Hype barometer: Are retail media hopes an ‘unattainable mirage’ or buying groceries’s savior?

But will all the ones hopes end up too weighty? In that hard marketplace, can retail media truly be a savior for ill retail outlets and embattled manufacturers? We requested main entrepreneurs for his or her most up to date takes.

Angus Frazer, co-founder, Sonder: “The projected growth of retail media is an unattainable mirage unless practitioners rethink what constitutes an attractive media network. The retail media sector is running at a million miles an hour, creating highly sophisticated data and adtech solutions for a handful of low-value sponsored search and display placements. What brand partners want from a media network are omnichannel solutions that drive brand and sales growth: media solutions that include physical in-store experiences, emails, catalogs, magazines and POS. I fear a race-to-the-bottom has begun before the starter pistol has been fired, with the marginalization of retail media value and the derivative approach of most adtech platforms. ROI on retail media can only be achieved by embracing a holistic business approach that goes beyond simple monetization of digital media formats and intersects with merchandise, category, brand marketing, sales and revenue growth.”

Aaron Shields, govt director, enjoy technique, EMEA, Landor: “Retail media will bring back the magic of shopping. The medium’s exciting future isn’t just in more targeting; it’s in resurrecting what we’ve lost. As brand-building department stores and specialty shops vanish, we’ve sacrificed emotional storytelling for add-to-basket tactics that erode brand. The next frontier? Transforming retail media from transaction machines into emotion-building storytellers. Our decade-long partnership with Adidas proved this: when we placed emotional brand storytelling near product, people spent 40% more per purchase. Compelling stories bypass rational price comparison and forge emotional connections to the brand itself. The retailers who win will leverage data to create meaningful moments that stay with shoppers long after purchase. In a world drowning in promises and claims, retail media’s greatest opportunity is becoming the new stage where brands can keep their emotional promises and shoppers can fall in love with them all over again.”

Rachel Peace, managing director, Hearts & Science: “We hear ‘retail media is going to be bigger than TV,’ but that’s an unhelpful comparison and it misses the point. Retail media isn’t just another line on a media plan – it’s a strategic layer that can enhance every touchpoint in a brand’s ecosystem. With the rapid expansion of RM networks and integrations, brands will soon be able to access and activate retail media data across virtually every channel and platform. This transforms retail media from a siloed tactic into a core component of a brand’s broader data and media strategy. That’s just the off-site opportunity. When viewed holistically, retail media also empowers brands to optimize their owned media (websites, apps, CRM), making every consumer interaction more intelligent and effective. Framing retail media as a ‘channel’ is reductive. It’s a powerful specialism, which (when used correctly), can unlock smarter, more connected experiences across the customer journey.”

Justin Garvin, senior vice-president, media technique, Rise: “Retail media networks (RMNs) are creating exciting new opportunities for both brands and retailers. As they mature, RMNs will give brands greater control of their media spend since they will be able to self-serve and manage their spend through that network. But that’s not without its challenges. RMN spend is often managed by a shopper team rather than a media team, so brands will have to consider changing their own organizational structures to drive better RMN performance. Retailers, on the other hand, will have the chance to differentiate themselves from the seemingly infinite number of other RMNs with better data monetization strategies, like making loyalty acquisition improvements to grow member lists and reach broader audiences, or forming strategic platform partnerships. Retailers will benefit from expanding beyond the internet to offer IRL media placements like in-store activations on digital screens, offering media buys through both managed service and self-service options.”

Hannah Cooke, head of enlargement technique, Charlie Oscar: “One of the most interesting shifts in retail media right now is how decentralized it’s becoming. It’s no longer just the domain of giants like Amazon. Everyone, from Selfridges to Superdrug, is expanding their media offerings, creating new opportunities for brands to connect with audiences in more targeted, context-rich ways. This creates an exciting shift in power dynamics. For years, brands courted retailers. Now, retailers have the data, the audiences, and increasingly, the creative edge. It’s fascinating to see the tables turning and we’re now navigating the question of ‘who’s taking who to lunch?’ This evolution unlocks huge strategic potential. With more retailers acting like media owners, brands have new chances to build relevance throughout the entire marketing funnel.”

Ryan Dunlop, technique spouse at Jack Ryan: “Retail has become sexy, but why? It’s not the explosion of big data (OK, maybe a bit); it’s because people desire experiences. There’s a reason people are still going to physical places: the experience. Brands need to evolve beyond retail media and think experientially. What’s in it for the consumer? That’s where the opportunity lies. We should be taking retail as an extension of storytelling, not just purely selling.”

Briana Sebring, affiliate director of retail media, Croud: “Amazon Marketing Cloud has been hailed as the silver bullet of marketing insights, but the answers are often buried in dense, custom SQL queries. Recently, Amazon has started rolling out more accessible, turn-key tools, including pre-built audiences directly in the campaign manager. There’s one standout feature: the ability to adjust ‘sponsored brands’ bids based on intent signals with just a few clicks. It’s a meaningful step toward greater precision and efficiency. I’m excited to see what other user-friendly solutions emerge for those of us who don’t speak fluent SQL.”

Mary O’Brien, head of programmatic media, PMG: “What excites me most about retail media right now is the accelerating decoupling of RMN audience data from retailer-owned inventory, finally giving brands the freedom to activate high-intent data across the open web. This decoupling gives traders greater transparency and control, enabling smarter optimization, cost efficiency and supply path management. Platforms like Walmart Connect and Amazon Ads are leading this shift and DV360’s recent move to offer RMN audience access across the open web is a major step forward. For non-endemic brands, this unlocks powerful new ways to tap into commerce-driven intent signals across premium, brand-safe inventory, extending the value of retail data into channels like CTV, display and video far beyond the retailer’s own site.”