Retail Media Breakfast Club

Why do good retailers make bad ad tech decisions? In part two of my series on the different eras of retail media, I’m expanding on my recent article for The Drum, and exploring why choosing the right technology is only part of the equation. The bigger question is: What role does your retail media network actually play in the media plan? Drawing on insights from Co-op Media Network’s Dean Harris and Ace Hardware’s Molly Hjelm, I look at the different end states for retail media networks, from scaled walled gardens to specialist players and low-cost reach extensions. I also explore why some networks get stuck in the squeezed middle, how technology decisions can create organizational headaches, and why retailers need to think about their proposition before rushing to launch a product. If you're building a retail media network, evaluating ad tech, or trying to understand what advertisers actually want, this episode is about taking a step back and asking the right questions before investing in the next big technology solution This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline 00:00 – Revisiting the different eras of retail media technology and why technology alone doesn't explain the market. 01:39 – Rocks, pebbles, and sand: Dean Harris's framework for understanding the different end states of retail media networks. 03:15 – The squeezed middle: why networks without scale or differentiation struggle to attract agency attention and repeat investment. 04:16 – Tech composability versus the all-in-one solution: understanding which strategies are realistic for different retail media networks. 06:49 – Why Ace Hardware's Redvest Media puts its proposition first, and why retailers need different technology strategies. 08:13 – The organizational cost of retail media technology: why pre-integrated solutions can't solve internal inertia and infrastructure challenges. 10:00 – What media buyers actually want, and why retailers need to acknowledge their place in the media plan. Links & Resources A version of this piece originally appeared in my column at The Drum I've split it into two parts for RMBC. This episode is part two of two. You can listen to or read part one. Co-op Media Network — the UK's first convenience retail media network Co-op's network is run by Threefold, whose parent SMG launched a retail media exchange of its own this year. Follow Dean Harris, Head of Co-op Media Network, on LinkedIn Read my related articles: Retail media's four eras (Part 1 of 2) The UK Takes A Run At Retail Media Aggregation The Retail Media Doom Loop Ace Hardware's RedVest Media: Notes From My Interview With Molly Hjelm Check out Basket Case, a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series talking shop: latest episode I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Retail media technology has already gone through several major reinventions. From retailers building their own ad tech stacks, to point solutions, cloud-based composable technology, and now AI-ready data infrastructure. In this episode, I’m recapping my recent article for The Drum, and exploring the four eras of retail media tech. More importantly, why these eras aren’t necessarily sequential. Across retail media networks today, you can find very different technology architectures operating at the same time, and I dig into what led up to this moment. Tomorrow, in part two, I’ll look at another framework for thinking about retail media technology investment and what all of this means for the brands actually buying retail media. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline 00:00 — Why legacy ad servers are still holding retail media networks back 02:35 — The four eras of retail media technology 03:25 — How economic cycles influence build vs. buy decisions 04:22 — The rise of cloud and composable retail media technology 04:51 — Why AI is changing the requirements for retailer data 07:18 — Why the four “eras” are actually happening simultaneously 08:40 — The budget clock vs. the career clock in retail media Links & Resources A version of this piece originally appeared in my column at The Drum last week. I've split it into two parts for RMBC; this is part one of two. On 20 August 2026, current RMBC sponsor GrowthLoop launched an end-to-end commerce media network solution that's pre-integrated with The Trade Desk, Moloco, Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks and identity provider Audience Acuity. Read my related articles: Costco Is The First US RMN To Reveal Its Entire Tech Stack Ace Hardware's RedVest Media: Notes From My Interview With Molly Hjelm How an RMN's tech stack impacts your advertising results Check out Basket Case , a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series where we talk