Retail-media
State of Play
Revised Sep 3, 2026The moment. WARC Media put global retail media at $200.4 billion for 2026 and $223.4 billion in 2027, growth of 11.5%. In the same week EMARKETER counted retail media ad impressions falling to 107.4 billion in Q2, and Mark Ritson argued in Adweek that the category is cannibalizing brand-building budgets rather than adding new dollars — point-of-sale promotion rebranded. The FTC’s auction suit landed on the largest retail media network there is.
The tension. The spend forecast keeps climbing while the inventory those dollars buy contracted last quarter, which means the growth is being priced rather than delivered. That is also why the newest networks lead with proof: Ace Hardware’s RedVest added incrementality measurement at its first upfront, one year in, because buyers stopped taking the network’s word for it.
Who’s moving. WARC, on the forecast. EMARKETER, on the impressions that went the other way. Ritson, on where the money actually came from. Amazon, bundling shoppable video, a campus block party and a Prime Video concert into one back-to-college push while Alexa starts nudging shoppers before they ask. Ace Hardware, adding DoorDash and weather-triggered campaigns. Nike, hiring Walmart’s Jane Ewing as commercial chief.
What the desk is watching. Whether Q3 impressions recover into a forecast that assumes they do, and whether incrementality proof becomes the entry price for every network without Amazon’s scale.
Retail media creative, not just placement, is deciding sales lift
EMARKETER’s latest guidance argues that as retail media inventory becomes commoditized, the creative shown in on-site and off-site placements is what separates campaigns that convert from those that don’t.
Google’s automated promotions feature ties online discovery to in-store shopping
Google is testing a new automated promotions feature that connects online product discovery directly to in-store shopping behavior, according to EMARKETER.
11 retail media networks pitch their own version of differentiation
At Ascendant’s Showcase upfront, 11 retail media networks — from Home Depot to PayPal to Chase — each pitched a different edge: proprietary data, cross-merchant reach, or niche audience depth, while executives flagged incrementality and interoperability as shared industry asks.
Retail media’s tech gap isn’t the tools — it’s the org chart
A Drum column traces four eras of retail media tech, from in-house builds to composable cloud stacks to AI-ready data, arguing today’s networks have more good technology available than ever but little organizational appetite to install it.
Brands loosen return policies to win holiday shoppers
Retailers expect about 17% of holiday sales to be returned, so brands are testing temporary Q4 policies like free returns and longer windows.
Walmart expands restaurant delivery beyond its own stores, targeting Dunkin’s 10,000 locations
Walmart will deliver Dunkin’ products nationwide over the next year, expanding beyond in-store partners like Subway to standalone restaurant locations, a direct challenge to DoorDash and Uber Eats in third-party delivery.
Home Depot expands in-store AI shopping assistant
Home Depot is widening rollout of its AI-powered in-store assistant, putting generative AI tools directly into the path of purchase decisions.
Albertsons feeds shopper data into YouTube, DV360 with Keurig Dr Pepper as launch brand
Albertsons Media Collective now streams first-party shopper data into YouTube and Display & Video 360, enabling SKU-level, closed-loop sales measurement via LiveRamp for advertisers targeting its 50 million loyalty members.
Retailers court brand budgets as Amazon, Walmart sit out ad showcase
At Ascendant Network’s Showcase in New York, executives from Home Depot, Albertsons, Instacart, DoorDash, Dollar General, Macy’s, and PayPal pitched data and audiences to marketers, distinguishing themselves from absent giants Amazon and Walmart.
Contributor: retail media builds brands, don’t blame it for marketers’ bad habits
An Adweek contributor rebuts Mark Ritson’s claim that retail media can’t build brands, citing causal modeling that shows retail media networks rank among the highest-ROI channels for advertisers.
Retail media forecast to top $200 billion in 2026
WARC Media forecasts global retail media spending will hit $200.4 billion in 2026, then climb 11.5% to $223.4 billion in 2027. The growth keeps outpacing most other ad channels as retailers expand where sponsored placements can appear.
Ace Hardware’s RedVest adds incrementality, influencer and DoorDash tools
Almost one year in, Ace Hardware’s retail media network RedVest Media unveiled new features at its inaugural upfront: incrementality measurement, influencer marketing via Publicis-owned Influential, a DoorDash ad partnership and weather-triggered programmatic campaigns.
FTC filing accuses Amazon of tilting its own ad auctions
The FTC alleges Amazon has overcharged advertisers for years by putting a thumb on its ad auction mechanics, according to columnist Kiri Masters. She argues advertiser trust is damaged even though spending on the platform is unlikely to move.
Amazon adds AI scam-checker to Alexa for Shopping
Amazon is rolling out an AI feature in Alexa for Shopping that checks whether a suspicious email, text, or other message actually came from the company.
WTF is the Amazon ad surcharge lawsuit?
The FTC and 22 state attorneys general allege Amazon secretly abandoned its second-price search ad auction, inserting a fake “soft reserved” bidder to push prices higher.
Amazon’s Alexa can now nudge you to buy before you even ask
Amazon launched “Update Me When,” an Alexa for Shopping feature that sends personalized alerts on new product lines, show seasons, concert tours or book releases tied to a shopper’s interests.
Amazon Ads bundles retail, streaming and IRL events into one back-to-college push
Amazon Ads launched First Day Ready, pairing Gatorade, Michael Kors and SharkNinja with influencers across shoppable video, brand storefronts, a Wisconsin campus block party and a Kane Brown concert streamed on Prime Video, Twitch and Fire TV.
Ritson: retail media is cannibalizing brand budgets, not adding new dollars
Mark Ritson argues at Adweek that marketers are wrongly raiding brand-building budgets to fund retail media, treating it as incremental when it is really just point-of-sale promo marketing rebranded.
Nike revives commercial chief role, taps Walmart’s Jane Ewing
Nike named 14-year Walmart veteran Jane Ewing chief commercial officer, starting Sept. 7, reviving a role it eliminated in December. Ewing will lead global marketplace operations, overseeing sales and Nike Direct, reporting directly to CEO Elliott Hill.
Retail media ad impressions fell to 107.4 billion in Q2 2026
Retail media ad impressions dropped to 107.4 billion in Q2 2026, according to EMARKETER data. The decline marks a pullback in inventory volume even as retail media remains one of the fastest-growing ad categories overall.
Simon Property Group launches a retail media network for its malls
The world’s largest mall operator debuted Simon Media Network, a programmatic ad vehicle built on loyalty data, opted-in WiFi location tracking and licensed third-party purchase data.
Commerce media growth outpaces teams’ full-funnel tools, EMARKETER finds
EMARKETER reports commerce media spend keeps climbing while marketing teams lack the tools to run full-funnel campaigns — buyers want awareness and conversion in one system.
Walmart’s ad business jumps 38%, lifting full-year guidance
Walmart’s global ad business grew 38% in the second quarter — Walmart Connect up 43% in the U.S. excluding VIZIO — helping lift total revenue to $187.9 billion and beat earnings estimates.
Brands use TikTok Shop to seed demand, then let Amazon close the sale
Sellers report a “halo effect”: TikTok Shop virality drives Amazon sales at 1.5–3x the TikTok volume, per Million Dollar Sellers — shoppers discover on TikTok, then buy on Amazon for Prime shipping, reviews and price.
The Drum’s commerce media series probes who now controls product discovery
The Drum’s documentary series returns, featuring leaders from TikTok and Google discussing how commerce media is reshaping product discovery. The episode examines who now decides what consumers buy as retail, search and social converge into one purchase funnel.