Everything You Need to Know About Retail Media

Overview

Hype

Players

Pros & Cons

Formats

Trends

Strategies

What Is Retail Media?

At its core, retail media brings targeted advertising to digital and physical retail spaces, allowing brands to reach shoppers at the point of decision. Powered by first-party data from retailers, it lets advertisers deliver personalized messages directly to consumers based on their interests and shopping habits. The goal is simple but powerful: to shape purchasing decisions and inspire brand preference right where it matters most—where customers are ready to buy.

Why the Hype?

Retail media has been skyrocketing in recent years, with industry revenue growth projected to continue outpacing other advertising channels. Brands and retailers alike are investing heavily, drawn by a few undeniable advantages. Unlike traditional media, retail media harnesses rich first-party data, creating a direct connection with consumers and allowing highly tailored ad placement. This level of personalization aligns with high-intent shoppers, making ads more impactful and better positioned to influence decisions. And with measurable performance metrics, advertisers get the clarity and accountability they need to refine strategies and drive results.

Rich First-Party Data

Direct Customer Connections

Tailored Ad Placements

Key Players in the Retail Media Landscape

Walmart Connect

Walmart Connect leverages an omnichannel approach that spans its website, mobile app, and physical stores, creating multiple touchpoints for brand engagement. With extensive first-party data, Walmart Connect offers highly targeted campaigns and a demand-side platform (DSP) that enhances reach, enabling advertisers to connect with millions of shoppers at scale.

Roundel™ by Target

Target’s retail media network, Roundel™, supports a multi-channel ad strategy with options across display, video, and in-store placements. Known for its closed-loop measurement, Roundel™ allows brands to track performance across the entire funnel, providing visibility into how ad dollars directly influence sales.

Kroger Precision Marketing

Powered by the data science team 84.51°, Kroger Precision Marketing brings a robust, data-centric approach to retail media. With access to granular insights into customer behavior and preferences, Kroger delivers precise audience targeting, ensuring that ads resonate with the right shoppers at the right time.

Walgreens Advertising Group

Walgreens Advertising Group offers advertisers access to an extensive network of pharmacy and wellness customers. With first-party data spanning both prescription and over-the-counter purchases, Walgreens enables highly relevant, health-focused targeting across digital and in-store channels.

Albertsons Media Collective

Albertsons Media Collective connects brands with millions of shoppers, combining grocery insights and purchase history to enhance ad targeting. With a focus on personalization, Albertsons offers opportunities across display, video, and other digital formats, supporting a full-funnel approach.

Meijer Media Network

Meijer’s media network enables brands to reach a Midwestern customer base through both digital and in-store placements. Using Meijer’s unique customer insights, brands can create targeted campaigns that reflect regional shopping habits and preferences.

The Benefits and Challenges of Retail Media

Benefits

Increased ROI Through Point-of-Sale Advertising

Retail media allows brands to connect with shoppers at the most impactful moment—right before purchase. By reaching consumers at the point of sale, brands see higher conversion rates and a direct boost to their return on investment.

Stronger Partnerships with Retailers

Investing in retail media doesn’t just drive sales; it strengthens partnerships with retailers. Advertising spend in retail media often counts toward joint business plan (JBP) commitments, aligning brand and retailer interests and fostering collaborative marketing initiatives that benefit both parties. This dual advantage supports stronger, long-term retailer relationships while reinforcing brand presence in retail environments.

Challenges

Measurement and Attribution Complexities

Although retail media offers detailed consumer data, measuring its true impact across various channels can be challenging. Retail media should be viewed as a complement to existing audience strategies, enhancing overall campaign effectiveness. However, brands need to work closely with partners to integrate retail media metrics with their broader attribution models for a holistic view of campaign performance.

Prioritization Across Retail Media Networks

As the number of retail media networks continues to grow, brands face increasing difficulty in deciding where to allocate their investments. With retailers of all sizes entering the space, advertisers often struggle to prioritize investments without spreading their resources too thin. This requires a strategic approach to ensure that efforts focus on networks that align most closely with business goals.

Advertising Formats and Strategies

Diverse Ad Formats

ON-SITE

On-site advertising formats, such as sponsored products, display ads, and search ads, enable brands to connect with high-intent shoppers within the retailer’s own digital environment. These formats leverage first-party data to target users who are already engaging with the retailer, making it easier to influence purchase decisions in real time.

OFF-SITE

Off-site ads extend the reach of retail media beyond the retailer’s digital properties, allowing brands to engage shoppers wherever they spend time online. Using first-party data from the retailer, Ventura Growth activates campaigns across a range of premium formats, including DOOH, CTV, audio, online video, native, and display. These formats allow brands to target similar audiences with precision and deliver impactful messaging on the channels that matter most.

IN-STORE

For brands looking to bridge the gap between digital and physical retail, in-store formats such as digital signage and experiential activations provide a unique opportunity to engage consumers right where they shop. While a smaller piece of the retail media landscape, these placements can reinforce digital campaigns and enhance brand visibility at key points in the physical shopping experience.

