The race is on: Australia-New Zealand's retail media industry is racing to meet advertisers' high expectations.
Mars United Commerce has released the new edition of its ANZ Retail Media Report Card, providing an essential performance benchmark for the dynamic retail media landscape in Australia and New Zealand. As the industry races to meet evolving advertiser demands, this report highlights the strengths and challenges faced by networks and anticipates the next phase of competitive evolution.
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This latest edition features the exciting addition of two new networks, Afterpay Ads and PetAds, to its analysis while expanding coverage of the steadily maturing areas of in-store screens, off-network activations, and advertiser collaboration tools. Since its inception in late 2023, the Report Card has been indispensable for advertisers, offering clear, actionable insights into network strengths and identifying potential gaps.
Off the back of the IAB Commerce and Retail Media Summit 2025 and REmade 2025, the momentum of retail media expansion in ANZ is evident. Seven out of 10 advertisers in Australia have increased their retail media spend over the past year and a significant 77% are operating across three or more networks (IAB Retail Media State of the Nation 2025). Although New Zealand lags slightly behind, it is projected to experience similar growth trajectories.
This competitive environment prompts networks to heavily invest in advanced screens, innovative attribution tools, and strategic off-network partnerships. Established networks like Amazon Ads, Cartology, and Coles 360 are extending their reach by integrating with external platforms. In parallel, Adore Beauty is enhancing its social content offerings. Partnerships, such as MixIn with Yahoo DSP, are sharpening precision targeting, while Market Media’s collaboration with The Trade Desk provides non-endemic brands access to scalable, privacy-safe ad inventory.
“The race is intensifying. Networks have left the starting blocks with strong propositions, but the true contest is keeping pace across multiple disciplines to meet advertisers’ high expectations. The winners will be those that bring these capabilities together to meet the promise of retail media. In many ways, this isn’t one race but a decathlon. Networks are leading different events, whether that’s measurement, AI, creative effectiveness, or collaboration. But it’s the combination of these capabilities that defines a network’s value proposition, and the Report Card helps decode where each is building momentum and where gaps remain.”
Measurement remains a high-stakes battleground within retail media. The IAB reports that 85% of retailers plan to enhance their measurement frameworks in the coming year.
“It is encouraging to see networks responding to advertisers and agencies with more transparent and robust reporting. The Report Card itself is one mechanism driving transparency, but the real opportunity will come as networks share more openly and collaborate more deeply.”
Looking to the horizon, key themes are surfacing. Porter notes, “We’ve seen big strides in the past six months, but two big challenges are now firmly on the horizon. Creative optimisation and AI. Retail media needs to apply the same rigour to creative effectiveness to meet its brand building promise, and AI will only accelerate that need, reshaping both creative optimisation and the shopper journey itself.”
Wearmouth emphasises the foundational role of collaboration, “The prize will be building stronger two-way relationships. Advertisers want confidence their investment is effective, and agencies want a seat at the table. We applaud the progress to date but hope to see even deeper partnerships emerge.”
Mars United Commerce is globally recognised for its leadership in retail media strategy, shopper marketing and experiential activations. With offices in markets including the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, the company delivers connected commerce solutions to propel their clients’ brands across all commerce environments. You can find more insights from Mars United here.
Download the report to start demystifying retail media.
