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.
Amazon Ads
In the UK, Amazon is working with third-party on-demand delivery companies to get orders to customers faster. Through a new partnership with Gopuff, the ecommerce leader is promising delivery for orders of fresh food, cleaning supplies, baby essentials, snacks, and alcohol in one hour or less. Amazon will strategically leverage the Gopuff micro-fulfillment centers located in densely populated areas to get products to customers faster than it has been accomplishing on its own.
Also last month, Amazon unveiled plans to invest £40 billion ($53.7 billion) to build four more UK new fulfilment centers and additional delivery stations by 2027.
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Cartology (Woolworths)
In Australia, Woolworths retail media platform Cartology extended its digital-out-of-home network through a multi-year deal that will place 50 small- and large-format screens in the Westpoint Shopping Centre in Blacktown. One of Western Sydney’s largest shopping centers with 280 stores, Westpoint attracts more than 18 million annual shoppers. Cartology’s DOOH network encompasses more than 3,400 screens across the nation.
In other recent news, Cartology NZ recently announced plans to install 180 digital screens in 65 Woolworths supermarkets across New Zealand. “Our stores continue to be at the heart of our customers’ shopping experience, so the evolution of our in-store screen network is a natural next step to drive greater impact for our brand partners,” said Samantha Osborne, Cartology NZ’s general manager.
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DoorDash Ads
DoorDash last month acquired Symbiosys, a next-gen retail media platform that will help the on-demand delivery company expand the offsite advertising capabilities it provides to both brand advertisers and retailer partners. Combined with the rollout of new artificial intelligence-enabled tools, the acquisition represents “the most significant update to [our] advertising platform to date,” DoorDash said.
In addition to expanding ad inventory, Symbiosys’ self-serve platform will let advertisers manage and measure offsite campaigns using DoorDash’s closed-loop system. Meanwhile, an array of in-app enhancements includes new ad formats like videos and product carousels, expanded sponsored product ads in global search, and new brand halo and video view measurement metrics.
“Moving forward, every business — from local owner-operators to the largest global brands — will have the opportunity to grow on DoorDash and beyond with the click of a button,” said Toby Espinosa, DoorDash VP of Ads.
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Gulp Media Network (7-Eleven)
The rollout of 7-Eleven’s Gulp Radio in-store audio network is ahead of schedule and should reach 12,000 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes locations by the end of July, according to an article in C-Store Dive. Built in partnership with Australia-based in-store audio specialist Qsic, Gulp Radio is ultimately expected to be one of the largest commercial radio stations in the U.S.
“Recognizing that over 90% of convenience store transactions still occur in-store, and since most of the products we sell are impulse purchases … in-store media had to be a core component of the Gulp Media offer,” Mario Mijares, vice president of marketing, loyalty and monetization platforms for 7-Eleven, told C-Store Dive.
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H-E-B Retail Media
H-E-B and technology partner Epsilon Retail Media, a Publicis Groupe company, are rolling out self-service capabilities that will enable brands to independently activate and manage advertising campaigns across the retailer’s website and mobile app. The self-service platform will facilitate real-time reporting on a variety of performance metrics including sales, cost-per-click, and click-through rate.
“These new self-service capabilities support our mission to make it easier for brands of all sizes to connect with local Texas communities throughout their digital shopping journey,” said Sean Ransenberg, Managing Director and General Manager of H-E-B Retail Media. All of H-E-B’s roughly 400 U.S. stores are located in Texas. H-E-B Retail Media connects brands with over eight million households weekly.
H-E-B is also integrating enhanced capabilities from omnichannel advertising platform Skai that will give advertisers an additional access point for planning, managing, optimizing, and measuring campaigns.
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JLP Insights & Media
As part of ongoing efforts to grow its UK market share, JLP Media (John Lewis Partnership) has partnered with Publicis Groupe’s Epsilon Retail Media to extend its capabilities to the offsite environment. Initially offered as a managed service with plans to soon add self-service capabilities, the opportunities will include offsite display, connected TV, and OLV (online video).
JLP first launched its Epsilon-powered onsite retail media platform in 2023. The expanding partnership is allowing JLP to grow its offerings and create a better value proposition that lets grocery and non-grocery advertisers have greater control over audience identity.
