"The retail media landscape is only becoming more crowded, but Target's guest insights are often cited as a key differentiator," said our analyst Sarah Marzano during EMARKETER's recent Commerce Media Summit.

Even on the other side of its peak growth, retail media ad spending will continue expanding at a healthy pace. But almost all of the incremental spending is going to just two companies.

At Cannes Lions 2025, commerce media partnerships once again reigned supreme. Once the domain of digital shelf tactics and retail data, commerce media is now reshaping how brands show up across social platforms, connected TV (CTV), and in-store displays. This year’s festival offered a glimpse into a more integrated, AI-driven future—one where conversational ads, programmatic pipes, and real-world touchpoints blur the lines between media and purchase.

As the path to purchase becomes more fragmented, brands must be everywhere the customer is—and retail media partnerships are stepping up. “There really isn't [one] common flow, and so you really have to make sure you're present in any place the consumer is thinking about your brand's products,” Eric Tarnowski, senior vice president, connected commerce at Kenvue, said during Advertising Week New York. “Every conversion point is a brand-building opportunity.”

TikTok’s top brands pulled back spending after ban signing: Ad spend growth slowed in the month after the ban was signed, and major retailers like Target reduced spend.

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.

Retail media ad spending in the US will reach almost $55 billion in 2024, as advertisers’ focus on off-site spending intensifies.

Mobile apps are vital for commerce. In fact, among US smartphone users, 65.8% will use retail apps in 2024, putting the category behind only maps/navigation apps (72.8%) and weather apps (71.1%) in terms of adoption, according to our July 2023 forecasts.

Here’s how ad buyers ranked the retail media networks of 14 leading CPG-focused retailers—including Ahold Delhaize, Albertsons, Amazon, Costco Wholesale, CVS, Instacart, Kroger, Target, and Walmart—according to the attributes they value most.

Brands and retailers increasingly focus on DEI initiatives: Target’s $25 million in paid media to diverse-owned/founded firms is the latest in a number of corporate commitments.

Here’s how ad buyers ranked the retail media networks of 11 major retailers—Amazon, Best Buy, Costco Wholesale, eBay, The Home Depot, Instacart, Kroger, Macy’s, Target, Walmart, and Wayfair—according to the attributes they value most.

Larger retailers are beginning to act more like digital media companies by leveraging their web traffic and first-party customer data into ad businesses.