Retail-media
State of Play
Revised Sep 18, 2026The moment. Measurement stopped being a complaint and became a subtraction. ARF research across 13 major buyers found five have cut or dropped retail media investment over measurement problems, with two naming it the primary reason. It landed in the week GroupM put global retail media at $101 billion this year, 18% of digital advertising and 11% of all ad spend. Kroger Precision Marketing posted 24% profit growth in the second quarter, its best since 2021. Sam’s Club Connect launched tools that predict future purchases rather than retarget past ones, including churn-prevention segments and audiences likely to buy big-ticket items. Walmart is adding marketplace data, custom dashboards and a deeper Marty AI agent to Scintilla next year.
The tension. The category crossed 11% of all ad spend and lost buyers in the same week, over the one thing it has promised since it started: proof. And the newest placement carries a misreading nobody has priced. Research covered by The Drum found more than half of shoppers believe an ad placed inside an AI tool makes a brand more likely to be recommended by that tool. Shelf placement was always understood as paid. An ad inside an answer is being read as the answer’s judgment, which is a borrowed credibility the networks did not earn and cannot guarantee.
Who’s moving. The ARF, putting a number on buyer withdrawal. GroupM, sizing the category at $101 billion. Kroger, on 24% profit growth. Sam’s Club Connect, moving from retargeting to prediction. Walmart, deepening Scintilla and testing endcap screens carrying live inventory and pricing. Walgreens, rebuilding in-store retail media and fitting 1,200 stores with Looma displays from October. Grocery TV, finding 62% of shoppers bought a product after seeing an in-store ad and front-end screen acceptance up 23 points since 2023. Target, hiring former Hilton CMO Mark Weinstein to oversee Roundel and Target+. Taboola’s Connexity, quietly buying Howl’s creator affiliate business.
What the desk is watching. Whether the five buyers who pulled back come back on better measurement or on better prices, and who takes responsibility for the shopper who reads a paid placement in an AI answer as a recommendation.
In-store retail media to stay under 1% of ad spend through 2028
eMarketer projects in-store retail media spend will top $1 billion by 2028, growing faster than online formats through 2027, yet still make up less than 1% of total omnichannel retail media ad spending.
Sam’s Club adds predictive targeting, claims 94% accuracy on P&G test
Sam’s Club Connect launched Predictive Precision Targeting, using membership data and 400-plus intent signals to forecast purchases.
Sam’s Club Connect launches predictive targeting for future, not past, purchases
Sam’s Club Connect debuted tools that predict future purchases rather than retarget past ones, including churn-prevention segments and audiences likely to buy big-ticket items like TVs based on adjacent category signals.
Walmart to add marketplace data, deeper AI to Scintilla in 2026
Walmart’s Scintilla platform will gain marketplace data access, customizable dashboards, custom alerts and a deeper Marty AI agent next year.
Buyers say retail media measurement is costing networks real money
New ARF research of 13 major buyers finds five have cut or dropped retail media investment over measurement problems, with two citing it as the primary reason.
Shoppers wrongly think AI ads mean AI endorsement, study finds
New research shows more than half of shoppers believe ads placed inside an AI tool make a brand more likely to be recommended by it.
Target names ex-Hilton CMO Mark Weinstein to oversee Roundel, Target+
Target hired Mark Weinstein, who stepped down as Hilton’s global CMO on Sept. 10, as chief marketing and guest experience officer, reporting to CEO Michael Fiddelke. He will also oversee retail media network Roundel and marketplace Target+.
Grocery TV: 62% of shoppers buy after seeing in-store screen ads
Grocery TV’s 2026 In-Store Shopper Perception Report finds 62% of shoppers bought a product after viewing an in-store ad. Acceptance of front-end screens rose 23 percentage points since 2023, from roughly a third of shoppers to just over half.
Taboola’s Connexity quietly buys Howl’s creator affiliate business
Commerce platform Howl sold its creator division to Connexity, Taboola’s commerce arm, in August, a deal small enough that Taboola did not need to disclose it in earnings.
