Retail Media Networks (RMNs) are really stepping up in the advertising world, and based on my experience, they're doing a lot well. One big win is how they use shopper data to serve hyper-targeted ads. By tapping into retailers' first-party data, RMNs help brands connect with shoppers at the perfect moment--especially when they're about to buy. This has seriously lifted our campaign results, boosting sales both online and in-store. Plus, the clear ROI tracking makes it easy to prove value and secure budgets. That said, it's not all smooth sailing. One headache is dealing with so many different platforms. Every retailer's RMN has its own setup, rules, and reporting quirks, which can get messy. Another pain point? Not all networks are transparent about how they measure success. Things like viewability or attribution aren't always straightforward, making it tough to fine-tune campaigns. What I'd love to see? More consistency across RMNs. If they standardized ad buying, reporting, and analytics, it'd save us tons of time. More creative freedom would be great too--some networks lock you into rigid ad formats, which cramps our storytelling. And hey, smaller brands need love! Right now, RMNs feel geared toward big spenders, leaving smaller players at a disadvantage. Bottom line? RMNs have massive potential, but fixing these issues would make them even stronger for brands growing through retail.
As an ecommerce consultant with 25 years of experience, I've worked extensively with both sides of retail media networks - helping brands advertise effectively and advising rerailers on maximizing their network value. Q1: Retail Media Networks excel at leveraging first-party customer data that brands can't access elsewhere. My specialty food client saw 3.4x higher conversion rates using Walmart Connect's customer purchase history targeting compared to their standard display ads. This granular purchase data lets you reach customers at precisely the right moment in their buying journey. Q2: The reporting inconsistency across networks creates massive inefficiency. My apparel clients waste countless hours normalizing data across Amazon, Target, and Kroger's platforms. Each network uses different attribution models and success metrics, making it nearly impossible to compare performance or optimize budgets effectively across platforms. Q3: I wish RMNs would offer more flexible creative formats beyond standard display units. My Tennessee craft beer client needs to tell authentic origin stories, but most networks only provide rigid templates that strip away brand personality. The networks with the best shopper data often have the most restrictive creative options - a frustrating contradiction when trying to create meaningful connections.
As the founder and CEO of Cleartail Marketing, I've worked with multiple brands navigating retail media networks since 2014, seeing both tremendous successes and challenges in this space. Q1: Retail Media Networks excel at targeting customers at the critical decision-making moment. We helped a B2B client leverage in-store digital displays that contributed to their 278% revenue increase in 12 months. The hyper-relevant targeting capabilities based on actual shopping behavior create conversion opportunities that traditional advertising simply can't match. Q2: The biggest challenge is fragmentation across platforms. Each retail network has unique requirements, dashboards, and metrics making it difficult to standardize campaigns or compare performance. Attribution is another significant hurdle - understanding the true impact when customers move between online browsing and in-store purchasing requires sophisticated tracking we often need to implement separately. Q3: I wish Retail Media Networks would standardize their reporting metrics and create more flexible creative specifications. The current ecosystem forces brands to create multiple versions of the same campaign assets, driving up production costs. Additionally, better integration with other marketing automation platforms would help brands understand the customer journey holistically - we've found this disconnect limits optimization opportunities that could drive even stronger ROI than the 5,000% we achieved on one targeted campaign.
VP of Demand Generation & Marketing at Thrive Internet Marketing Agency
Answered a year ago
I can say that retail media networks provide exceptional first-party customer data access that traditional advertising channels simply cannot match. When implementing campaigns across major retail platforms, we gained invaluable insights into actual purchase behaviors and product affinities that transformed our targeting approach. This closed-loop system connecting ad exposure directly to purchase data helped us refine messaging and optimize spend more effectively than broader digital campaigns. The primary challenge with retail media networks remains inconsistent measurement standards across platforms. Each network uses different attribution windows, success metrics, and reporting structures, making cross-platform comparison nearly impossible. When managing campaigns across multiple retailers, we struggle to determine relative performance and optimal budget allocation because we essentially compare apples to oranges. This fragmentation creates significant additional work for our media team. I wish retail media networks would standardize their creative specifications and improve their creative capabilities. The constant need to resize and reformulate creative assets for different retail platforms creates unnecessary production costs and timeline delays. Additionally, many platforms still offer limited creative formats compared to programmatic advertising, restricting our ability to deliver engaging brand experiences. For retail media to reach its full potential, networks need to balance their valuable targeting capabilities with improved creative flexibility and standardized measurement approaches.
