Retail media networks seek brand-building dollars beyond Amazon
On Sept. 24, Digiday convened executives from Digitas, Claire's, Marriott, and Havas to debate whether retail media networks can serve as brand-building channels. In Q4 2025, 60% of Walmart’s self-serve display spend went to offsite inventory, according to a Tinuiti report.
Retailers such as Kroger, Walmart, and Instacart have partnered with Disney Advertising, TikTok, Meta, Snap, and NBCUniversal to add streaming and tech capabilities they lack in-house. Over the past two years, more retail media networks have pitched themselves as full-funnel marketing channels to compete with Amazon’s offering. Six retail media experts told Digiday that most networks still operate mainly as conversion tools and are not yet thought of as full-funnel platforms. They also point to closed-loop measurement that ties ad exposure to purchase receipts, both on-site and off‑via programmatic, audio, and social channels. Executives note that convincing advertisers requires both agency education and brand-side budgeting, as many marketers remain focused on ROAS while brand growth stalls. One anonymous expert warned that without agreement on funding, even the best capabilities will not win brand dollars.
“Retailers own far more than online ad placements. They own aisles, screens, apps, content and cultural moments,” Kim Mayo, executive director of retail media at Trade School said.
“They’re not modeled off of a lookalike. They’re modeled off of a receipt,” Jen Sayroo, senior director of paid search at Mission One Media said.
The original pitch of retail media networks was to find shoppers while they’re shopping and make the sale. Now that RMNs have accomplished that, they’re trying to convince advertisers (and more of their wallets) that they can build their brands on their respective channels.
What we know
Event on Sept. 24 in NYC
60% of Walmart’s Q4 2025 self-serve display spend went offsite
Six retail media experts say most RMNs not functioning full-funnel
Over past two years more RMNs pitch full-funnel marketing
Retailers have partnered for streaming/tech