shop. I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Most shoppers are now using AI tools to shop, and they’re increasingly discovering new brands and products inside a chat window. That raises a practical question for anyone buying or selling commerce media: what does it actually take to get a shopper to switch to a brand they’ve never heard of when an AI assistant recommends it? In this episode, I’m sharing highlights from the new consumer study I collaborated on with Bazaarvoice, What Is a Brand Worth When AI Does the Shopping? We looked at price sensitivity, brand familiarity, consumer trust, product reviews, category risk, private label, and what happens when AI puts incumbent and challenger brands side by side. The findings suggest that AI shopping may be less of a race to the bottom than brands fear — but it does raise the bar for proving that a premium is actually worth paying. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [01:41] - How much of a discount does it really take to make shoppers switch to a dupe? [02:30] - Why shoppers aren’t automatically choosing the cheapest option when AI presents them with multiple products [04:15] - The surprising strength of brand familiarity when AI makes the recommendation [06:15] - Why category risk changes how willing shoppers are to try an unfamiliar brand [07:30] - The role of reviews, photos, and video in making an unfamiliar AI-recommended brand credible [08:31] - What private label can teach challenger brands about competing against established national brands [09:11] - Why brands and retailers need to make their proof points findable by both shoppers and AI models Links & Resources Here's the link to download the full Bazaarvoice consumer study that I co-authored: What Is a Brand Worth When AI Does the Shopping? Learn about Bazaarvoice , a platform that collects, syndicates, and optimizes UGC across retailers, all in one place. Read my related articles: AI Makes Shopping Easier. But Shoppers Still Check The Receipts. AI-Enabled Shopping Hits 74% Adoption AI Agents & The Evolving Path to Purchase: How Brands Must Adapt Check out Basket Case , a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series where we talk shop. I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Amazon is extending its DSP into ChatGPT, giving brands that already advertise through Amazon Ads a new way to reach consumers inside the ChatGPT app. But the headline isn’t actually the most interesting part of this announcement. The bigger story is what Amazon is doing with its DSP, and why it increasingly looks less like an Amazon advertising product and more like an advertising aggregation strategy. In this episode, I’m sharing Jo Lambadjieva's analysis of the Amazon–OpenAI advertising deal, along with a few of my own takeaways for enterprise brands and retailers operating retail media networks. Points raised include Amazon’s growing offsite advertising footprint, the role of first-party shopping data, why measurement could determine the future of AI advertising, and what this move means for retailers that may want to participate in ChatGPT advertising themselves. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [01:00] - Amazon Ads placements inside the ChatGPT app and why the mechanism matters more than the headline [02:15] - Why Amazon is positioning itself as the “buying pipe” across an expanding range of advertising surfaces [03:35] - Amazon’s two-part DSP pitch: lower fees and powerful first-party shopping data [05:00] - What deeper Amazon advertising concentration could mean for sellers and advertisers [05:37] - Why measurement and credible performance attribution will be critical for advertising on AI surfaces [08:05] - Could other retailers replicate Amazon’s ChatGPT advertising strategy, and what role does The Trade Desk play? [09:45] - Why offsite advertising is becoming such an important growth opportunity for retail media [11:00] - How every new surface strengthens Amazon’s USP as a DSP, and why this particular pilot still needs to be kept in proportion Links & Resources Jo Lambadjieva writes AI for Ecommerce and Amazon Sellers , a newsletter read mostly by people running businesses on Amazon. I highly recommend subscribing! Read Jo's original piece in full: Amazon's Move Into ChatGPT Advertising Is a Bet on the Middle, Not the Surface Follow Jo Lambadjieva on LinkedIn Read my related articles: DSPs Wanted: The Retail Media Revolution 96% of Advertisers Crave ChatGPT Ads Are Here. I'm Not Panicking. Why OpenAI's Ad Network Should Concern RMNs I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

