In today’s digital advertising landscape, retailers aren’t just selling products – they’re offering valuable real estate for brands to connect with targeted consumers. Retail media networks are transforming the way brands reach in-market shoppers, but navigating this new frontier can be complex. Here, we’ll cut through the confusion to give you a clear understanding of retail media networks and their potential to elevate your advertising strategy.
What are Retail Media Networks?
Retail media networks are digital advertising platforms built by retailers that allow brands to advertise directly to customers on their websites, apps, and even in stores. These networks harness customer data to target ads effectively, creating a personalized shopping experience. They’ve become essential in the retail industry, transforming how brands connect with their audience at crucial moments—right at the point of purchase or while browsing online. This targeting capacity means ads reach relevant audiences, increasing the odds of conversion and driving retail sales.
The importance of retail media networks stems from their ability to leverage direct access to shopper behavior and preferences. By using insights drawn from loyalty data and customer interactions, these networks help brands place products in front of interested customers, boosting brand awareness and loyalty. Moreover, they provide a unique value proposition by integrating ads seamlessly into the shopping experience, making them less intrusive and more engaging.
How Retail Media Networks are Revolutionizing Retail
Retail media networks are revolutionizing the retail sector by bridging the gap between online and offline shopping experiences. They turn every digital interaction into a potential ad opportunity, from search result pages to product detail pages. This synergy between retail and digital advertising not only drives retail ecommerce sales but also enriches customer journeys with relevant product recommendations and offers.
Moreover, the rise of connected retail media platforms is enabling retailers to offer more cohesive and personalized ad campaigns across multiple channels. Brands can now track the impact of their ads on actual purchase decisions, a game-changer for marketing effectiveness. This holistic view encourages more strategic ad spend, shifting from traditional search advertising to more innovative formats like sponsored products and display ads.
Want to dive deeper? Explore essential tools for retail media advertising here.
Principles of Retail Media Network Strategy
Developing a successful retail media network strategy requires a deep understanding of retail media advertising tools and the retail landscape. A few key principles include:
- Customer Centricity: Tailoring campaigns to the customers’ needs and preferences, utilizing the rich loyalty data available through retail media networks.
- Integrated Campaigns: Coordinating across all platforms, including in-store, on retailer websites, and through external digital channels, to create a unified brand message.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing performance data to optimize campaigns, including ad placement and keyword match types, to improve engagement and conversion rates.
These principles highlight the need for a strategic approach to retail media, focusing on relevance, integration, and accountability to drive successful outcomes.
5 Leading Retail Media Networks to Watch
Now that we understand the importance of these networks, it’s time to explore retail media network examples and how Skair harnesses these tools.
Skai is the only platform for omnichannel advertising across walled garden media. As part of our retail media services, we offer access to 1 or 100+ publishers from a single login. When you tap into our partner ecosystem, you’ll be able to harness the power of leading retail media networks.
Through our advertising API partners, you can achieve unprecedented reach, provide context for decision-making and optimization, and get the expertise you need to scale your success.
Let’s take a look at 5 of Skai’s retail media API advertising partners.
1. Amazon Ads
Amazon Ads is at the forefront of the retail media industry. It utilizes its vast data on shopper behavior to offer targeted ad solutions on Amazon.com and other Amazon-owned sites. It features a variety of ad formats, including sponsored products, sponsored brands, and display ads, designed to influence purchase decisions and drive brand awareness.
2. Walmart Connect
Walmart Connect offers brands a way to reach Walmart’s massive customer base through targeted online ads, in-store displays, and even delivery services. It helps brands boost awareness, target in-market shoppers, and drive sales within the trusted Walmart environment.
3. Criteo Retail Media
Criteo specializes in retargeting. They help businesses reach people who’ve already shown interest in their products online. Ever browse for shoes on one site and see similar ads follow you around the web? That’s Criteo at work. By targeting past website visitors, they help businesses convert lookers into buyers.
4. Epsilon Retail Media
Epsilon Retail Media helps brands target shoppers where they already shop. Imagine placing ads for your athletic wear on a retailer’s fitness app or running shoes on their website. By using shopper data, Epsilon ensures your message reaches the right people at the right time.
5. PromoteIQ
PromoteIQ, now part of Microsoft, empowers retailers to take charge of their advertising space. This platform allows retailers to directly manage and sell ad placements on their websites and apps. Essentially, it gives retailers control over how brands advertise to their customer base. PromoteIQ facilitates targeted advertising, ensuring relevant messages reach the right shoppers, ultimately generating revenue for both the retailer and the advertiser.
In addition to this list of retail media networks, Skai has advertising API partnerships with:
- Kroger
- Snapchat
- Sam’s Club
- And more!
Learn more about our partnerships here.
Maximizing Retail Media Networks for Business Growth
By harnessing the power of retail media networks, companies can place their products directly in the line of sight of ready-to-purchase consumers, using advanced targeting and analytics to optimize ad spend and increase sales conversion rates. This creates a more personalized shopping experience and drives significant business growth through high-intent shopper engagement, making retail media networks a pivotal tool in the arsenal of modern digital marketing strategies.
How Skai Can Advance Your Retail Media Marketing
If your business is looking to harness the power of retail media networks with omnichannel insights, actionable data and measurement, and comprehensive reporting, look to Skai. Our solutions for digital retail media give you a cutting-edge advantage with tools like:
- Omnichannel Advertising: Skai’s platform unifies retail media advertising across top retailers, enabling brands to reach consumers efficiently and effectively. By consolidating multiple retailer platforms into a single interface, Skai simplifies the process of managing and optimizing campaigns across different channels. This helps brands create a more consistent advertising strategy while saving time and resources.
- Retail Media Solution: With features like ad scheduling/dayparting and keyword harvesting, our retail media solution helps you win in a competitive landscape. Our platform lets you unify your cross-retailer program, fueled by intelligence, to automate, optimize, and scale your performance.
- AI-Powered Optimization: Skai leverages artificial intelligence to analyze data, provide actionable insights, and automate campaign management. With AI-powered tools for bid optimization, keyword management, and product targeting, we help brands maximize the effectiveness of their retail media campaigns.
- Measurement and Attribution: Our advanced measurement tools help brands understand the true impact of their retail media campaigns, providing a clear picture of ROI and enabling data-driven optimization. With robust attribution models and real-time reporting, Skai gives brands the insights they need to understand which tactics are driving results and where to allocate their budgets for maximum impact.
If you’re ready to unlock the full potential of your digital advertising and retail media networks, book a meeting with Skai today.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many retail media networks are there?
The exact number of retail media networks is difficult to pinpoint due to the rapidly changing landscape of digital advertising and ecommerce. However, it is estimated that there are over 100 active retail media networks globally, ranging from networks established by major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target to those by specialty and grocery stores. This number continues to grow as more retailers recognize the value of leveraging their online platforms for advertising revenue and enhanced partnerships with brands.
What is a retail media network?
Retail media networks are digital advertising platforms that allow brands to advertise directly to consumers within the digital properties of a retailer, such as their website or app. These networks leverage the retailer’s customer data to offer highly targeted advertising opportunities, enabling brands to reach consumers at crucial moments in their shopping journey, such as when they are searching for products or browsing categories.
Retail media networks are becoming increasingly popular among advertisers looking to connect with specific audiences in a retail environment where their purchasing intent is high.
