To keep the industry updated between the periodic editions of our Retail Media Report Card, Mars UnitedSM monitors the efforts at leading retailers and platforms 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 information covered in these updates is used by our Commerce Media analysts to inform the network assessments presented in future editions of the Report Card.
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AD Retail Media
Ahold Delhaize USA recently struck a deal to make Inmar Intelligence its official digital coupon provider across all five regional grocery banners (Food Lion, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Giant Food and The Giant Company). Inmar replaces Neptune Retail Solutions (formerly Quotient) in the role.
The goal of the partnership is to drive greater efficiency and a better customer experience by presenting more relevant, personalized savings that can foster greater loyalty among shoppers. The change comes at a time when grocers industry-wide are working to make their promotions more visible to price-sensitive consumers.
Grocers with retail media networks are also working to enhance their marketing opportunities for brand partners through programs that can drive measurable results at scale. The Stop & Shop chain is installing “Savings Station” digital kiosks in all 350+ stores that let shoppers input their loyalty card information to activate digital coupons and personalized offers. Food Lion already carries similar kiosks branded as the “MVP Savings Center” near the front entrance of all its 1,110 stores.
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LS Eleven Media Services (Asda)
LS Eleven Media Services recently introduced Asda Access, an ad platform that lets advertisers create onsite and offsite campaigns using first-party data from the UK-based grocer’s 7 million loyal shoppers. Brands can utilize 600 predefined customer segments or build their own custom audiences. The first-party data will be supplemented with additional data from second- and third-party sources, the company said.
Accompanying measurement capabilities include closed-loop attribution, brand lift studies, in-flight reporting, incrementality analysis, and geographic sales uplift. LS Eleven is also offering bespoke creative services to help advertisers build compelling content.
Elsewhere, the retailer has installed a digital vending machine at a store in Pilsworth, England, that dispenses free product samples to Asda Rewards loyalty cardholders. The “first-to-market innovation” (according to Asda) lets brands showcase content on digital screens to drive shopper engagement and trial for the accompanying products. Shoppers scan their Asda Rewards app to obtain a sample. Asda plans to roll out the machines to prominent in-store locations and support with campaign management services.
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Bunnings Warehouse
DIY home & garden retailer Bunnings Warehouse is rolling out digital screens near the front entrances and trade desks of 150 stores in Australia and New Zealand as part of its expanding retail media offering.
Bunnings last month hired Sam Hegg to be its head of retail media. In his prior role as head of strategy and planning at Redworks Media, Hegg spent the last three years guiding development of the Coles360 retail media network.
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CVS Media Exchange
CVS Media Exchange (CMX) will continue expanding its in-store video network in 2025, the company explained last month at CES in Las Vegas.
Digital screens are being added throughout stores, with new placements including self-checkout screens and “near checkout” locations joining current sites like the pharmacy. CMX is also testing end-of-aisle “Trend Caps” in 650 stores.
In discussing the rollout, CMX noted that 52% of surveyed CVS shoppers found the information they encountered on screens to be useful for their shopping experience. CVS attracts 5 million daily shoppers.
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Hy-Vee Red Media
Hy-Vee RedMedia is working with ad agency Dentsu’s Merkury data and identity solution to bring new targeting capabilities to its retail media platform. The resulting Hy-Vee ID offering will let brands tailor their ad messaging to specific audiences, complementing the SKU-level purchase data already provided by RedMedia’s existing optimization tools.
“Hy-Vee ID aims to create a seamless customer experience that prioritizes a shopper’s needs with the messages they are seeing … making every interaction meaningful and impactful,” said Kathryn Mazza, who was named President of RedMedia and CMO of Hy-Vee last month following the retirement of 35-year company veteran Donna Tweeten.
“Kathryn is the right leader to help bring our retail media and marketing efforts together to create even more value for our customers and our vendor partners,” said Hy-Vee CEO Jeremy Gosch.
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Instacart Advertising
Instacart says its first-ever Super Bowl ad became source material for retail media campaigns when some of the brands participating in the 30-scond spot repurposed content for their own advertising.
The ad features the mascots of nine leading CPG brands: Cheetos, Energizer, Green Giant, Kool-Aid, Mr. Clean, Mountain Dew, Old Spice, Oscar Mayer, and Pillsbury. The featured brands did not pay for the placement but worked with Instacart to provide the necessary intellectual property, according to Adweek.
Some of those brands have reused the content in the shoppable video ad unit on Instacart’s app, as well as off-platform on Meta social media channels using the on-demand delivery platform’s targeting capabilities, Instacart CMO Laura Jones told Adweek.
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Kroger Precision Marketing
KPM began offering incremental sales measurement for qualified self-service programmatic campaigns through The Trade Desk’s demand-side platform in December. Advertisers can isolate the impact of media by comparing exposed audiences to control groups comprised of precisely matched shoppers. The methodology follows the measurement guidelines published last year by the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau).
In addition to helping brands measure impact and optimize investments, KMP says the capability can also inform future innovation by identifying product-specific performance.
Elsewhere, KPM lowered the standard base bid required for Targeted Onsite Ads, one of its key media activations, on Feb. 5. Lowering the bid floor lets brands with limited budgets do more with their investments.
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Meijer Media
Meijer expanded its offsite media opportunities recently by adding Pinterest, online video, and connected TV to the menu.
The Pinterest integration will let brands drive product discovery through visually compelling campaigns that leverage Meijer’s first-party data to create relevant and personalized experiences around key retail moments such as back-to-school, holiday shopping, and seasonal cleaning. Similarly, OLV and CTV campaigns on streaming services will allow brands to showcase new products and build brand equity by tapping into the power of video as an engagement tool, Meijer said.
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Walmart Connect
Walmart EVP-Store Operations Cedric Clark used his time on stage at the NRF Big Show in New York last month to discuss the retailer’s plans to install 500,000+ digital shelf labels in roughly 2,300 stores by 2026.
Real-time data from digital shelf labels can be used to dynamically adjust pricing in response to market and shelf conditions, optimize stock levels, and more prominently spotlight Rollback deals. The technology also facilitates more seamless and targeted omnichannel messaging across in-store and online media.
The rollout positions Walmart as a leader in retail innovation while also supporting its sustainability goals by reducing paper usage.
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