CVS Media Exchange (CMX) announced yesterday the beta launch of a new self-service offering in collaboration with The Trade Desk. The offering includes enhanced audience targeting, transparent ad pricing, the ability to activate media through its data service provider, and improved performance insights.

In part two of this two-part podcast episode, we discuss some more predictions for 2024 that are too specific to be 100% certain about but could still come true, including: what happens next when measuring retail media, Starbuck's drone delivery pilot, and how the publisher/AI relationship will play out. Tune in to the discussion with our vice presidents of content Suzy Davidkhanian and Paul Verna and analyst Max Willens.

Earlier this year, Best Buy partnered with CNET to expand advertisers’ reach among high-intent shoppers. This is a part of a larger trend where retail media networks (RMNs) team up with outside partners to expand their ad capabilities.

In part one of this two-part podcast episode, we discuss some more predictions for 2024 that are too specific to be 100% certain about but could still come true, including: what will actually end up happening with Paramount, what Nordstrom will do next to get back on track, and where folks will be watching the NBA over the next 10 years. Tune in to the discussion with our vice presidents of content Suzy Davidkhanian and Paul Verna and analyst Max Willens.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the reasons that retailers are launching new store formats, what those layouts look like in the US vs. the UK, which ones are working, and which ones are not. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Carina Perkins and Zak Stambor.

Established brands pivot to reembrace wholesale, while digital natives—facing rising ad costs—struggle to find their second act.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss why the Atlantic thinks "Google is playing a dangerous game with AI search", the best new membership perk that retailers should introduce, TV networks strategy to deemphasize age, whether every brand needs a personality, why the Taj Mahal was built, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Blake Droesch, Bill Fisher, and Carina Perkins.

Building a retail media network (RMN) requires a major investment in time, talent, and money. While the largest retailers have these resources, independent and regional retailers often may not.

US in-store retail media ad spend will total $370 million this year. But as the channel expands, oversaturating stores with ads can cause tension between retail media teams, which focus on maximizing ad dollars, and merchants, which focus on the store as a whole. Online advertising and in-store advertising are not two distinct channels, but instead work together.

Key stat: Nearly half (49%) of US adults will begin back-to-school shopping by early July, according to a March 2024 survey by LTK.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers for the month of May. 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 Arielle Feger and Sara Lebow will defend their list against analysts Sky Canaves and Zak Stambor, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

When Chase Media Network launched last month, it revealed the potential for more payments and financial service companies to get in on the commerce media game, leveraging consumer payments data to sell ads. One unexpected out-of-home implementation could be ATMs, said Stuart Mackinnon, COO of NCR Atleos, on our “Behind the Numbers: The Baking & Payments Show” podcast.

When retailers allow non-endemic brands to advertise, it benefits both sides. “Retailers can further monetize their data, while non-endemics, who have an appetite to expand their reach, are able to leverage that data,” our analyst Sarah Marzano said on an episode of the “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast. Here’s why major retail media players such as Walmart and Home Depot have recently opened up their offerings, along with three best practices to boost performance.

As retail media moves both off-site and in-store, audio is becoming a bigger part of the ad mix. Here are two ways brands can incorporate audio into their retail media activations.

Ryan Mayward, senior vice president of retail media sales at Walmart Connect, shared three ways retail media is evolving and how Walmart is keeping up on our Reimaging Retail podcast.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how Amazon was able to sell even more things online, how their ad business is getting on, and whether the retail giant is right to keep focusing so much on delivery speed. Tune in to the discussion with our director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman and analyst Zak Stambor.

As retail media grows, it’s becoming increasingly complex, prompting some marketers to take a step back and rethink how they’re approaching the channel.

“The pace of change and innovation is accelerating, and that's bringing with it a lot of big new challenges for advertisers to navigate,” our analyst Jasmine Enberg said during our recent Outlook and Strategies for 2024’s Second Half summit. “It's also bringing pockets of new opportunities as ads become ubiquitous across platforms, creators reshape strategies, and AI powers it all.”

Kroger Precision Marketing, Kroger’s retail media network, has partnered with Yahoo Advertising to enable advertisers using Yahoo’s DSP to leverage Kroger’s first-party data to reach a more targeted audience.

“We've seen tremendous resilience from the consumer and that's driving a lot of success for retailers in the brick and mortar space,” said Ethan Chernofsky, senior vice president of marketing at Placer.ai, during our virtual summit. Despite rising inflation and pullbacks on discretionary spending, consumers are still eager to treat themselves and participate in unique retail experiences. We break down three trends influencing shopping behavior for the rest of the year, each paired with a retail opportunity.