There’s a new beef in marketing, and this one hits close to home: can retail media actually build brands, or is it really just trade promotion with a fancy name and a dashboard? Mark Ritson kicked off the debate by arguing that retail media is fundamentally a bottom-of-funnel, defensive investment. Andrew Lipsman pushed back, making the case that retail media can do something brand marketers have wanted for decades: reach people who aren’t currently buying your brand. In this episode, I dig into both sides of the argument, including the role of retailer data, off-site audiences, CTV, incrementality, ROAS and brand lift. I also look at some fresh Kantar data and ask a bigger question: are we actually debating what retail media is, or are we debating how marketers are choosing to spend their retail media budgets? This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [00:00] - The new marketing beef over whether retail media can actually build brands [01:47] - Mark Ritson’s case against retail media as a brand-building channel [02:28] - How retailer data can reach lapsed, competitive and completely new buyers [05:45] - The surprising truth about where retail media budgets are really coming from [06:20] - What Kantar’s 1,500+ campaign analysis says about retail media and brand lift [07:30] - Why search and branded search dominate retail media spending, and why that matters [08:09] - The measurement question: ROAS vs. holdout studies and incrementality Links & Resources On August 27, Mark Ritson published a column in ADWEEK called " Don't Let Retail Media Tell You It's Brand Building ." Andrew Lipsman answered in his own ADWEEK op-ed five days later: " Retail Media Can Build Brands—Including Ways Other Media Can't ." Josh Clarkson, who runs global retail media at Mars, attacked Ritson's retail media definition on LinkedIn Brian Spencer, marketing director at Kroger Precision Marketing, explained on LinkedIn that brands use retail media audiences across CTV, audio and social, not just onsite on a retailer's website. Across 1,589 campaigns in their LIFT database , Kantar finds that retail media beats the average channel on unaided awareness (0.9 versus 0.6), online ad awareness (7.6 versus 6.5), brand favorability (3.9 versus 3.6) and purchase intent (3.8 versus 3.4) Read my related articles: How retail media could become 'mid' Brands Are From Mars, Retailers Are From Venus The ‘How Brands Grow’ Dogma Wants To Have A Word With Retail Media Check out Basket Case, a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series talking shop: latest episode I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Today, I’m digging into a question that has been coming up more and more as retail media expands into a broader commerce media ecosystem: does commerce media really need to be tied to the cart? I’m narrating a guest contribution essay from Tom Limongello of The Middlemen Podcast that got me thinking differently about the distinction between retail media and commerce media. Specifically why SKUs and assortments are useful ways to understand retail media, but may not actually define it (and why the more important concept could be the shopper mission). Tom's essay also looks at travel media, where the network may own the audience and the moment of attention without owning the products ultimately purchased. And that raises some fascinating questions about measurement, attribution and who gets credit when multiple commerce media networks influence the same customer journey. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [01:45] - Questioning why the definition of commerce media is so focused on the cart [02:15] - Why a retail media ad can influence an in-store purchase even when the exposure happens on social [03:15] - Introducing “assortment” as a key piece of the retail media vocabulary [04:30] - Why SKUs are useful for operating retail media, but don’t necessarily define it [05:45] - How travel media demonstrates the value of shopper missions beyond a retailer’s own assortment [08:45] - The measurement challenge when one network owns the media exposure but another business records the transaction [09:45] - A broader definition of commerce media, and the questions this creates for travel, financial services and mobility Links & Resources Today's post is a guest contribution from Tom Limongello, host of The Middlemen Podcast . Read Tom Limongello's essay on Substack: Retail Media Isn’t a Cart. Commerce Media Can’t Mean Everything Subscribe to The Middlemen Podcast Subscribe to Tom's Substack Shopper Missions Follow Tom Limongello, host of The Middlemen Podcast, on LinkedIn Listen to Collin Colburn from the IAB on The Middlemen: What Does Commerce Media Look Like Beyond Amazon? – Collin Colburn, IAB Read my related articles: Offsite vs onsite retail media Did we overcook in-store retail media measurement? The retailer magazine: commerce media's most defensible surface? Check out Basket Case , a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series where we talk shop. I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