Omnichannel Strategies

In retail media, omnichannel strategies are key to building a cohesive brand presence. Consistent messaging across channels—whether on-site, off-site, or in-store—ensures that brands connect with consumers at multiple touchpoints. Integrated campaigns allow brands to reinforce their message, guiding customers from awareness to purchase with a unified, strategic approach.

Targeting and Personalization: Unlocking New Opportunities for All Brands

One of the most powerful aspects of retail media is the access it provides to rich, first-party data, which allows for precise audience segmentation and personalized ad experiences. Brands can reach shoppers based on their actual purchase behaviors, creating ad experiences tailored to individual needs and preferences.

This opportunity isn’t limited to brands already on store shelves. Non-endemic brands—those that aren’t directly sold by the retailer—can also leverage retail media to make their advertising more relevant and impactful. For example, a travel brand could tap into audience segments from Walmart Connect to reach shoppers interested in travel gear, while a financial service provider might target people buying premium products using data from Kroger Precision Marketing. This flexibility makes retail media networks a powerful tool for a broad spectrum of brands, both endemic and non-endemic, to connect with audiences based on actionable data.

Future Trends in Retail Media

Technological Advancements

As retail media evolves, the ongoing digitization of shopping experiences will continue reshaping how brands reach consumers. AI and machine learning are at the forefront of this shift, enabling advertisers to predict and personalize consumer interactions with remarkable precision. With these advancements, retail media networks will enhance targeting capabilities, allowing brands to dynamically adapt campaigns based on real-time shopper behavior.

Data Privacy

Retail data is great for brands with minimal first-party data because it provides a deterministic signal. Consequently, retail media networks are well-positioned to thrive in this privacy-conscious landscape, providing advertisers with compliant data sources directly from retailers. Brands are now able to engage audiences confidently, knowing they’re working within the boundaries of current privacy standards while delivering relevant, data-informed campaigns.

Emerging Channels

The rise of streaming services and connected TV (CTV) presents a new frontier for retail media. As consumer attention shifts toward these digital channels, brands are finding powerful opportunities to engage audiences through high-quality, immersive video content. With CTV’s growing reach, retail media networks are expanding beyond traditional channels, allowing brands to combine audience targeting with the impact of video to reach consumers at home.

Success Stories

All

Retail Media Strategies for Success

Audience-Centric Approach

A successful retail media strategy starts with understanding the audience. Brands that use advanced segmentation and data insights can tailor their campaigns to reach the right shoppers at the right time. Leveraging first-party data, advertisers can create refined, custom targeting that aligns with specific objectives—whether it’s reaching loyal customers, high-intent shoppers, or niche segments within broader audiences. This granular approach allows brands to address diverse consumer needs, elevating both relevance and impact.

Clear Objectives and KPIs

Effective retail media campaigns are anchored by clear, measurable objectives. Whether aiming to boost sales, re-engage existing customers, or launch a new product, brands should establish specific goals alongside relevant metrics. Key performance indicators (KPIs) like return on ad spend (ROAS) and incremental lift offer concrete ways to assess campaign success. With well-defined metrics in place, brands can make data-driven decisions and ensure their efforts are aligned with core business goals.

Omnichannel Integration

Integrating messaging across channels—such as CTV, display, video, and audio—helps brands extend their reach while maintaining cohesive, holistic messaging. This omnichannel approach ensures a consistent brand experience across the customer journey, amplifying reach and managing frequency to avoid ad fatigue. Importantly, with a significant percentage of sales still occurring in-store, brands can use off-site advertising to reach consumers who may not complete their shopping journey online.

By strategically broadening reach, brands capture attention both in and beyond digital retail spaces.

Measurement and Optimization

To maximize ROI, retail media strategies require precise measurement and agile optimization. Closed-loop measurement and predictive models provide insights that enable brands to track campaign effectiveness, optimize in real time, and measure incremental lift. By continuously analyzing these insights, brands can adapt and improve their strategies, ensuring sustained growth and optimal ad spend. Flexibility and responsiveness to real-time data are crucial for maintaining momentum and enhancing performance throughout the campaign lifecycle.

Ready to Lead the Charge in Retail Media?

Harness Data-Driven Strategies for Maximum Impact

Retail media is reshaping the advertising world, offering brands an unparalleled opportunity to engage with consumers using data-driven precision and targeted strategies. With its ability to harness first-party data, retail media empowers brands to reach high-intent audiences across digital, in-store, and omnichannel environments. This approach doesn’t just drive immediate sales—it builds deeper, more valuable connections with consumers.

To succeed in this evolving space, brands must prioritize data-centric strategies, integrate consistent messaging across all channels, and remain adaptable to emerging trends and technologies. By staying ahead of shifts in consumer behavior and technological advancements, brands can maximize their impact and ensure long-term success in an increasingly competitive landscape. When you’re ready to get started, partner with Ventura Growth. Reach out today, and we’ll help you deploy those holistic strategies that align with your objectives.

To learn more, contact our team today