Retail Media Networks: Complete Advertising Guide 2025

Introduction to Retail Media

The CPG brand was spending $2 million monthly on Facebook and Google—with attribution that felt like educated guesswork. Then they shifted 30% to Amazon's retail media network. Suddenly, they could see exactly which ad impressions drove which purchases, in which stores, at what margin.

That clarity is why retail media is the fastest-growing advertising channel in the world.

The numbers are staggering: Retail media ad spend has reached $165.9 billion globally—3.3x growth from just six years ago. Amazon alone generated $56.2 billion in advertising revenue in 2024. And 75% of US advertisers plan to increase their retail media budgets this year.

What's driving this shift? First-party purchase data. In a world where cookie-based tracking is dying and traditional attribution is crumbling, retail media offers something rare: closed-loop measurement that connects ad exposure directly to sales.

The Attribution Advantage: Unlike traditional digital advertising, retail media networks can tell you exactly which customers saw your ad and then purchased—whether online or in-store.

Why Marketers Are Reallocating Budgets

The value proposition is simple: reach shoppers at the moment of highest purchase intent, target using actual purchase history (not inferred interests), and measure with closed-loop attribution models that prove ROI.

This isn't another advertising channel—it's a fundamentally different approach to connecting advertising spend to business outcomes.

Market Landscape 2025

Understand the retail media market.

Global Market Size

Industry Scale:

US Market

Domestic Leadership:

European Growth

EU Expansion:

Europe's retail media reaching €17-18B in 2025:

• €31B by 2028
• Nearly doubling
• UK leads
• France, Germany follow

Advertiser Adoption

Investment Trends:

80%+ of digital advertisers have allocated RMN budget:

• 75% increasing spend in 2025
• Majority planning growth
• Essential channel status
• Budget reallocation

Major RMN Platforms

Navigate the retail media ecosystem.

Amazon Advertising

Market Leader:

Walmart Connect

Leading Challenger:

Walmart's strongest competitor position:

• 27% YoY growth
• ~7% US market share
• Omnichannel strength
• Store + digital reach

Target Roundel

Premium Position:

Target's retail media offering:

• $649M 2025 revenue
• Premium shoppers
• Brand partnerships
• Creative solutions

Retailer Expansion

Network Growth:

80%+ of top 100 US retailers operate networks:

• Kroger Precision Marketing
• Instacart Ads
• Best Buy Ads
• CVS Media Exchange

Ad Formats & Placements

Leverage retail media ad formats.

Sponsored Products

Search Visibility:

On-Site Ads

Retailer Properties:

On-site opportunities:

• Search placement
• Category pages
• Product detail pages
• Homepage features

Off-Site Extension

Extended Reach:

Extend beyond retailer sites:

• Programmatic display
• Social media
• Connected TV
• Audio advertising

In-Store Media

Physical Activation:

Retail media in stores:

• Digital screens
• Checkout displays
• Endcap features
• Smart carts

Targeting & First-Party Data

Leverage retailer data advantages.

First-Party Data

Purchase Intelligence:

Retailer data provides:

• Transaction history
• Purchase frequency
• Category affinity
• Brand loyalty

Audience Targeting

Segmentation Options:

Intent Signals

Shopping Behavior:

Target based on intent:

• Search queries
• Browse behavior
• Cart additions
• Wishlist items

Competitive Targeting

Market Capture:

Reach competitor shoppers:

• Category buyers
• Brand switchers
• Deal seekers
• New-to-brand

Campaign Strategy

Execute retail media campaigns.

Campaign Types

Strategic Approaches:

Funnel Coverage

Full-Funnel Approach:

Cover the shopper journey:

• Awareness building
• Consideration driving
• Conversion capture
• Loyalty reinforcement

Budget Allocation

Investment Strategy:

Promotional Alignment

Timing Strategy:

Align with retail moments:

• Prime Day
• Holiday events
• Category seasons
• Retailer promotions

Measurement & Attribution

Track retail media effectiveness.

Closed-Loop Attribution

Measurement Advantage:

Retail media enables direct attribution:

• Ad exposure to purchase
• In-store and online
• Incremental lift
• Brand vs competitor

Key Metrics

Performance Indicators:

Incrementality

True Impact:

Measure incremental effect:

• Holdout testing
• Matched markets
• Lift measurement
• Baseline comparison

Cross-Retailer View

Unified Measurement:

Challenge of fragmented data:

• Platform silos
• Different metrics
• Aggregation needs
• Standardization efforts

Best Practices & Future Trends

Execute retail media excellence.

Success Factors

Critical Elements:

First-party data leverage

Full-funnel presence

Continuous optimization

Measurement rigor

Platform expertise

Common Mistakes

Avoid These Errors:

2025 Trends Reshaping Retail Media

The off-site expansion is particularly significant—retail media networks are now competing with programmatic platforms by extending their first-party data targeting beyond retailer websites.

Building Your Retail Media Strategy

Retail media isn't optional for brands selling through major retailers—it's table stakes for visibility, discovery, and competitive positioning.

Here's your path forward:

Prioritize by retailer volume — Start with networks where you have the strongest distribution

Build full-funnel presence — Don't just bid on branded terms; invest in category awareness

Leverage first-party data — Use purchase history and loyalty data for targeting precision

Measure incrementality — Go beyond ROAS to understand true incremental lift

Integrate with marketing analytics — Connect retail media data to your broader attribution model

Ready to capture retail media growth? Try AdsMAA's retail media platform to manage campaigns across Amazon, Walmart, Target, and emerging networks—with unified reporting that proves ROI.