores.
These screens create a consistent and engaging in‑store customer experience while enabling real‑time updates and campaign flexibility.
Data‑driven design and menu optimisation
A key part of the solution was the development of a design framework and centralised playbook for digital menu boards.
- Menu structures were tested and optimised based on performance
- Design decisions were driven by measurable sales impact
- A scalable playbook ensures consistency across all European markets
The Impact
Proven sales uplift and a scalable global retail platform
By combining digital signage, design strategy and a scalable CMS, Circle K has transformed its in‑store communication into a powerful sales driver.
Business impact
Increased sales in key categories:
- Hot food
- Coffee
- Baked goods
- Improved upsell through digital menu boards
- Stronger product visibility and clarity
- Enabled in‑store retail media capabilities across a global store network
- Increased ability to run targeted campaigns and promotions
- Created foundation for future retail media revenue streams
Operational impact
- More modern and premium in‑store environment
- Improved perception of food quality and freshness
- Faster and clearer decision‑making for customers
Customer experience
- Standardized communication across markets
- Scalable platform for future growth
- Centralized control of in‑store messaging
Global Rollout
Pilot phase in 2016
Initial projects in Sweden focused on:
- Digital menu boards
- Coffee screens
- Expansion across Europe
Following successful pilots, the solution expanded to:
- Sweden
- Norway
- Denmark
- Baltics
- Ireland
With ongoing expansion into additional European markets.
Recent rollout and standardisation
A major rollout phase included:
- Denmark
- Ireland
- Baltics
Key focus areas:
- Unified IXM platform deployment
- Full refresh of menu board design
- Implementation of a centralized design playbook
Technology
IXM – In‑Store Experience Management Platform
The Circle K solution is powered by Visual Art’s IXM platform, a scalable enterprise digital signage software that also enables in‑store retail media and campaign management at scale.
IXM supports:
- Digital signage networks at scale
- In‑store retail media and campaign management
- Cloud‑based content distribution
- API‑first and hardware‑agnostic integrations
Key figures
- ~3,100 stores globally
- ~9,500 digital screens
- Europe + United States deployment
- End‑to‑end solution: strategy, design, content and platform