Digital ad spend grows in Q2 2024, says Skai: Retail media leads with 21% YoY increase, despite higher CPC and CPM across channels.

Another strong quarter for The Trade Desk: International growth and CTV surge, boosted by data-driven advertising and the new Kokai platform.

Intermediaries like Instacart and DoorDash have a unique place in retail media. With consumers buying goods from major retailers through their platforms, intermediaries have engaged audiences and valuable first-party data. Here are three recent intermediary moves that caught our eye, and what they mean about broader retail media trends.

An evolved form of omnichannel retail, adaptive retail tailors shopping experiences to meet the specific wants and needs of each customer by offering convenience, personalization, and a seamless shopping experience no matter how they choose to shop.

Sam’s Club Member Access Platform (MAP) is launching display ads within its Scan & Go mobile checkout experience as an expansion of its omnichannel retail media formats. The move puts smartphones at the center of in-store retail media advertising, a move more retailers will likely make.

As consumers turn to social and retail media for discovery over traditional search engines, marketers face a shifting omnichannel advertising landscape. Effective strategies and the right measurement partners are crucial for optimizing cross-platform efforts and gaining holistic campaign insights.

“Google will account for over half of search ad spending this year, but Google's not the perfect fit for every query that every person could ever ask,” our analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf said on a recent EMARKETER webinar. “It never has been, and now consumers are also going elsewhere to satisfy their search needs.”

Retail media networks are facing a little more competition these days as banks, payments providers, airlines, and hotels are starting their own media networks to monetize their first-party data and build out new revenue streams.

Search is undergoing a seismic shift. Google is still the go-to for most inquiries, but generative AI is changing how people search, and leading people to explore alternative search engines. Meanwhile, paid search dollars are moving to retail media networks as shoppers begin their searches on Amazon and other retailer sites. And Gen Z’s search habits look different from older generations, with the cohort flocking to social media sites like TikTok and using visual search and chatbots.

Amazon’s ad portal crashes during Prime Day: Though sales are unlikely to be impacted, the outage highlighted tensions between Amazon and sellers.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the differences between commerce media networks and retail media networks, how financial services and payment companies are leveraging media networks, who has been successful in the space so far, and who we expect to launch a media network in the next year. Listen to the conversation with our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sarah Marzano and Maria Elm.

Retail media ad spending will be increasingly responsible for digital advertising’s double-digit growth. By 2028, the powerhouse channel will grow to represent nearly 1 in every 3 ad dollars spent.

Some 53% of marketers believe AI will significantly enhance the way shoppers are targeted and served relevant ads, per a survey from Cooler Screens. Both AI and retail media are still developing. As both of these areas mature, AI will make retail media data even more powerful. Here are some ways AI is improving retail media.

During Prime Day 2024, US shoppers will spend nearly $14 billion—a 5.9% increase over last year. But the dynamics of the shopping event are shifting as competitors chip away at Amazon’s market share.

Marketplaces will continue to expand their share of US retail ecommerce as new players with roots in China vie for prominence.

Retail media is the fastest-growing ad channel we track in the US, driven by new innovations, inventory growth, and new players launching media networks. Here’s a look at some of the biggest retail media moves from the first six months of 2024.

Albertsons, Costco, and Instacart are enhancing their retail media offerings. TikTok Shop reached a $1 million livestream. And three-time consecutive first place winner Walmart is developing immersive ways to shop and catering product lines to younger shoppers. Here’s our Unofficial Most Interesting Retailers List for June 2024.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers for the month of June. Each month, our analysts Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Sara Lebow (aka The Committee) put together a very unofficial list of the top eight retailers they're watching based on which are making the most interesting moves: Who's launching new initiatives? Which partnerships are moving the needle? Which standout marketing campaigns are being created? In this month's episode, Committee members Becky Schilling and Sara Lebow will defend their list against vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

While intermediaries’ share of ecommerce sales (grocery or otherwise) will remain relatively flat for the next couple of years, they’re still a long-term threat to traditional retail. But there’s an opportunity for retailers to use intermediaries’ strategies against them.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the main ways the shopper journey is evolving, how retail media is shifting to encompass the full funnel, and how in-store retail media can help bring a brand's shopping message to life, particularly during holidays and events. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Sarah Marzano and Nikhil Sharma, senior director of performance and insights at Roundel.