By now, you’ve probably read plenty of coverage about the FTC’s case against Amazon’s ad auction (last week I shared an article on The Drum ). But the question I’m more interested in is the one that actually matters if you’re managing an advertising budget or running a retail media network: does any of this change where the money goes? My prediction, sadly, is no. Though I’d be very happy to be proven wrong. In this episode, I break down why cheaper clicks probably wouldn’t mean less money for Amazon, why advertiser outrage may not translate into budget shifts, and why this case gives other retail media networks a short window to make transparency and auction mechanics a competitive advantage. I also dig into some fascinating arguments from the LinkedIn comments, including whether Amazon’s auction practices may have distorted industry benchmarks far beyond the individual advertisers involved. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [00:55] - Why cheaper Amazon ad costs could actually lead advertisers to spend more [01:46] - Why advertiser budgets are unlikely to leave Amazon anytime soon [02:12] - The opportunity for other retail media networks to win on transparency and trust [03:05] - The questions advertisers should be asking about auction mechanics, reserve prices, and pricing changes [04:05] - Why the FTC’s Amazon case may be simpler to explain than the Google ad-tech case [07:20] - How potentially inflated clearing prices could have contaminated retail media benchmarks and bidding tools [09:35] - Why Amazon can disappoint advertisers morally and still be the best place to spend a performance dollar Links & Resources My article on The Drum: The FTC says Amazon put a thumb on its ad auctions. What happens next? Read all the comments on my LinkedIn post Follow Bryan Gildenberg, Managing Director of Retail Cities North America, on LinkedIn Follow Katharine McKee, Fractional Head of Growth (CMO, CRO, CGO) of Morphology Consulting, on LinkedIn Follow Tom Limongello, host of The Middlemen Podcast, on LinkedIn Read my related articles: Amazon Unboxed 2025: Key Announcements & Takeaways for Brand Advertisers Real Time Bidding: Retail Media's Savior Or Saboteur? Walmart’s Push For 25% Ad Spending Highlights Retail Media’s Trust Problem Check out Basket Case , a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series where we talk shop. I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Retail media has a fragmentation problem. We have better dashboards, better reporting, and better measurement than we did a few years ago. But media buyers are still being asked to navigate an ever-growing number of retail media networks and walled gardens. In this episode, I look at what’s happening in the UK, where two major retail media aggregation plays launched over the summer: RMX by Plan-Apps from SMG and the dunnhumby network alliance, involving Tesco, B&Q, John Lewis and Waitrose. I also share snippets of a conversation from the Retail Media Therapy podcast with Co-op Media Network’s Dean Harris about why these platforms are emerging now, and why the real driver may have less to do with retailers wanting to collaborate and more to do with what advertisers and agencies increasingly expect. But there’s a bigger question underneath all of this: what is retail media aggregation actually for? Is the value simply having one place to buy across multiple networks, or is it about being able to reach a particular audience in one place? And if competing retailers put their audiences into the same marketplace, do we risk turning retail media audiences into commodities and pushing CPMs down, just as programmatic advertising did to publisher audiences? That tension could determine whether retail media aggregation becomes a genuine solution to fragmentation or creates an entirely new set of problems for retailers. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [00:00] - Why retail media federations have suddenly become a much bigger story in the UK [01:35] - Dean Harris on the advertiser pressures driving retail media aggregation [03:18] - Why media buyers increasingly want simplicity, not another retail media platform [04:49] - The real value of aggregation: buying audiences across an entire retail sector [07:17] - The programmatic lesson: could retail media aggregation drive CPMs down? [08:19] - The strategic risks retailers need to consider before joining an aggregator [10:04] - What the publishing industry's history can teach us about retail media consolidation Links & Resources Listen to the full Dean Harris episode of Retail Media Therapy with Viv Craske and Colin Lewis. Subscribe to Retail Media Therapy Follow Dean Harris, Head of Co-op Media Network, on LinkedIn Read my related articles: How Alliances Could Solve Retail Media's Fragmentation Problem Meet The First Retail Media Federations & Consortiums What It Actually Takes to Build a Retail Media Federation Check out Basket Case, a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series talking shop: latest episode I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