GroupM: retail media now 11% of all ad spend, set to grow 60% by 2027
GroupM estimates global retail media ad revenue hit $88 billion in 2021 and will reach $101 billion this year, representing 18% of digital advertising and 11% of total ad spend.
Walmart, Walgreens push digital ad screens into aisles and endcaps
Walmart is testing screens at aisle endcaps with live inventory and pricing, while Walgreens is outfitting 1,200 stores with Looma displays starting in October. Retailers see high-margin ad revenue beyond online.
Walgreens rebuilds its in-store retail media business
Walgreens is rebuilding its in-store retail media operation after prior efforts stalled, aiming to turn pharmacy foot traffic and shelf space into a steadier ad revenue stream.
Kroger’s retail media profit grows 24%, best pace since 2021
Profit at Kroger Precision Marketing grew 24% in the second quarter, its best retail media profit growth since 2021, CEO Greg Foran told investors.
Kohl’s CMO Revelle exits amid buyout talks and weak earnings
Kohl’s CMO Greg Revelle and Chief Merchandising Officer Doug Howe are exiting, announced alongside a 5.2% net sales decline. Christie Raymond becomes interim CMO as the retailer fields buyout offers from Simon Property Group and Brookfield.
Walgreens relaunches in-store screens via Looma after Cooler Screens debacle
Walgreens will add Looma digital screens and end caps to 1,200 stores starting in October, placing content beside products rather than blocking them, following its costly Cooler Screens fallout.
Instacart launches AI shopping assistant Clementine
Instacart debuted Clementine, an AI assistant that turns a conversation, grocery list, recipe, or photo of a handwritten list into a ready-to-buy cart. It joins similar tools from Uber Eats and DoorDash, all launched within the past year.
Shipt launches AI shopping assistant, joins Instacart, DoorDash, Uber Eats
Shipt, the Target-owned delivery platform, launched “Ask Shipt,” an AI tool that turns prompts and photos into ready-to-buy carts. It follows similar launches this year from Instacart, Uber Eats, and DoorDash, and new AI features across Target.com.
Retail media creative, not just placement, is deciding sales lift
EMARKETER’s latest guidance argues that as retail media inventory becomes commoditized, the creative shown in on-site and off-site placements is what separates campaigns that convert from those that don’t.
Google’s automated promotions feature ties online discovery to in-store shopping
Google is testing a new automated promotions feature that connects online product discovery directly to in-store shopping behavior, according to EMARKETER.
11 retail media networks pitch their own version of differentiation
At Ascendant’s Showcase upfront, 11 retail media networks — from Home Depot to PayPal to Chase — each pitched a different edge: proprietary data, cross-merchant reach, or niche audience depth, while executives flagged incrementality and interoperability as shared industry asks.
Retail media’s tech gap isn’t the tools — it’s the org chart
A Drum column traces four eras of retail media tech, from in-house builds to composable cloud stacks to AI-ready data, arguing today’s networks have more good technology available than ever but little organizational appetite to install it.
Brands loosen return policies to win holiday shoppers
Retailers expect about 17% of holiday sales to be returned, so brands are testing temporary Q4 policies like free returns and longer windows.
Walmart expands restaurant delivery beyond its own stores, targeting Dunkin’s 10,000 locations
Walmart will deliver Dunkin’ products nationwide over the next year, expanding beyond in-store partners like Subway to standalone restaurant locations, a direct challenge to DoorDash and Uber Eats in third-party delivery.
Home Depot expands in-store AI shopping assistant
Home Depot is widening rollout of its AI-powered in-store assistant, putting generative AI tools directly into the path of purchase decisions.
Albertsons feeds shopper data into YouTube, DV360 with Keurig Dr Pepper as launch brand
Albertsons Media Collective now streams first-party shopper data into YouTube and Display & Video 360, enabling SKU-level, closed-loop sales measurement via LiveRamp for advertisers targeting its 50 million loyalty members.