Creator marketing is no longer a sidecar to retail strategy. Increasingly, it’s becoming part of the infrastructure retailers use to drive commerce media growth, unlock new budgets, and influence sales both online and in-store.

What began as one-off influencer campaigns is evolving into formalized ecosystems embedded inside retail media networks and long-term brand partnerships.

“We're looking to do longer partnerships that focus on storytelling rather than… a lot of one off partnerships,” said Nicole Marcus, manager of influencer strategy at Dick’s Sporting Goods, during EMARKETER’s Creator Summit.

That shift from campaign to ecosystem is foundational. Retailers aren’t just buying creator content, they’re building systems around it.

Retail media’s next growth lever

The infrastructure shift isn’t limited to brand teams. Retail media networks are increasingly integrating creators into their offerings as they look for new growth.

“We know that retailers are running into some limits or ceilings with the shopper and trade budgets that they sort of initially tapped into,” said our analyst Sarah Marzano. “They're increasingly looking at brand and national budgets as sort of the next avenue for growth, and creators are a great pathway to tapping into those budgets.”

That matters. Retail media networks initially grew by optimizing on-site ads and trade dollars. Now they’re chasing incremental brand budgets, and creator inventory provides a bridge to upper-funnel investment.

But that positioning creates tension.

“They're effectively positioning themselves as middlemen who want to insert themselves in between the social platform and the advertiser,” said Marzano.

For retailers, the value proposition hinges on measurement, specifically the ability to pair creator exposure with first-party transaction data.

“What's really exciting about the role of retailers… is their ability to measure the outcomes right and pair their transaction data to help advertisers understand the efficacy of their advertisement,” she said.

The infrastructure play only works if it delivers accountability.

Sports as a blueprint

Sports marketing illustrates how creator partnerships are moving closer to core strategy.

Rather than relying exclusively on official sponsorships and linear TV spots, retailers are activating creators around cultural sports moments to extend relevance.

“I think influencers are the new storytellers,” said Marcus.

She pointed to the Savannah Bananas, a baseball team that rose to prominence on social before landing broader streaming distribution.

Instead of buying traditional ad placements around games, Dick’s partners directly with creator-athletes and social-first sports personalities to capture behind-the-scenes storytelling and fan culture.

At Best Buy, influencer strategy extends the brand’s long-standing NFL partnership beyond broadcast moments.

“We saw the gold is [in] their humor, in the rituals of the season, and being a fan and getting ready for the game time experience,” said Allison O’Keefe, senior manager of influencer and creator marketing at Best Buy.

Creators allow retailers to surround tentpole moments across platforms, not just during commercial breaks.

Beyond social: From CTV to store shelves

As creators become infrastructure, their role is expanding across screens.

This past holiday season, Best Buy integrated creator-generated content into connected TV placements for the first time.

“Customers are looking for more low-fi, relatable content across screens,” said O’Keefe.

The brand commissioned a custom CTV asset from a long-term influencer partner rather than repurposing a social post. Early signals showed the influencer-led creative performed on par with traditional CTV assets.

The integration reflects a broader shift: Creator content is no longer confined to feeds. It’s being engineered for multiple channels, including premium environments.

Meanwhile, the transaction still frequently happens offline.

“We know that more than 80% of dollars are still spent within physical stores,” said Marzano.

That reality raises the stakes. If creator marketing is influencing purchase decisions, retailers want it embedded inside the systems that measure and monetize those outcomes.

The formalization era

Creator marketing is becoming formalized and moving from experimentation to infrastructure.

For retailers, that shift is strategic. As commerce media grows more competitive and brand budgets face scrutiny, creators offer a scalable way to connect awareness to purchase.

The brands that treat creator marketing as an operating system, not a tactic, will be better positioned to capture those dollars.

The rest may find themselves stuck in one-off campaigns while the infrastructure builds around them.

Watch the full session.

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