To keep the industry updated between the periodic editions of our Retail Media Report Card, Mars United monitors the efforts at leading retailers and platforms around the globe 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.
The Retail Media Report Card is available for five markets: the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia-New Zealand, and Latin America.
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Ahold Delhaize Retail Media (U.S.)
Ahold Delhaize USA is leveraging click-to-cart technology from checkout technology specialist SmartCommerce to give brands an option for making external digital marketing touchpoints — offsite ads, social media, and brand-owned channels — shoppable through any of the retailer’s banners. The direct-to-cart functionality also enables product substitution when needed.
The SmartCommerce technology “creates a simpler, more connected experience, helping customers go from discovery to cart in just a few clicks from the digital channels they use every day,” said Keith Nicks, ADUSA’s Chief Commercial and Digital Officer, in a release. “It also strengthens how we connect engagement to measurable ecommerce sales, unlocking new opportunities for growth across our digital ecosystem.”
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Albertsons Media Collective (U.S.)
The Collective has integrated with the Google Display & Video 360 platform to let brand partners advertising on YouTube activate some 175 purchase-based and custom audiences supplied by Albertsons, supported by SKU-level closed-loop measurement of campaign results, the network said. (Kroger became part of the DV360 program in March.)
Elsewhere, the Collective has added lifetime value assessment to its campaign reporting. The network expects the metric, which quantifies the total revenue a customer is predicted to generate over time, to improve retention strategies and promotional impact.
The network also has moved “Takeover Spotlight,” its elevated search ad opportunity, from a single booking to auction format similar to standard paid search. The placement delivers a greater share of page real estate and also accommodates video.
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Dollar General Media Network (U.S.)
DGMN is doubling the scope of its in-store audio network to reach roughly 12,000 of its 20,000 stores by mid-summer. It’s also enhancing the network’s capabilities through a partnership with AI-powered in-store audio platform Qsic. The upgrades are expected to enhance the in-store experience through “more relevant, contextual messaging designed to add value, not noise” to the shopping trip, said Austin Leonard, DGMN’s VP-General Manager, in a media release. Leonard highlighted several additional benefits in a LinkedIn post:
- Closed-loop measurement that provides real-time, in-flight results matching the network’s existing IAB-compliant reporting.
- In-flight AI optimization that brings programmatic targeting to the store level, synchronizing delivery to ideal dayparts and matching the SKUs being promoted.
- Digital planning tools that optimize store targeting based on in-stock levels to improve sales growth and unit velocity.
- Proof that ads are delivered at proper decibel levels when shoppers are in-store.
Elsewhere, DGMN is uniting onsite and offsite activation with measurement in one connected workflow via The Trade Desk. Media infrastructure company Kevel will handle. Managed service testing kicks off in June, with broader availability for mutual clients expected in the third quarter, per a release.
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DoorDash Ads (Canada)
DoorDash Ads broadened its existing U.S. deal with Criteo to include Canada. Global commerce intelligence platform Criteo will serve as an extension of DoorDash’s Canada sales team to pitch onsite sponsored products, sponsored brands, and onsite video and display ads, along with offsite display, video, search, and social.
“In the U.S., DoorDash campaigns activated through Criteo have already demonstrated strong early momentum,” said John Roswech, Head of Business for Symbiosys at DoorDash, in a release. “We’re excited to expand our partnership with Criteo to enable more brands to participate in that.”
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Douglas Marketing Solutions (Europe)
Douglas Marketing Solutions, the retail media arm of European beauty retailer Douglas, is transferring operation of 210 in-store screens in 155 beauty stores to out-of-home platform Broadsign as part of a more extensive omnichannel retail media strategy. Management had primarily been handled in-house. Broadsign facilitates campaign planning, targeting, content delivery, and reporting.
The connected system is expected to let advertisers more quickly update or localize content based on promotions, product availability, regional priorities, or shopper demographics. It will also facilitate targeting adjustments based on store tier, screen position, category adjacency, time of day, and featured products, according to an article in Sixteen:Nine.
