Updates on noteworthy initiatives across the retail media marketplace from Mars United’s Commerce Media team.
To keep the industry updated between editions of our Retail Media Report Card, Mars UnitedSM Commerce 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.
AD Retail Media
Ahold Delhaize USA’s Stop & Shop is installing “Savings Station” digital kiosks in all 350-odd stores. Initially piloted in late 2023, the kiosks let shoppers input their loyalty card information to activate all available digital coupons and personalized offers. They also present additional content including recipes and printable activities for children. Stores at sister chain Food Lion already carry the kiosks near the front entrance in every store, where they are dubbed the MVP Savings Center.
The kiosks will let brand partners target shopper segments with targeted offers based on specific campaign objectives such as new households or loyal buyers.
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Albertsons Media Collective
A newly launched API lets advertisers integrate near real-time performance data into their own measurement models to conduct campaign analyses. The API is available for all clients, who can apply it to their own internal systems or those of an agency or measurement partner.
In conjunction with the API release, The Collective unveiled a partnership with TransUnion to let advertisers use the consumer insights company’s marketing mix modeling capabilities to more easily compare campaign performance at Albertsons with their activity at other retailers.
“Our latest API offering, coupled with [the] strategic partnership with TransUnion … [provides] advertisers with a transparent way to understand and measure performance in one place, while also contributing to measurement standardization,” said Liz Roche, The Collective’s Vice President of Measurement and Media.
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Amazon Ads
Amazon raised eyebrows, expectations, and probably at least a few analyst revenue forecasts by unveiling Amazon Retail Ad Service, a tech solution that gives other retailers access to the tools, shopper insights, and even advertisers that have made Amazon Ads the world’s leading retail media network. Read our full analysis here.
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Best Buy Ads (Canada)
Best Buy Ads Canada is employing technology from ecommerce technology provider Rokt to target advertising from non-endemic brands to relevant shoppers on the confirmation page of BestBuy.ca. Rokt uses machine learning tools to identify relevant shoppers in the final stages of a transaction. Non-endemic advertisers mentioned in a release announcing the partnership were Sirius XM, HelloFresh, and DoorDash.
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Cartology (Australia)
A new planning tool helps advertisers develop higher-quality campaigns by providing access to more than 40,000 aggregated data points from 2,900-plus campaigns executed in the last five years. The tool taps into customer insights related to media mix, category and brand sales, market position, and channel penetration to present relevant media options based on the brand’s campaign and communication objectives.
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Coles 360 (Australia)
Coles 360 finished off 2024 with a flurry of activity that included:
- Introduction of Coles 360Empower!, an audience-targeting tool fueled by insights from more than 9 million active members of the retailer’s Flybuys loyalty program who shop at Coles, Liquorland, and First Choice Liquor.
- Rollout of a bespoke tool from data partner Nielsen to support omnichannel media planning. The new tool delivers category-level insights on shopper purchase journeys, identifies marketing campaign objectives, and helps rank media channels on their ability to achieve them.
- A partnership with in-store radio platform QSIC to incorporate AI-powered audio into Coles Liquor outlets. The solution will use stock inventory, loyalty insights, and transactional data to improve the in-store audio experience by matching advertising with product demand cycles. The program also offers generative AI-enabled capabilities that help brands efficiently produce audio ads.
- The launch of digital screen opportunities in Liquorland stores.
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DoorDash
An offsite media offering that rolled out last fall lets brands leverage DoorDash’s first-party data and closed-loop measurement for campaigns across search engines, programmatic display opportunities, and social media platforms.
Elsewhere, a new partnership gives advertisers access to DoorDash media through the third-party Skai omnichannel platform. DoorDash unveiled a similar agreement with The Trade Desk at the annual CES event in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Near the end of 2024, DoorDash also introduced high-visibility ad placements on storefront and category pages in its app.
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Hy-Vee RedMedia
With 10,000+ digital screens now installed in roughly 400 stores through a partnership with the third-party Grocery TV network, Hy-Vee RedMedia is now pitching the opportunity to brand advertisers as part of omnichannel activations. The program officially launches in February.
The screens are placed at key shopper touchpoints such as store entrances, checkout, service departments, power aisles, and endcaps. Grocery TV will also incorporate Hy-Vee into the media opportunities sold through its broader in-store network, which encompasses 5,000-plus locations.
Advertisers are able to manage in-store campaigns through The Trade Desk, which will simplify the process and accommodate bidding. It also will allow offsite and in-store campaigns to be handled from a single platform.
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Instacart
Instacart and Samsung announced a deal to equip refrigerators containing the appliance brand’s AI Vision Inside camera technology with API from the on-demand delivery leader, allowing consumers to easily replenish their groceries. The AI Vision technology recognizes roughly 37 different food items in the refrigerator’s main compartment and lets consumers manually add the names and expiration dates of other products. The items can then be ordered from Instacart as needed via the appliance’s embedded digital screen.
Timed to coincide with CES, the announcement did not mention the potential for advertising opportunities through the service, although the capabilities are there.
In late 2023, Kroger signed a deal with GE to let consumers order the ingredients needed to make recipes provided by the retailer straight from their ovens and ranges.
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Kroger Precision Marketing
KPM rolled out beta testing for new onsite/in-app ad inventory called Promoted Product Carousels. Brands select eight to 32 UPCs from one identified advertiser in priority order through the Kroger Ad Platform (KAP). Carousel images communicate relevant promotional pricing. During beta testing, the images a carrying a “Shop All” call to action and link to a curated landing page. Standard KAP reporting is available.
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Tesco Media and Insight Platform (UK)
The Tesco Media Academy is now offering official certification to brand and agency professionals who undertake training classes to better understand the platform. Modules currently teach users how to navigate the evolving retail media landscape; leverage data to gain actionable insights; create full-funnel campaigns across in-store, onsite, and offsite channels; and measure and optimize campaign effectiveness. More than 250 practitioners from Publicis Media and other leading agencies have already earned certification.
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Walmart Connect
Walmart Connect (WMC) extended its partnership with NBCUniversal last November by introducing shoppable TV experiences backed by closed-loop campaign reporting during the network’s linear and livestream sports coverage. Launched Thanksgiving night during a National Football League game, the experiences let viewers shop exclusive holiday deals through on-screen QR codes. The campaign included the first activation of NBCUniversal’s new “Shop the Pod” text-to-shop functionality.
Elsewhere, WMC wrapped up 2024 by enhancing sponsored search through the release of dynamic bidding, which increases bids up to 100% if the placement is more likely to drive conversion, and competitor targeting for auto-bid campaigns. It also introduced in-store attributed sales to the measurement menu.
WMC also extended TikTok display programs to all advertisers, revamped its advertising dashboard, and rolled out a version of dynamic creative optimization (DCO) that retargets shoppers who’ve interacted with relevant category, search, and product pages. Meanwhile, the newly launched Luminate Insights is a turnkey audience-building solution based on back-end sales data.
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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. These disciplines are powered by our industry-leading technology platform, Marilyn®, which helps marketers understand the total business impact of their commerce marketing activation, enabling them to make better decisions, create connected experiences, and drive stronger, measurable results. Learn more at https://www.marsunited.com