After living outside Australia for around 15 years, I’m experiencing retail and shopping here with fresh eyes. And one thing that has really caught my attention is just how much retail media is showing up in the physical world. In this first Trip Report, I’m taking you on a quick tour of six retail and commerce media activations I spotted around Perth. From Commonwealth Bank and Coles, to JB Hi-Fi, David Jones, Australia Post and digital out-of-home media in shopping centres. This isn’t about declaring one market “better” than another. Instead, I’m looking at what’s happening on the ground and using it as a source of inspiration for what’s possible in retail media around the world. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [02:22] - Why I’m starting these retail media trip reports, and why the goal is inspiration, not declaring one market better than another [03:08] - Commonwealth Bank’s surprisingly expansive retail media network, spanning branches, ATMs, its app and its Brighter magazine [05:14] - How Coles 360 is using in-store screens, loyalty data and programmatic capabilities to make physical retail media more measurable [06:15] - JB Hi-Fi’s transition from screens used for product demos to a more sophisticated, programmatic retail media network [09:06] - David Jones’ Amplify network and the use of AI cameras to track views and dwell time [10:00] - Australia Post turns parcel pickup infrastructure into an advertising opportunity, including a clever Vinted integration [12:00] - The scale of digital out-of-home media inside Australian shopping centres and how local screens connect to a national network Links & Resources Retail media in Australia was worth just over $2 billion AUD in FY25 oOh!media operates Australia's largest retail out-of-home network, reaching ~43% of all footfall in the country and covering venues that capture ~46c of every retail dollar spent in shopping centres. The outgoing Managing Director of Unified Retail Media at Epsilon, Adam Skinner, wrote a farewell post on LinkedIn last week, recounting the various eras he has lived through in his retail media career starting at the early days of CitrusAd. Read my related articles: In-Store Retail Media Evolved Differently in Europe. Here's Why. Did we overcook in-store retail media measurement? The retailer magazine: commerce media's most defensible surface? Check out Basket Case , a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series where we talk shop. I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Last Thursday, Ace Hardware took over Wrigley Field in Chicago for the first upfront from Redvest Media, its roughly year-old retail media network. I wasn’t there myself, so I called my friend Tom Limongello, host of The Middlemen Podcast , who was on the ground. I wanted to know what was happening beyond the press releases: who Ace put on stage, what the retailer was really trying to communicate, and what advertisers were saying afterwards. We dig into what Ace’s executive lineup reveals about the growing integration of retail media with the broader business, why audience innovation and weather targeting matter to Ace’s advertisers, and how partnerships like DoorDash are helping the retailer reach new customers. We also talk about why retail media networks may need to think differently about upfronts, vendor days and industry events — and why creating an experience that makes advertisers want to believe in the retailer could be a powerful part of the pitch. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [01:29] - How Ace is integrating retail media with merchandising and the broader business [03:21] - Why Redvest’s new brand and custom audience capabilities could enable better test-and-learn [04:31] - The message behind Ace’s executive presence and its growth investment [07:00] - Why advertiser trust is becoming critical for a newer retail media network [09:21] - Why weather targeting suddenly matters to Ace’s advertisers [12:00] - How DoorDash is helping Ace reach new customers, particularly Gen Z [14:30] - Why Wrigley Field may be a smarter retail media pitch than another industry conference Links & Resources Check out The Middlemen's interview with Ace Hardware's Molly Hjelm: When Campaign Results Aren't Enough — Molly Hjelm, RedVest Media Subscribe to The Middlemen Follow Tom Limongello, host of The Middlemen Podcast, on LinkedIn Follow Molly