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H-E-B Retail Media (U.S.)
H-E-B has rolled out a new onsite video ad format that appears alongside shoppable product carousels within key shopping environments like the “Pantry” category page.
The video placement aims to offer a brand storytelling opportunity and drive product discovery for multiple SKUs within a single shoppable ad unit as shoppers actively browse or search within a category.
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Kroger Precision Marketing (U.S.)
KPM has expanded its Custom Influencer ad offering to include TikTok amplification in addition to Pinterest, Snapchat, Meta, and programmatic channels. The campaigns connect creator content with paid media and Kroger’s first-party data targeting to drive product discovery and conversion.
Capabilities include custom purchase-based audiences, improved measurement (attributed and incremental ROAS), faster lead times (6.5 weeks), and flexible creator selection. Influencer content can drive directly to Kroger.com destinations, including product lists, landing pages, and digital coupons.
Elsewhere, KPM, Instacart Ads, and Best Buy Ads have all signed on as launch partners for Roku Curate. The new solution combines TV streaming platform Roku’s audience engagement insights with purchase behavior data from partnering retailers to facilitate custom audience creation and closed-loop measurement. The ready-to-use media packages can be purchased and measured through standard workflows, according to a release.
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PetAds (Australia-New Zealand)
Australian pet retailer Petbarn is taking its PetAds retail media business in-house. The retailer had initially launched an omnichannel platform last year with oOh!media’s Reo retail media business, which the out-of-home media company is shutting down as of June 30 to focus on its core business.
“In discussion with our valued retail media client Petbarn, we have both identified better outcomes for our businesses with the effective transition of the Petbarn PetAds omnichannel offering to be operated in-house by the Petbarn team,” oOh!media CEO James Taylor told B&T.
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Sam’s Club MAP (U.S.)
Sam’s Club Member Access Platform has introduced two new offerings that align with its ongoing efforts to serve as a “Retail Experience Network” for brand partners:
The MAP Influencer Program gives brands a direct way to partner with Sam’s Club’s exclusive creator network to combine influencer content with the network’s first-party deterministic data and closed-loop measurement.
Expert Review Videos embedded within product detail pages provide information that could aid in purchase decisions early in the shopper journey. Sam’s Club handles the content, sourcing of the experts, and production.
The new offerings are intended to give brands a way to boost credibility while enhancing the shopper experience.
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Triangle Retail Media (Canada)
Canadian Tire Corp. has tapped end-to-end retail media orchestration platform Vantage to provide the core technology infrastructure for its retail media network. The Vantage platform will deliver streamlined buying processes, faster time-to-market for new ad products, and targeted campaigns with real-time insights, per a release.
“This partnership marks the next milestone in our mission to … better connect brands with highly engaged Canadian shoppers, staying true to our commitment to enhance the customer experience,” said Triangle VP David Jackman.
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Walmart Connect (U.S.)
Walmart Connect launched two new capabilities aimed at simplifying and scaling connected TV activation:
- Connect Select is a curated marketplace within the Walmart DSP that makes recommendations on omnichannel ad inventory, with a focus on CTV. At launch, the tool carries inventory from Walmart’s own VIZIO streaming service, along with premium CTV publishers (including Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery), and supply-side platforms (Magnite, PubMatic, etc.).
- Expanded Walmart DSP integration with technology partners such as Pacvue and Skai.
Elsewhere, Walmart Data Ventures introduced the Scintilla Media Data Feed, which lets advertisers securely share the retailer’s first-party data with their agency and tech partners through scalable API access.
The tool provides “granular visibility at both the brand and product level, a clearer picture of cross-halo effects across brick & mortar and dot-com, and the ability to measure ROI across onsite and offsite media with far greater precision,” said Brian Kim, Senior Principal, Analyst and R&D at mPhasize (a Publicis Groupe agency), in a Walmart post.
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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].
