To keep the industry updated between the periodic editions of our Retail Media Report Card, Mars UnitedSM Commerce monitors the efforts at leading retailers and platforms to improve and expand their capabilities and services.
We focus on the initiatives that are expected to impact the way advertisers effectively plan, execute, and measure their marketing programs on these networks, either directly through new behind-the-scenes tools and capabilities, or indirectly through new engagement opportunities that will enhance (or at least alter) the way they interact with shoppers.
AD Retail Media
Ahold Delhaize USA’s retail media network is strengthening its offsite media playbook by working with recipe-focused engagement platform Chicory to offer contextually relevant advertising opportunities.
Chicory’s commerce media offerings deliver brand messages to both new and existing shoppers at “moments of inspiration” such as searching for meal ideas, creating shopping lists, or simply browsing products online. The partnership will include robust closed-loop measurement.
“As retail media continues to evolve, the ability to influence purchase decisions beyond owned channels is critical,” said Bobby Watts, Ahold Delhaize USA’s SVP of Retail Media and Digital Merchandising. “It’s a priority for us to not only bring our partners compelling solutions, but easy-to-access measurement so that we can assess results and put in place holistic strategies that support growth.”
Albertsons Media Collective
The Collective this summer will begin installing a digital screen network across Albertsons stores through a partnership with digital signage specialist Stratacache. The initiative will begin as a pilot in “two key regions” that encompasses large-format digital displays in high-traffic locations, including entrances and the produce department, the grocer said.
“Stratacache’s technology foundation for closed-loop measurement was a significant factor in our decision to partner with them,” explained Liz Roche, VP of Media and Measurement at The Collective, in a statement announcing the plan. “Being able to reach customers through compelling brand messaging at the point of purchase, and then understand performance, helps us fully realize the potential of the in-store channel.”
Amazon Ads
Since making the strategic decision to move beyond its own formidable advertising ecosystem, Amazon has been busy forging partnerships that extend the audience reach it offers advertisers to a variety of additional platforms.
Among the latest agreements is a pact with streaming service Roku that the partners say gives advertisers “access to the largest authenticated connected TV footprint in the U.S.” exclusively through the Amazon DSP (demand side platform). Combined with Amazon Prime, the integration delivers an identifiable audience of 80 million. Early tests generated a 40% increase in unique viewers and 30% reduction in duplication, the partners said.
Elsewhere, Amazon Ads and Disney Advertising announced a deal to integrate the Amazon DSP with the Disney Real-Time Ad Exchange, allowing advertisers to gain direct access to the entertainment giant’s premium ad inventory across the Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu streaming platforms while leveraging audience insights from both companies.
In other news, Adweek reported that Amazon Prime Video will soon significantly increase the amount and specificity of its contextual ad-targeting capabilities by introducing new audience-focused categories such as female voices, top trending, high-income households, and “co-viewing.” Prime Video currently only offers segmentation based on content genre, like horror, action, and sports.
CVS Media Exchange
CVS Media Exchange (CMX) is expanding its offsite ad opportunities in a relatively unique way through integration with news aggregator and social platform Reddit. Beginning in the fourth quarter, the partnership will make CMX’s first-party data available for advertisers to run targeted campaigns within Reddit’s community forums.
“By combining CMX first-party shopper data with Reddit’s deep community engagement, brands can now reach consumers with optimized precision inside peer-driven conversations,” CMX stated in a sponsored eMarketer article. Reddit is the leading platform for product, especially in health, wellness, and beauty, according to the article. Reddit boasts 108 million daily active users.
Instacart
In one of the many platform partnerships announced at the Cannes Lions 2025 Festival of Creativity, Instacart and Pinterest unveiled plans to connect advertisers with the social lifestyle platform’s high-intent users via relevant ads informed by the on-demand delivery leader’s shopper data.
The first phase of the agreement will feature shoppable ads that let targeted audience segments purchase products instantly through the Instacart ecosystem. A later, second stage will add closed-loop sales measurement to the offering.
Target’s Roundel
Roundel was touted as the first retail media network to enable online, in-app, and offline sales data measurement through the Performance Max campaign offering in Google Search Ads 360, as the world’s leading search engine unveiled beta testing of its new Commerce Media suite. Google is actively seeking additional retailer and brand participants for the beta.
Uber Advertising
Ride Offers, a unique ad program that lets brand partners entice Uber users with discounts on their next use of the service, has been expanded to seven countries around the world: U.S., Canada, UK, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.
“Ride Offers are a powerful way for brands to meet consumers where they are, both literally and emotionally, by providing savings that matter in the moment,” said Megan Ramm, Uber Advertising’s Global Head of Sales, in a statement.
Elsewhere, Uber opened the doors to an in-house Creative Studio that will help advertisers develop rich storytelling and immersive brand experiences that integrate seamlessly into the Uber and Uber Eats platforms.
Sainsbury’s Nectar360
Nectar360, UK-based Sainsbury’s loyalty, insights, and retail media business, announced the late-2025 launch of Pollen, a new platform that will unite audience insights, media planning and activation, campaign optimization, and measurement into one self-service solution.
Built in-house but co-created with partner brands and agencies, the Nectar360 Pollen platform was built to connect in-store, onsite, and offsite advertising “in a truly omnichannel approach” that makes “running closed-loop retail media campaigns simple, seamless, and always customer-first,” the company said. The platform will leverage generative AI to help advertisers optimize campaign creative in real-time, build hyper-relevant audiences, and plan media.
Elsewhere, Nectar360 will soon become one of the first two retailers (alongside Albert Heijn) to successfully complete IAB Europe’s Retail Media Certification Programme, a first-of-its-kind initiative whose goal is to set new standards for transparency, consistency, and accountability in measurement across the continent.
IAB Europe officially launched the program this month after a successful beta test involving the two retailers. The organization will now let any interested retailer undergo an independent audit to validate its measurement practices against standards that were developed in collaboration with industry representatives. Retailers that successfully meet the criteria are awarded a certification badge to showcase in corporate and marketing communications.
Kroger Precision Marketing
The screens will be built into integrated fixtures and allow advertisers to showcase animated content to shoppers. The system will be integrated with KPM’s closed-loop measurement capabilities to directly connect the in-store media exposure to sales performance. The announcement did not include a timeline or scale plan for the rollout.
“We see the physical store as one of the most underutilized platforms for brand storytelling,” said Christine Foster, SVP of KPM, in a statement. “This is not about retrofitting TVs to walls. It’s about bringing inspiration to the in-store shopping experience — seamlessly and meaningfully.”
Sam’s Club Member Access Platform
As part of ongoing efforts to become the marketplace’s first “Retail Experience Network” (a term the company has trademarked), Sam’s Club MAP is stepping up efforts to conduct “Omni Experiences” that combine digital performance tactics like search and display with immersive activations inside and outside physical clubs. The experiences span large-scale seasonal events (tailgating or back-to-school) and localized, brand-led activity.
The initiative also encompasses new data tools including brand lift, customer lifetime value, multi-touch attribution, and propensity modeling to improve audience targeting, optimize campaign activation, and build more relevant member experiences.
Mars United Commerce is a leading global commerce marketing practice that aligns people, technology, and intelligence to make the business of our clients better today than it was yesterday. Our worldwide capabilities coalesce into four key disciplines — Strategy & Analytics, Content & Experiences, Digital Commerce, and Retail Consultancy — that individually deliver unmatched results for clients and collectively give them an unparalleled network of seamlessly integrated functions across the entire commerce marketing ecosystem. For more information about our commerce media practice, contact Willy Blesener, SVP-Media, at [email protected].