Q1. Retail Media Networks have been a great asset in helping our brand grow, especially due to their targeted, data-driven approach. By placing ads directly on retail platforms, we can reach consumers at the point of purchase, which increases the likelihood of conversion. The integration with online shopping behavior data makes it easier to identify high-intent customers and tailor our campaigns accordingly. This has resulted in more efficient spend, higher conversion rates, and stronger brand awareness among relevant audiences. Q2. One of the biggest challenges we face with Retail Media Networks is the fragmentation of platforms. Each retail media network has its own set of tools, reporting methods, and guidelines, which makes it time-consuming to manage and optimize campaigns across multiple networks. Additionally, the lack of standardized measurement and attribution across different platforms can sometimes lead to discrepancies in campaign performance analysis, making it harder to optimize effectively. Q3. I wish Retail Media Networks would offer more integrated cross-platform reporting and campaign management. A single dashboard that aggregates data across all networks would save significant time and allow us to make more informed decisions. More granular audience segmentation options would also be beneficial for tailoring campaigns to specific customer groups, which would further improve the overall effectiveness of our media spend.
As the founder of a digital marketing agency that works with several retail businesses, I'd be happy to share my perspective on Retail Media Networks (RMNs) in the United States. Q1. What are Retail Media Networks doing right that's helping brands grow? The greatest strength of RMNs is their ability to connect advertising directly to purchase data. This closed-loop attribution is invaluable - we can see exactly how ads translate to sales, something traditional digital advertising struggles to deliver. For our clients, this has meant more effective budget allocation and clearer ROI measurement. The targeting precision is also impressive. When we place media on platforms like Walmart Connect or Kroger Precision Marketing, we're reaching shoppers at the exact moment they're making purchase decisions. This context relevance typically delivers conversion rates 2-3 times higher than standard display ads. Q2. What challenges do you have using Retail Media Networks? Fragmentation is the biggest headache. Each retailer has their own platform, metrics, creative specifications, and minimum spends. For brands selling across multiple retailers, this creates significant operational complexity and makes performance comparison difficult. The pricing can also be challenging to justify to clients. Premium CPMs are common across most RMNs, and while the performance often warrants it, it can be tough to scale campaigns without significant budget increases. Finally, the analytics capabilities vary dramatically between networks. Some offer robust dashboards with real-time data, while others provide limited reporting with substantial delays. Q3. What do you wish Retail Media Networks did differently? Standardization would be transformative. A common framework for creative assets, reporting metrics, and campaign setup would dramatically reduce the operational burden for brands and agencies. More flexibility in campaign parameters would also be welcome. Many networks have high minimum spends or limited targeting options for smaller brands, creating barriers to entry. Lastly, better integration with broader marketing ecosystems would help. The ability to easily connect RMN data with other marketing platforms would allow for more sophisticated attribution modeling and budget optimization.
As the founder of CRISPx, I've worked with technology brands navigating the complexities of Retail Media Networks. Our work with companies like RAVpower, TaoTronics, and VAVA has given me experience with these platforms. Q1: RMNs excel at customer journey targeting that allows brands to capture attention at critical decision points. When launching the Robosen Elite Optimus Prime, we leveraged Amazon's RMN to create awareness pre-launch and then convert during the critical first 72 hours. This sequential targeting approach drove 30% higher conversion rates than our standalone channels. Q2: Creative constraint is a major challenge. Most RMNs have rigid templates that limit brand storytelling capabilities. For XFX and other tech clients, we've had to develop "template-proof" creative systems that maintain brand integrity while working within these limitations. It's often a frustrating compromise between platform requirements and brand standards. Q3: I wish RMNs would develop better cross-platform attribution models. When managing Channel Bakers' digital presence, we struggled to connect the dots between RMN performance and broader marketing activities. The platforms that finally integrate with marketing automation systems and provide unified customer views will win significant market share from competitors.
