Retail media: the third wave of online advertising
After search and social, retail media stands as the third advertising pillar. What to expect from it.
In short:
- Retail media surpasses TV advertising in investment in several European markets.
- Retailers’ transactional data offers targeting unavailable elsewhere.
- The lever remains under-used by brands outside consumer goods.
Retail media, advertising on retailers’ sites and apps, has become the third pillar of online advertising, behind search and social.
Why it is rising
- End of third-party cookies: retailers’ first-party data becomes strategic
- Proximity to purchase: the ad shows at decision time
- Closed-loop measurement: impression, click and sale in the same ecosystem
Who should go
Brands sold through retail first. But marketplaces open the lever to almost every e-merchant.
Where to start
A test on a flagship range, a framed budget and an honest read of incrementality. The audit reflexes remain the same as on Google Ads.