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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Albertsons Media Collective (U.S.)
Albertsons has placed the Albertsons Media Collective under the guidance of Chief Marketing Officer Emily Turner to unify the company’s media and marketing activities.
According to a report from Progressive Grocer, Chief Merchandising Officer Michelle Larson explained in a letter to brand partners that media and marketing will now be part of the same organization as merchandising, with Turner reporting to Larson. The move followed the abrupt departure of Brian Monahan, SVP-Albertsons Media Collective.
Aligning media with marketing will help brand partners “make faster decisions, coordinate more closely between campaigns and customer engagement, and better connect experiences, from planning through measurement,” Larson wrote in the letter, according to Progressive Grocer. At the same time, “Media will remain part of joint business planning, so your investments stay aligned with assortment, promotion and in-store execution,” Larson told brands, per Progressive Grocer.
This summer, Albertsons introduced a plan to realign its merchandising operations under a “Merch United” model that scaled down 11 divisional teams into four regional groups. Among the goals of that initiative is a more consistent shopping experience that also can strengthen collaboration with brand partners.
Speaking on a Mars United webinar last month, Monahan discussed Albertsons’ efforts to align retail media with merchandising “so it’s one conversation” with brand partners during joint business planning and quarterly business reviews.
“Brian’s leadership was instrumental in building Albertsons Media Collective into an important growth driver for our company and a valued partner for our brands,” Larson wrote, per Progressive Grocer. “His work helped establish a foundation that allows us to take this next step in bringing retail media more closely into our broader marketing organization.”
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Amazon Ads (Global)
Amazon Ads made some pre-UnBoxed news by unveiling a partnership with OpenAI that extends its own advertising opportunities to the ChatGPT agentic search platform. The deal reversed Amazon’s previous decision to block access to its data for third-party engines.
The integration lets brand advertising surface during relevant ChatGPT conversations. Select U.S. advertisers were already running pilots in the U.S. before the announcement.
“Conversational ads represent the fastest growing engagement opportunity for brands to reach new and existing audiences,” said Chris Conetta, Director of Omnichannel Supply at Amazon DSP. “The AI-driven ad experience is not just a vision of what’s to come, but an opportunity for advertisers to meet relevant users where they spend time today.”
“Through our collaboration … we can leverage deep consumer insights to inform how and when Delta Vacations appear within ChatGPT Ads experiences to create new opportunities for travelers to engage,” said Katrin Koenig, President of Delta Vacations, which was spotlighted in the Amazon Ads release announcing the OpenAI partnership. “We’re proud to be among the first brands testing this new approach and helping define what the future of AI-powered marketing can look like.”
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Best Buy Ads (U.S.)
The trend in cross-network business alliances continued last month when Best Buy Ads unveiled a plan to leverage programmatic technology from Amazon Ads to help brand partners plan, activate, optimize, and measure media campaigns.
The integration is part of a newly expanded agreement that maintains Amazon’s Fire TV as the exclusive streaming software on Best Buy’s Insignia televisions. Fire TV ad inventory will now be available for brands on all new and existing Insignia TVs.
“No one knows TVs — or the customers who buy them — better than Best Buy,” said Lisa Valentino, the retailer’s chief ads and media officer, in a joint release. The alliance lets the partners “create new premium opportunities for brands to reach engaged viewers. It’s a combination of expertise, scale, and advertising value that only Best Buy and Amazon can deliver.”
The exclusive Insignia/Fire TV partnership first launched in 2018.
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Boots Media Group (Europe)
UK pharmacy chain Boots has opened a storefront on TikTok Shop to reach younger shoppers and bring product discovery and purchase closer together, the company said. The effort debuted with a live shopping event showcasing a curated collection of skincare and beauty products from the No7 private-label line. Additional brands and products will be added shortly.
“Millions of people are already discovering beauty and skincare products through TikTok and the creators and communities that they trust,” said Paula Bobbett, Boots’ Chief Digital and Data Officer, in a release. “This launch gives us an exciting new way to be part of this dynamic experience and help more customers to discover new products and shop those they love in a way that feels seamless and relevant to their lives.”
The TikTok Shop experience is part of a broader effort “to create more connected customer experiences and bring beauty content, product discovery, and purchase closer together,” the release said. “Through the platform, Boots aims to reach new audiences, while giving existing customers greater choice and flexibility in how and where they shop.”
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Cartology (Australia-New Zealand)
Ad sales at Cartology rose 7.8% in fiscal 2026, ended June 28, parent Woolworths Group announced recently. The network, which operates in both Australia and New Zealand, posted growth of 11.3% thanks to “the combination of proprietary analytics and media and product insights gaining increased traction with suppliers,” according to Woolworths’ annual report.
Capability updates undertaken during the year included the full rollout of a digital in-store network boasting 1,600 aisle-entry screens in the health & beauty and household aisles of Woolworths Supermarkets. Cartology also introduced a self-service Ads Manager platform that gives advertisers greater control over campaign management and easier access to post-campaign reporting, the report said.
Elsewhere, sponsored search opportunities were added to the Big W website.
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Farmacity (Latin America)
In its first year of business, Farmacity’s retail media network transitioned from “launch phase to a mature, highly efficient operation,” with initial ad sales more than tripling as the active advertiser base doubled, according to a financial release from VTEX Ads, the connected commerce aggregator that operates the business for the Argentina-based pharmacy retailer.
“This growth was driven by improved performance, not just increased traffic, as the platform’s conversion rate grew by over 70%,” according to VTEX. The network now encompasses four of Farmacity’s five retail formats on the digital front; the next step will be to build out an omnichannel model by piloting in-store media opportunities, VTEX said.