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Kroger Precision Marketing
KPM recently unveiled premium placement home-page carousels that are designed to drive greater awareness for brand advertisers. The company is promising “premium visibility with increased conversion potential” through these new guaranteed website and in-app placements, dubbed HOME.
Advertisers can secure placement for one-week durations to gain 100% share of voice. The new media opportunity can be measured using standard metrics including ROAS, click-through-rate, conversion, and full attribution.
Kroger timed the rollout to coincide with planning for upcoming seasonal tentpole events like Halloween and Thanksgiving.
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Market Media (Warehouse Group)
Market leader The Warehouse Group last month became the first retailer in New Zealand to partner with global ad tech company The Trade Desk to enable offsite media campaigns using first-party shopper data. The exclusive arrangement will allow brands to leverage The Warehouse Group’s consumer behavior insights and product purchase data to more effectively target more than 4.5 million shoppers across the internet.
“We’re truly excited to be pioneering this new approach in digital advertising with The Trade Desk,” said Blaine Hudson, head of product and data for Market Media, The Warehouse Group’s retail media network. “Marketers and agencies can now harness the power of our retail data to reach more potential consumers.”
Closed-loop measurement will soon be added to the offering.
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Roundel (Target)
Roundel has introduced Precision Plus by Roundel, a capability created to share conversion signals that will unlock offsite inventory and accelerate performance across other demand-side platforms including Google, The Trade Desk, and leading social media partners while maintaining data privacy.
Precision Plus is “powered by three foundational elements: consolidation, data collaboration, and price transparency,” according to Roundel. The consolidation element is underpinned by Roundel’s objective-based buying capability, which optimizes media on a daily basis to deliver results based on specific goals. The data collaboration piece is fueled by Target’s first-party data, which can be enhanced through sophisticated audience understanding and relevant messaging via these third-party partnerships. Price transparency lets advertisers compare results from working and non-working media.
Initial results have identified an 843% increase in click-through rate, a 103% lift in ROAS, and a 55% reduction in CPM, according to Roundel
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Sam’s Club Member Access Platform
A new Omni-Impact tool will further Sam’s Club MAP’s mission to become the first “Retail Experience Network” by measuring performance for every member touchpoint across platforms, channels, and audiences. Powered by AI, the tool will mine Sam’s Club’s member data to deliver a 12-month, tactic-level view of campaign performance — “scientifically quantifying the impact of each MAP touchpoint across the funnel” — to determine “true incrementality,” the retailer promises.
“That full-funnel, cross-channel and cross-seasonal lens is critical in today’s environment, where members may encounter a brand multiple times before taking action,” explained Harvey Ma, Vice President and General Manager, in a blog post. “With Omni‑Impact, advertisers gain insights into how those engagements build over time, the long-term loyalty of a member, and how to replicate success.”
Omni‑Impact can also simulate media mix strategies and deliver customized predictive budget guidance tailored to each advertiser’s historical performance and category dynamics, according to the post.
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Unlimitail (Carrefour)
A landmark buying alliance created by France-based Carrefour and Coopérative U could ultimately have a significant impact on the retail media landscape in Europe: A media release announcing the agreement notes that Coopérative U will, “in due course, enter into an agreement with Unlimitail — the joint venture between Publicis and Carrefour — to develop its retail media strategy.”
Carrefour is one of Europe’s leading FMCG retailers and Coopérative U one of its leading retail cooperatives. “Through this partnership, we are becoming the number one purchasing force in France — and equipping ourselves to become the leader at the European level,” said Alexandre Bompard, Chairman and CEO of Carrefour.
Launched in 2023, the Unlimitail retail media network already encompasses 33 retailers that generate over two billion monthly page views from an estimated audience of 220 million. The network has been rapidly enhancing and expanding both its digital and in-store media opportunities. It also has been improving its performance measurement capabilities with geo-lift tools for DOOH campaigns and omnichannel solutions that link ad exposure to both in-store and online sales, according to the most recent Retail Media Report Card: Europe.
Named Concordis, the buying alliance is already recruiting additional retail partners, according to the release.
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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].
