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.
Academy Sports launches retail media network with closed-loop measurement
Academy Sports + Outdoors debuts Academy Retail Media, linking 320+ stores, e-commerce and first-party data to track ads from exposure to purchase. It’s another specialty retailer joining the closed-loop measurement race reshaping retail media beyond Walmart and Amazon.
Retailers’ AI shopping assistants are already lifting order values and conversion
Walmart’s Sparky drives 35% higher average orders, and Amazon’s Alexa for Shopping now converts 44% of sessions, up from 34% a year ago. Retail media operators now have early proof AI assistants outperform traditional search, not just replace it.
Vusion to acquire in-store retail media firm In-Store Media
Vusion is buying Barcelona-based In-Store Media, pairing its shelf-tech platform with ISM’s retail media network relationships across 90 banners and 1,600 brands. It’s a bet that in-store screens and shelf edges become the next retail media inventory after online.
Perion joins Walmart Connect Partner Network
Perion has joined the Walmart Connect Partner Network, pairing its AI-driven creative optimization with Walmart’s first-party shopper data and closed-loop sales measurement.