Nobody clicks a screen at a train station. So how do you measure DOOH engagement? Four honest proxy metrics — QR scans, brand-search lift, geofence, direct traffic — with realistic benchmarks.
TL;DR
DOOH has no click. We use four proxies instead: QR scans (0.03–0.15%), branded search lift (8–25%), geofence footfall and direct traffic spike. These ranges are rough assumptions, not adyoutiser measurements. Anyone promising much more should show the method.
Why DOOH has no real CTR
The online CTR measures view → click → landing page. DOOH doesn't work that way. Someone sees a screen, walks past, googles your brand two hours later. That is engagement — but not click-based.
The industry agreed on proxy metrics. None is perfect. All four together give a reliable picture.
The 4 honest engagement proxies
1. QR Scan Rate
Scan Rate = (Scans / Impressions) × 100
Rough ranges (assumptions, not measured by us): Indoor 0.08–0.15%, Outdoor 0.03–0.06%, Premium 0.12–0.20%.
Example: 50,000 impressions × 0.1% = 50 scans. Anyone promising 1% has a typo or counts views as scans.
2. Branded Search Lift
Lift % = ((Searches during campaign / Baseline) - 1) × 100
Tools: Google Trends (free, rough), Search Console (own brand, precise), SISTRIX/SEMrush.
Rough ranges (assumptions): Local SMB campaign 8–15%, mid-size 15–25%, large >€10k 25–60%.
Caveat: Always compare year-over-year, not month-to-month, to remove seasonality.
3. Geofence Footfall
Footfall Lift = ((Exposed visitors / Control) - 1) × 100
Providers: Adsquare, Mfind, hivelink. Usually €50k+ minimum spend. Workaround for small budgets: own door counter or POS data, compared YoY.
4. Direct Traffic Spike
GA4 → Acquisition → Direct. Filter by region, device, new-user % to clean noise.
Combined SMB setup
| KPI | Tool | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| QR Scan Rate | Bitly + UTM | free |
| Brand Search Lift | Google Trends | free |
| Direct Traffic | GA4 | free |
| Footfall | Own counter | free |
Composite:
Engagement = (QR scans × value per scan) + (Search Lift % × Baseline Value)
+ (Footfall × AOV × 0.3)
The 0.3 is typical visit-to-customer conversion. Premium hospitality 0.5, impulse retail 0.15.
What NOT to measure
- ‘‘Eyes on screen’’ without cameras = guess, not measurement
- Black-box ‘‘engagement scores’’ = marketing theater
- CTR promises >0.5% = mathematically impossible on legitimate DOOH inventory
More on measurement realism in our Share of Voice guide and DOOH cost overview.
Calculate now
Price your screens in 30 seconds: DOOH calculator. All locations: 20 screens (16 Vienna · 3 Bratislava · 1 Amstetten).
Christian Starzengruber
Founder, adyoutiser
Ich habe Adyoutiser 2025 in Wien und Bratislava gestartet, weil Bildschirmwerbung keine Agentur brauchen sollte. Wir haben ein Buchungs-Tool gebaut: Bildschirm auf der Karte auswählen, Werbung hochladen, zahlen — live in unter 5 Minuten, ab €2. Wir veröffentlichen unsere Roadmap öffentlich und antworten auf jede E-Mail innerhalb von 24 Stunden.
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