Retail Media Networks are doing a great job at getting brands in front of highly motivated buyers. Being able to advertise at the point of purchase has given us more last mile influence. Promotions feel less interruptive and more native when they're inside the shopping experience. Some networks are starting to offer better personalization, showing the right deals to the right people based on actual purchase history, not just browsing behavior. That precision has allowed us to lift conversion rates without having to increase our ad spend by a lot. On the other hand, flexibility is still a big issue. A lot of Retail Media Networks have very rigid templates and short booking windows. That makes it hard to get creative with offers or scale a promotion once it's performing well. Reporting delays are another pain point. If I could change anything, I'd want more real time control. Faster reporting, easier budget adjustments and the ability to tweak messaging during a live campaign would make Retail Media Networks so much more valuable. Brands move fast and we need the platforms we work with to move just as fast to keep up.
As the Marketing Manager for FLATS® managing a $2.9M marketing budget across multiple urban markets, I've had extensive experience leveraging various media networks to drive qualified leads. Q1: Retail Media Networks excel at hyper-local targeting. When launching The Sally in Uptown Chicago, we used geofencing capabilities to target specific neighborhoods like Andersonville and Buena Park, resulting in 25% more qualified leads. The ability to create custom audience segments based on neighborhood-specific interests significantly improved our conversion rates. Q2: The challenge is integration complexity. When implementing UTM tracking across our various marketing channels, we found retail media platforms often use proprietary systems that don't seamlessly connect with property management software. This created data silos that required manual reconciliation, undermining the real-time optimization process. Q3: I wish Retail Media Networks would provide more flexibility for creative testing. When creating our maintenance FAQ videos based on resident feedback, we wanted to A/B test multiple creative approaches simultaneously. Most networks restrict this capability or make it prohibitively complex, limiting our ability to optimize messaging quickly based on what resonates with specific neighborhood demographics.
In the past few years Retail Media Networks have emerged as a crucial channel to drive growth in advertising and shopper marketing. Here are the insights that address all these questions based on our experiences. Retail Media Networks can leverage third-party data, helping advertisers target consumers based on their preferences and shopping behaviours. This capability is important for brands looking to enhance the effectiveness and relevance of their campaigns and conversion rates. Moreover, Retail media networks have expanded their services by including diverse ad formats and placement for varying marketing strategies. The lack of standardised measurement metrics across separate networks is the major challenge. It poses several difficulties in asses the performance of campaigns. Overcrowded ad spaces were also a big concern. Improved collaboration between various networks and sharing data metrics helped the advertisers to conduct comparative analysis and optimise their strategies accordingly.
As a strategic digital marketer managing budgets up to $5M, I've helped numerous retail brands steer the complex Retail Media Network (RMN) landscape since 2008. Q1: RMNs excel at retargeting capabilities that traditional channels can't match. I've seen campaigns where strategic retargeting through retailer platforms delivered 60% better engagement rates than standard social media. Smart retargeting through RMNs helps reconnect with customers who have shown purchase intent, creating a more efficient conversion path. Q2: The biggest challenge is tracking integration across platforms. While implementing Google Tag Manager solutions for clients, I've encountered significant data gaps between RMN performance metrics and actual business outcomes. This creates a "black box" effect where you're investing but can't fully validate the ROI through your existing analytics infrastructure. Q3: I wish RMNs provided better traffic quality transparency. Working with e-commerce clients, we've found some RMNs drive high impression volumes but low-quality traffic. I'd like to see more granular data on user behavior after clicking – not just that they visited, but how they engaged with product pages compared to your other traffic sources.
As the Marketing Manager at FLATS®, I've worked extensively with retail media networks while managing a $2.9M marketing budget across our multifamily portfolio in Chicago, San Diego, Minneapolis, and Vancouver. Q1: RMNs have been instrumental in our hyperlocal targeting approach. By leveraging geofencing capabilities through platforms like Digible, we've created neighborhood-specific campaigns that highlight our properties' proximity to local retailers. This integration increased our qualified leads by 25% as we reached prospects already shopping in our target neighborhoods. Q2: The biggest challenge is inconsistency in metrics across different networks. When implementing UTM tracking for our campaigns, we finded significant discrepancies in how different RMNs report engagement. This forced us to create custom dashboards to normalize data, adding complexity to our workflow that smaller marketing teams might struggle with. Q3: I wish RMNs would offer more customization for real estate clients. While working on campaigns for The Wilmore in Uptown Chicago, we wanted to showcase specific neighborhood amenities tied to the retailers in our network, but the templated formats restricted our storytelling capabilities. More flexible creative options would help property marketers build stronger connections between retail environments and residential opportunities.
