Retail-media
State of Play
Revised Nov 1, 2026The moment. In-store is the consensus frontier and the hardest place to stand. A new IAB and SMG study found 46% of commerce media professionals see in-store as the sector’s top growth opportunity while 40% call it the hardest channel to connect, and only 14% consistently plan unified multichannel campaigns. Instacart has now retreated from the smart-cart hardware that was meant to anchor its in-store ad and data business. eMarketer’s Karen Jacobs has networks multiplying across retailers of every size and competing harder for the same dollars, and DoorDash, expanding its tools across Wolt and Deliveroo, says commerce media needs room for brand storytelling rather than lower-funnel performance alone.
The tension. The workarounds are arriving ahead of a standard. Retailers are looking at free in-store Wi-Fi as a way to capture shopper data at the point of purchase; Disco has put advertiser-funded cash back of up to $30 directly into Shopify checkout, moving the money off the retailer’s own media and onto the transaction; and Circana is selling AI-driven signals that flag shoppers likely to enter a category or switch brands. Creators are becoming the creative engine for off-site campaigns. QVC is running the oldest version of the bet, pairing 60,000 annual hours of live TV with 200 weekly hours of TikTok livestreams after leaving Chapter 11 with more than $5 billion of debt cut.
Who’s moving. The IAB and SMG, with 46% and 14%. Instacart, pulling back on smart carts. DoorDash, across Wolt and Deliveroo. Disco, funding checkout cash back from advertisers. Circana, adding predictive signals to Complete Audiences. QVC, at 200 TikTok livestream hours a week. Life360, naming Donna Sharp to run its ad business. eMarketer’s Karen Jacobs, on a crowded field.
What the desk is watching. Whether in-store gets a measurement standard before it gets more screens, and who picks up the in-store ground Instacart just gave back.
Meta pushes Muse AI tool into retail commerce
eMarketer’s Rachel Wolff reports that Meta is expanding its Muse AI ad tool into commerce through new retailer partnerships, positioning the tool to help merchants generate product listings and ad creative directly on its platform.
Best Buy pitches itself as media production company at retail media upfront
Adweek’s Mitchell Parton reports that Best Buy held an upfront presentation for its retail media business in Midtown Manhattan, featuring top executives including incoming CEO Jason Bonfig, CRO Patrick McGinnis, CMO Marty Senn, and chief ads and media officer Lisa Valentino.
Horizon Commerce, Pacvue deepen retail media data partnership
MediaPost’s Steve McClellan reports that Horizon Commerce and Pacvue are expanding their alliance, linking Horizon’s Blu Commerce analytics to Pacvue’s commerce media software so brands can plan, buy and measure retail media campaigns in one workflow instead of juggling disconnected systems.
Shopify links Meta’s Muse assistant to agentic checkout
ExchangeWire’s Sheila Obeng-King reports that Shopify and Meta will let Muse, Meta’s AI shopping agent, complete purchases across Shopify-powered stores.
McDonald’s launches ad network, eyes $1 billion revenue business
Adweek’s Lauren Johnson reports that McDonald’s unveiled McDonald’s Media Network during an investor day presentation, an ad business that will pitch the chain’s customer data to other brands.
Best Buy launches Best Buy CTV to anchor its retail media pitch
Modern Retail’s Anna Hensel reports that Best Buy used its annual retail media showcase to unveil Best Buy CTV, a new branded connected TV advertising offering.
Sam’s Club leans on member data for predictive ad targeting
eMarketer’s Asa Hiken reports that Sam’s Club is using member data to power predictive ad targeting within its retail media network, aiming to anticipate shopper needs rather than just react to past purchases.
Best Buy Ads expands CTV push with Fire TV deal, new data signals
MediaPost’s Laurie Sullivan reports that Best Buy will unveil new CTV ad offerings Wednesday, deepening its Amazon Fire TV partnership through Insignia sets.
Citi launches ad network targeting 70 million cardholders
Business Insider’s Lucia Moses reports that Citi is launching Citi Commerce Media, a new unit letting brands target ads to more than 70 million customers based on spending histories across its own app and outside properties like Facebook.
Best Buy will sell ads on Amazon Fire TV, including its own Insignia sets
Adweek’s Lauren Johnson reports that Best Buy will sell and measure ad inventory on Amazon Fire TV, including on Insignia, its private-label Fire TV brand.
McDonald’s launches media network, targets billion-dollar ad business
Marketing Dive’s Chris Kelly reports that McDonald’s began piloting a media network across 450 company-owned U.S. restaurants last month, running ads from other brands across its app, kiosks, menu boards and restaurants, with plans to build it into a billion-dollar business.
Retail media networks pitch brand-building, but proof is thin
Retailers now sell streaming, social and off-site partnerships alongside conversion ads, but most inventory still gets measured by attribution models built for performance, not brand lift.
Commerce media wants a bigger media budget role, but brands aren’t convinced yet
Retail media networks are pushing beyond bottom-funnel placements toward broader brand and awareness budgets. Brands still need a clear reason to shift dollars, since commerce media has yet to prove it belongs alongside traditional upper-funnel channels.
Seven.One Media adds retail data partners to target Joyn, CTV ads
ProSiebenSat.1’s sales house Seven.One Media is folding retail and commerce data into its targeting products for Joyn, connected TVs and digital inventory.
Commerce media’s incrementality push takes aim at last-click attribution
The Drum reports that at Commerce Media Exchange, brands and platforms argued for moving past conversion credit toward measuring whether advertising actually drove incremental sales. The shift reflects growing distrust of attribution models that reward media already destined to convert.
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
Modern Retail’s Mitchell Parton reports that 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
The Drum’s Gordon Young reports that 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
The Drum’s Kiri Masters reports that 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+
Marketing Dive’s Chris Kelly reports that 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
Inside Radio reports that 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
Adweek’s Mark Stenberg reports that 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.
Walmart, Walgreens push digital ad screens into aisles and endcaps
Business Insider’s Dominick Reuter reports that 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
eMarketer’s Rachel Wolff reports that 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.