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.
Retailers court brand budgets as Amazon, Walmart sit out ad showcase
At Ascendant Network’s Showcase in New York, executives from Home Depot, Albertsons, Instacart, DoorDash, Dollar General, Macy’s, and PayPal pitched data and audiences to marketers, distinguishing themselves from absent giants Amazon and Walmart.
Contributor: retail media builds brands, don’t blame it for marketers’ bad habits
An Adweek contributor rebuts Mark Ritson’s claim that retail media can’t build brands, citing causal modeling that shows retail media networks rank among the highest-ROI channels for advertisers.
Retail media forecast to top $200 billion in 2026
WARC Media forecasts global retail media spending will hit $200.4 billion in 2026, then climb 11.5% to $223.4 billion in 2027. The growth keeps outpacing most other ad channels as retailers expand where sponsored placements can appear.
Ace Hardware’s RedVest adds incrementality, influencer and DoorDash tools
Almost one year in, Ace Hardware’s retail media network RedVest Media unveiled new features at its inaugural upfront: incrementality measurement, influencer marketing via Publicis-owned Influential, a DoorDash ad partnership and weather-triggered programmatic campaigns.
FTC filing accuses Amazon of tilting its own ad auctions
The FTC alleges Amazon has overcharged advertisers for years by putting a thumb on its ad auction mechanics, according to columnist Kiri Masters. She argues advertiser trust is damaged even though spending on the platform is unlikely to move.
Amazon adds AI scam-checker to Alexa for Shopping
Amazon is rolling out an AI feature in Alexa for Shopping that checks whether a suspicious email, text, or other message actually came from the company.
WTF is the Amazon ad surcharge lawsuit?
The FTC and 22 state attorneys general allege Amazon secretly abandoned its second-price search ad auction, inserting a fake “soft reserved” bidder to push prices higher.
Amazon’s Alexa can now nudge you to buy before you even ask
Amazon launched “Update Me When,” an Alexa for Shopping feature that sends personalized alerts on new product lines, show seasons, concert tours or book releases tied to a shopper’s interests.
Amazon Ads bundles retail, streaming and IRL events into one back-to-college push
Amazon Ads launched First Day Ready, pairing Gatorade, Michael Kors and SharkNinja with influencers across shoppable video, brand storefronts, a Wisconsin campus block party and a Kane Brown concert streamed on Prime Video, Twitch and Fire TV.
Ritson: retail media is cannibalizing brand budgets, not adding new dollars
Mark Ritson argues at Adweek that marketers are wrongly raiding brand-building budgets to fund retail media, treating it as incremental when it is really just point-of-sale promo marketing rebranded.
Nike revives commercial chief role, taps Walmart’s Jane Ewing
Nike named 14-year Walmart veteran Jane Ewing chief commercial officer, starting Sept. 7, reviving a role it eliminated in December. Ewing will lead global marketplace operations, overseeing sales and Nike Direct, reporting directly to CEO Elliott Hill.
Retail media ad impressions fell to 107.4 billion in Q2 2026
Retail media ad impressions dropped to 107.4 billion in Q2 2026, according to EMARKETER data. The decline marks a pullback in inventory volume even as retail media remains one of the fastest-growing ad categories overall.
Simon Property Group launches a retail media network for its malls
The world’s largest mall operator debuted Simon Media Network, a programmatic ad vehicle built on loyalty data, opted-in WiFi location tracking and licensed third-party purchase data.
Commerce media growth outpaces teams’ full-funnel tools, EMARKETER finds
EMARKETER reports commerce media spend keeps climbing while marketing teams lack the tools to run full-funnel campaigns — buyers want awareness and conversion in one system.
Walmart’s ad business jumps 38%, lifting full-year guidance
Walmart’s global ad business grew 38% in the second quarter — Walmart Connect up 43% in the U.S. excluding VIZIO — helping lift total revenue to $187.9 billion and beat earnings estimates.
Brands use TikTok Shop to seed demand, then let Amazon close the sale
Sellers report a “halo effect”: TikTok Shop virality drives Amazon sales at 1.5–3x the TikTok volume, per Million Dollar Sellers — shoppers discover on TikTok, then buy on Amazon for Prime shipping, reviews and price.
The Drum’s commerce media series probes who now controls product discovery
The Drum’s documentary series returns, featuring leaders from TikTok and Google discussing how commerce media is reshaping product discovery. The episode examines who now decides what consumers buy as retail, search and social converge into one purchase funnel.
EMarketer: commerce media spend hits $83.71B as focus shifts to trust, ROI
EMarketer forecasts US commerce media spend at $83.71 billion this year, 20.5% of digital ad spend. Its analysts say the channel is maturing past growth-for-growth’s-sake into a phase demanding measurable results and consumer trust.
Topgolf launches media network to sell out-of-home ad inventory
Topgolf’s new CEO David McKillips is building out a retail media and licensing business, launching Topgolf Media Networks in July. The unit combines sponsorships, retail media and licensing across 103 venues, 28,000 screens and a mobile app.
Ad frequency capping fails despite mature retail data tools, eMarketer finds
Colgate-Palmolive’s Keith Lehmann says the tech to stop retargeting past buyers already exists, but campaign volume and disconnected data cause repeat ads anyway. One pharma brand hit him with 24-25 ads in a single session.
Urban Outfitters mines Reddit and 27,000 brand ambassadors for dorm trends
Back-to-college spend tops $100B this year, with $14B on dorm furnishings. Urban Outfitters’ merchandising chief details using an Insiders ambassador program and Reddit to catch trends like “bed parties” before rivals do.
Commerce media growth accelerates to 25% in Q2, outpacing retail
Madison & Wall reports U.S. commerce media grew 25% year-over-year in 2Q26 excluding political spend, up from 24% in 1Q26. E-commerce sales grew 12% versus 6.7% for total retail, fueling the channel’s lead.
Walmart, Target ad units post double-digit growth in Q2
Walmart’s global ad revenue grew 38% year over year, with Walmart Connect up 43%, prompting a raised full-year guidance. Target’s Roundel grew 28.6% to $279 million, helping fuel the retailer’s broader recovery.
Walmart’s ad business grows 38%, fueling raised full-year guidance
Walmart’s global ad revenue jumped 38% in Q2, with Walmart Connect up 43% in the U.S. excluding Vizio, prompting the retailer to raise its full-year earnings guidance amid strong ecommerce and tariff refund tailwinds.
WARC: Retail media to top $200B in 2026 as growth slows to single digits
WARC projects global retail media spend hits $200.4B in 2026, $223.4B in 2027. Excluding Amazon, growth falls to 9.8% in 2027, the category’s slowest pace since WARC began tracking it.