I've worked extensively with both retailers implementing RMNs and brands leveraging them across service-based businesses and e-commerce clients. The retail media landscape is evolving rapidly, offering unique opportunities for targeted advertising within the shopper journey. Q1: Retail Media Networks excel at closing the attribution loop between ad exposure and actual purchase. For a home services client, we shifted 15% of their budget to Home Depot's RMN and saw conversion rates triple compared to traditional display ads because we could target customers actively shopping for related products. The first-party purchase data access is invaluable for understanding exactly what drives conversions. Q2: The fragmentation across different networks creates significant operational challenges. Each platform has unique specifications, reporting structures, and creative requirements. For smaller clients with limited resources, this often means choosing just 1-2 networks rather than a comprehensive strategy, potentially missing valuable audience segments who shop at other retailers. Q3: I wish RMNs would develop better cross-platform measurement standards. The current walled garden approach makes it nearly impossible to effectively compare performance across networks. A client selling auto parts through multiple retailers has to manually consolidate disparate data sets, creating significant inefficiencies and making holistic budget allocation decisions extremely difficult without standardized metrics.
1. As the CEO of a digital marketing agency that works closely with CPG brands, I really appreciate how RMNs are getting smarter with data. We've run campaigns through Walmart Connect and Kroger Precision Marketing, where the access to real-time shopper behavior has been a game changer. It's not just about impressions--it's about being able to track actual purchase behavior tied directly to our media spend. That kind of closed-loop attribution has helped us optimize much faster and with a lot more confidence. When managing multiple SKUs and categories for a brand, that level of clarity is huge. 2. Honestly, the fragmented ecosystem drives us a little crazy. Each retailer has its own dashboard, targeting rules, and campaign guidelines. As an agency, we work hard to combine performance data from different platforms to give our clients a clear view. Additionally, some RMNs have strict creative rules that limit our ability to test new ideas. We want to explore more dynamic storytelling formats, but it often feels like we are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole when we adapt to their requirements. 3. If I could wave a wand, I would ask for unified reporting that makes it easier to test mid-funnel content--not just "buy now" ads. Our clients want to do more than just complete sales; they want to connect with their audience. More flexible creative formats and clear insights on what drives conversions would help a lot. We're not looking for perfection; we want more collaboration and innovation from their side.
Retail Media Networks are doing a good job putting ads in front of shoppers right when they're ready to buy. It feels like a shortcut—you skip the brand awareness stage and go straight to influencing decisions. Placements like sponsored products on Amazon or Walmart Connect help smaller brands stand next to bigger ones. That's powerful when you're growing. But sometimes costs add up fast, and sometimes reporting isn't detailed enough to show what's actually working. I wish Retail Media Networks gave more transparent, easy-to-read performance data. If I could see real customer paths—from ad click to cart—it would help adjust campaigns faster and waste less budget.
Navigating the burgeoning arena of Retail Media Networks (RMNs) can substantially bolster brand visibility and consumer engagement. When thinking about what RMNs mean for brands in the U.S., these platforms integrate consumer shopping behavior data to deliver extremely targeted advertising, aligning product promotions directly at the point of purchase or decision-making. One significant benefit arises from their ability to offer ads precisely where customers are most likely to make a purchase, like displaying cereal ads on an online grocery platform. This immediacy and relevance of ads, compounded by powerful analytics, gives brands a compelling advantage, as it not only enhances visibility but also improves the overall return on advertising spend. However, utilizing RMNs isn't without its hurdles. One common challenge is the complexity and variance of operating different platforms, as each retailer’s network may have its own system and standards. This can make managing campaigns and gathering consistent analytics across multiple networks rather daunting. Companies often wish that these networks would offer more standardized metrics and user-friendly interfaces to streamline the process. Moreover, integrating RMNs with other marketing channels can sometimes be complicated, and clearer cross-channel integration would be immensely beneficial to create a more cohesive marketing strategy. In conclusion, while Retail Media Networks offer a dynamic and effective avenue for targeted advertising directly at the point of sale, there is a notable desire for more uniformity and integration across various platforms. Streamlining these processes would enable marketers to run more effective, comprehensive campaigns, leading to better resource allocation and amplified brand growth.
