Retail media measurement is more important than ever.

To keep loyalty members engaged, brands must focus on what customers want, offer smart rewards, and keep tweaking their programs. For example, Victoria’s Secret built a special community in its app, while Vitamin Shoppe added multiple tiers and benefits after careful planning.

Retail media is the fastest-growing ad channel we track in the US, growing by 26.0% this year. Its share of total US media spend will reach 14.1% this year, and come 2028, nearly 1 in 5 ad dollars spent in the US will go to retail media. But the channel has the potential to grow even more. Here are four key factors that present challenges to retail media growth right now.

With third-party cookies on the way out, marketers are leaning more heavily on first-party data to help power their digital advertising strategies. Retailers that want to increase their share of ad dollars should leverage customer data to help advertisers enhance campaign performance via measurement and attribution capabilities.

The ad industry’s concern about AI deepfakes grows: Integral Ad Science will measure the negative impact of generated fakes during a year of hefty election spending.

Amazon's publisher summit reveals new ad solutions: Measurement and compliance tools should help the retail giant maintain its competitive edge in advertising.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the media companies with the highest TV usage, how ESPN is being maneuvered, how multiple new streaming bundles will change the game, and a tie up between Walmart and Disney for enhanced targeting and measurement across streaming. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Paul Verna.

On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss what's fueling the non-endemic retail media fire, how to do non-endemic advertising the wrong way, and how success is measured. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analyst Sarah Marzano.

“Fragmentation creates a headache in determining meaningful performance. That puts a lot of weight in the trust of the attribution models across all of your CTV ad buys,” Erik Gray, director of product analytics at MNTN, said at our recent EMARKETER Summit. But with a growing market, with more streaming channels and viewers, comes more opportunity to reach the right audience. Here are three ways to boost the success of your CTV ad campaigns amid fragmentation.

Major players like TikTok, Meta, and Google unveiled new partnerships, AI innovations, and streamlining solutions. Here are three key developments you may have missed.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how retail media is meeting the demand for full funnel campaigns, what folks are building to help with measurement, and how in-store audio can upgrade the experience. "In Other News," we talk about whether there is enough money to go around in retail media and why performance marketers are shifting their priorities to brand building. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Sarah Marzano and Ryan Mayward, SVP of retail sales at Walmart Connect.

The end of third-party cookies signals a new era for audience targeting, pushing marketers to reimagine segmentation strategies from the ground up. Learn how industry leaders are adapting, using insights based on behavior, preferences, and interactions to forge deeper connections with consumers.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how concerned we should be about AI-driven mass unemployment, how ad industry jobs will change, and the ways in which AI will affect a persons workday. "In Other News," we talk about what to make of Apple's AI strategy and the AI measurement problem. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jacob Bourne and Gadjo Sevilla.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss whether teens will need permission to access social media, if companies saying goodbye to the CMO role is a good move, Spotify's video plans, the path for ride-hailing firms, better ways to measure progress, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Ross Benes, Carina Perkins, and Max Willens.

Measuring creator marketing is tough. Affiliate links provide direct attribution, but many sales occur after consumers see creator content. Even MrBeast, the biggest individual creator on YouTube, sells his Feastables bars at retailers like Walmart, not just on social media. So how can advertisers using creator marketing measure the efficacy of creator campaigns?

Nearly three-quarters (74.2%) of the $59.61 billion in US digital retail media ad spend we forecast for 2024 will go to Amazon. That leaves $15.35 billion going to non-Amazon retailers and $370 million going to in-store formats.That should excite marketers, said EMARKETER’s new principal analyst Sarah Marzano.

Every major streaming company—and some not so major ones—is investing in live sports. As they compete for broadcast rights, they’re seeking advertisers. Exclusive inventory is a draw, but benefits like first-party data and the ability to execute on lower-funnel objectives are also helping streamers woo live sports advertisers.

As US smart TV ownership climbs to 70.6%, Nielsen is leveraging larger, more diverse data sets to refine its audience measurement for the 2024–2025 TV season. This strategic enhancement aims to deliver more accurate and actionable audience segmentation to better support media stakeholders.

Amazon looks to step into the post-cookie market: Job listings show the company is testing ad solutions for an “identity-restricted world” as Google preps its solution.

25% of US TV/video ad buyers want to have three currencies for impression measurement, according to March 2023 data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau, Standard Media Index, and Advertiser Perceptions. Another 45% opt for four or more currencies.