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Instacart Ads (U.S.)
Speaking of cross-network alliances, Instacart announced a new partnership that will bring on-demand-delivery competitor Gopuff into the Instacart Marketplace. Gopuff also will begin using its rival’s Carrot Ads technology to power advertising on its own digital storefront in the U.S., which will let Instacart advertisers extend their reach to the instant-delivery specialist’s customers.
“Gopuff will now have access to world-class retail media technology and a massive advertiser ecosystem,” Instacart Chief Business Officer Alberto Menolascina said in a release. “Introducing Gopuff to the Instacart Marketplace offers our consumers a fast and convenient way to shop everything from groceries and household staples to snacks and beverages,” said Ali Miller, Instacart’s General Manager of Advertising.
“In an increasingly fragmented retail media landscape, the Instacart Ads ecosystem makes it easier for brands and agencies to optimize, manage, and measure campaigns through one connected platform,” Miller added.
Gopuff Ads will continue working with brand partners directly.
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Sam’s Club Connect (U.S.)
The latest evidence of Walmart’s plan to better align its global retail media activity came last month with news that Sam’s Club merchants and brand partners will have access to the Scintilla first-party commerce intelligence platform in 2027.
Scintilla is designed to help brand partners leverage Walmart’s vast shopper data and insights to inform their commerce marketing strategies, from product development and shelf assortment to omnichannel and retail media marketing investments.
For Sam’s Club, the platform “connects insights across members, omnichannel performance, and business outcomes in a single platform, giving merchants and suppliers the information they need to anticipate member needs, strengthen collaboration and make more confident, data-driven decisions,” according to Walmart’s official release. “The result is stronger assortment, improved availability and an even better shopping experience for members.”
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Tesco Media (Europe)
Tesco Media announced a variety of capability updates at its annual upfront meeting for advertisers last week. According to a LinkedIn post from the network, the updates centered on four key themes:
- “Linking brand building and performance: Connecting inspiration to purchase through new influencer and shoppable media opportunities.” New influencer-led campaigns will be integrated into the website, shopper app, and in-store screens. Brands can tap into their own creator stables.
- “Bringing greater intelligence to the store: Delivering more relevant messaging through dynamic in-store media powered by real-world signals.” The network now operates more than 3,800 digital screens, including 2,800 inside Tesco Express stores.
- “Proving and improving impact: Expanding measurement capabilities to help brands better understand and optimize performance.
- “Turning customer understanding into action: Making it easier to plan, activate and measure campaigns through new tools and capabilities.”
Tesco also introduced a new “Ad Manager” built in partnership with Kevel, that unites planning, booking, measurement, and optimization into a single, self-service platform. New capabilities include AI-powered workflows and recommendations.
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Uber Advertising (Australia)
Uber Advertising made a big splash at its advertiser upfront in Sydney last month by presenting a variety of new or expanded ad formats that include branded cars, sponsored ride upgrades, in-car product sampling, and real-time vouchers, according to MediaWeek. Among some of the more noteworthy announcements:.
- A new “Redirect” offering allows riders to change their original destination to visit a store and purchase an advertised product; real-time discount vouchers can then be delivered at the storefront.
- A partnership with Circana launching by the end of 2026 will provide advertisers with third-party insights into the in-store sales impact of media campaigns.
- New “Fan Experience” packages spanning multiple ad formats let brands execute campaigns around major sporting and cultural events.
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Walgreens Advertising Group (U.S.)
Walgreens Advertising Group will roll out digital screens to 1,200 stores by early 2027 in a partnership with in-store media operator Looma, whose clients also include Kroger Precision Marketing and BJ’s Media Edge.
“We’re investing in stronger customer experiences, smarter audiences, advanced measurement, and one of the most exciting in-store media platforms in retail,” said John Storms, Walgreens’ VP-Digital and Retail Media, in a September LinkedIn post that followed an announcement at the Ascendant Network’s first “upfront” for retail media networks.
The opportunity also creates “stronger connections across merchandising, digital, insights, and media to help brands influence our customers in the moments that matter,” Storms said.
WAG also provides in-store media opportunities through Vestcom and Catalina USA.
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Walmart Connect (U.S.)
Walmart Connect has expanded its offsite media opportunities to Spotify, Yahoo DSP, and Warner Bros. Discovery. The news was presented this month as part of the network’s Partner Connect event for brand and agency partners in New York.
“Advertisers increasingly want to bring the precision and accountability of commerce media to more of their advertising investments,” said Khurrum Malik, Walmart’s VP of Business & Product Marketing, in an official statement. “We are enabling advertisers to buy media in the ways that work for them, reach the same Walmart customers across more channels, and consistently connect media exposure to Walmart sales.”
- The deal with Spotify offers audio, video, and display ad opportunities in the streaming service’s music and podcast content.
- The Yahoo DSP pact extends a proof of concept conducted earlier in 2026 to let brand partners buy and measure targeted ad campaigns on various connected TV (CTV) platforms. Magnite provides the supporting sell-side technology.
- The partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery lets Walmart Connect advertisers apply addressable audiences to live linear TV campaigns for the first time through the Walmart DSP. Available properties begin with TBS, TLC, truTV, HLN, and Food Network. The options also include Warner Bros Discovery’s streaming portfolio.
“Together, these expansions help advertisers reach Walmart customers across more of the places they spend time, with more flexibility in how they buy and consistent measurement connecting media investment to Walmart sales,” Malik said.
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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].