As someone who works closely with brands navigating the digital landscape, I've seen Retail Media Networks (RMNs) bring serious value to the table. They offer access to high-intent audiences right at the point of purchase, which is a huge advantage. The first-party data they provide is incredibly useful for targeting - it's precise, real-time, and often more reliable than third-party options. Brands we've worked with have seen better ROI through RMNs compared to traditional digital ads, mostly because of the proximity to the actual buying decision. But there are definitely challenges. Fragmentation across platforms is a big one - every retailer has their own system, analytics, and media offerings, which makes it hard to manage campaigns across multiple RMNs efficiently. Also, transparency in performance metrics isn't always consistent, which complicates optimization. Sometimes, it feels like you're flying blind in terms of knowing where ads are placed or what's actually driving conversions. If RMNs could improve one thing, it would be standardization and better cross-platform reporting. A more unified dashboard or clearer measurement framework would make a huge difference for brands trying to scale across multiple networks. It would also help if RMNs offered more flexible creative formats and integration support for brands that want to test new ad types or target niche segments. Overall, RMNs are on the right path, and they've earned their spot in the media mix. But to fully unlock their potential, especially for smaller or mid-sized brands, there's a need for more openness, better tools, and easier integration.
Retail Media Networks are killing it by mixing media with buying moments, getting our products in front of folks just as they're about to buy. They use close-up data to aim at very specific types of shoppers. For instance, we pushed a time-based campaign via a top RMN focusing on those who bought patio stuff before. The sales jump was 30% better than what we see on social media, thanks to sharp aiming and being in busy spots on the retailer's website. Biggest headache? Fragmentation. Each store has its setup, numbers, and ad types, making it tough to grow or match results across RMNs. Handling creative needs and reports for five different platforms is a lot for small teams like us. Also, it's fuzzy seeing how RMNs link with other online spots in our ad mix. Making things standard would change the game--think one dashboard for all, same timing for credit, and matching creative rules. I'd also love more teamwork on creative plans, not just selling ad space. Some networks do offer strategic help or test support better than others, boosting our returns.
# Stephen Gold on Retail Media Networks in Cannabis Q1: Retail Media Networks in cannabis have delivered exceptional results by providing compliant advertising avenues in a heavily restricted industry. When working with a multi-location dispensary chain, their in-store digital menu boards allowed us to promote high-margin products during peak hours, increasing basket size by 18% in just 60 days. The first-party data these networks provide has been invaluable for understanding purchase patterns that traditional digital channels simply can't match due to platform restrictions. Q2: My biggest challenge with RMNs in cannabis is the fragmentation and lack of standardization across different platforms. Each dispensary chain uses different technology, metrics, and creative specifications, making it incredibly time-consuming to scale campaigns. I recently had to reconfigure an entire promotional campaign for a product launch across 12 different dispensary networks, essentially creating 12 different campaigns rather than a single scalable solution. Q3: I wish cannabis Retail Media Networks would develop more sophisticated audience segmentation capabilities beyond basic demographics and purchase history. During a recent flash sale campaign, we identified a significant opportunity to target customers based on their product preference similarities (terpene profiles, cannabinoid ratios) rather than just purchase categories. The networks that have begun implementing this approach saw conversion rates 40% higher than those using traditional segmentation methods.
Retail Media Networks are doing a great job at leveraging first-party data to deliver hyper-targeted ads right at the point of purchase. That's a game-changer. When I placed a campaign through a major U.S. retailer's media network, we saw a 27% lift in conversion for a seasonal product line simply because our ads were reaching high-intent shoppers in real time. The closed-loop measurement these networks offer also gives us immediate insights into sales impact, which helps justify ad spend to leadership. Their ability to match ads with shopping behaviors--both online and in-store--has made them an essential part of our media mix. The biggest challenge I've faced with Retail Media Networks is the lack of standardization across platforms. Each retailer has its own dashboard, reporting format, and data taxonomy, which slows down cross-retailer campaign management. I once had to manually reconcile performance reports from four different networks to calculate ROI for a multi-channel promotion--it was incredibly time-consuming and risked data inconsistencies. I wish these networks would move toward a more unified framework, similar to IAB standards, so we could optimize campaigns across partners without reinventing the wheel each time. More transparency in fee structures and access to granular audience data would also go a long way in improving planning efficiency.