Beyond Best Buy Advertising, the world of retail media networks (RMNs) has exploded, with platforms like Amazon Advertising, Walmart Connect, Target Roundel, Instacart Ads, Home Depot’s Orange Apron Media, CVS Media Exchange, Walgreens Advertising Group, and Macy’s Media Network leading the charge. More retailers across grocery, specialty, and pharmacy are joining the ranks, creating a robust and competitive ecosystem continually reshaping the digital ad landscape.
What Are Retail Media Networks?
According to Broadsign, a retail media network is a platform operated by a retailer that allows brands to advertise directly on the retailer’s digital properties such as websites, apps, and in-store screens. Brands leverage first-party data to target shoppers as they move through the purchase journey. This integrated environment closes the loop between ad impressions and sales, improving marketing accountability.
The Scale and Growth of Retail Media
Industry forecasts predict that global retail media ad spend will surge to as much as $180 billion by 2025, according to eMarketer and other top researchers. In the United States, retail media is projected to surpass $60 billion in annual spend, capturing up to 25% of all digital advertising budgets. Key insights on this record-breaking growth are available in the Global Retail Media Networks Landscape Report and Advendio’s 2025 Blueprint.
This meteoric rise is being fueled by advertisers seeking accurate targeting, measurable returns, and access to massive pools of intent-rich first-party data. Retail media networks offer seamless opportunities to advertise both onsite and offsite, as well as new approaches to in-store digital displays.
How Retail Media Networks Benefit Brands
With demand-side platforms (DSPs) powering buying, brands can reach high-intent audiences based on actual purchase data. This not only maximizes ROI in digital advertising but also enables non-endemic brands—like insurers or car companies—to connect with retailers’ loyal customer bases.
Best Buy’s ambitious upfront event is just one sign that retail media solutions are becoming go-to resources even for brands that don’t sell in physical stores.
The Future of Retail and Media
As privacy standards reshape digital marketing and brands demand transparency, the future of retail media revolves around innovations in data, creative formats, and omnichannel partnerships. Industry watchers expect RMNs to capture one in every four digital ad dollars by the end of 2025, making adaptation crucial for marketers at every level.