Hjelm, Corporate Vice President and Head of Retail Media at Ace Hardware, on LinkedIn Read my related articles: Ace Hardware's RedVest Media: Notes From My Interview With Molly Hjelm Is Retail Media Kidding Itself? Bring the "Retail" back to Retail Media Check out Basket Case , a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series where we talk shop. I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Are retail media networks trying too hard to become media companies? In this episode, I’m sharing a thought-provoking piece from Mike Shields of Next in Media that asks whether the industry’s push toward off-site, full-funnel media is actually the right strategy for most retailers. Plus the tension between putting the “retail” back into retail media and chasing bigger brand budgets through CTV, DSPs and the open web. I also share some of my own thoughts on where retail media is heading, including the very different economics of on-site versus off-site advertising, why brands are demanding more measurement than the industry may be able to provide, and whether closed-loop attribution is sometimes creating more problems than it solves. If you’re thinking about the future of retail media networks, this is a debate worth paying attention to. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [00:43] - Why retail media’s off-platform push is really about accessing bigger brand budgets [02:00] - The debate over whether retail media networks should become full-fledged media companies [03:15] - Why “putting the retail back in retail media” is such a provocative idea [04:20] - The case for making specialist retailer data actionable beyond the retailer’s own ecosystem [06:24] - My thoughts on the different economics of on-site and off-site retail media [08:06] - Why the industry’s obsession with measurement may be creating a prison of its own making [09:18] - The attribution problem: when retail media sales add up to more than the brand’s actual P&L Links & Resources Check out Mike Shields' original piece here Subscribe to Next in Media by Mike Shields, a newsletter and podcast covering the media and advertising business. Follow Mike Shields, founder of Next in Media, on LinkedIn The Trade Desk: The retail media guide for off-site growth Listen to Molly Hjelm , corporate Vice President and General Manager of RedVest Media at Ace Hardware, on this week’s episode of Next in Media . Read my related articles: Whoever Owns the Budget Determines What Retail Media Is Allowed to Be How Can RMNs Tap Upper-Funnel Brand Budgets Retail Media's Measurement Problem: It's Not Just the Retailers Retail Media Buyers Say They Want Transparency, Then Ask for ROAS 'Not 100% altruistic': ad measurement veteran on what retail media is really optimizing for I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Amazon already captures roughly 40% of every dollar spent online in the US, yet it continues to grow at an impressive pace. So I wanted to look at a question we don't hear nearly enough: where does Amazon spend its own advertising money? Because while Amazon gives brands advertising recommendations every day, I think its own media plan may be the more interesting lesson. In this recap of my recent article for The Drum, I dug into three years of Sensor Tower data to see where Amazon is putting its advertising dollars, which channels are getting the biggest investment, and how its mix is changing. I also look at the shift from desktop display to video, why Amazon is willing to pay more for potentially fewer impressions, and what advertisers can learn from the company's approach to emerging channels. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [02:09] - Breaking down Amazon's $2.7 billion US advertising spend in 2025 [03:54] - Why Amazon's media plan looks surprisingly conventional [07:23] - How Amazon can measure Meta impressions against actual Amazon purchases [08:00] - What Amazon is actually advertising, from AWS and Prime to devices and the retail store [09:10] - The striking gap between Amazon's rising ad spend and relatively flat impression growth [10:20] - Why Amazon is shifting dramatically from desktop display into video [12:15] - The three habits I see in Amazon's media buying strategy Links & Resources Read my full article on The Drum: The best advertising advice Amazon gives isn't in a slide deck Check out Sensor Tower , who measure the full digital consumer journey, from mobile apps to web, ads, gaming, and beyond. Follow Ross Walker, Head of Retail Media @ Acadia, on LinkedIn Read my related articles: Have Retailers Lost Discovery to AI for Good? Some Retailers Want to Power Other Retailers' Ad Businesses. Will It work? Amazon Q2 Earnings: What Industry Experts Say About Power Buying, Ad Overload, and AI Threats Check out Basket Case, a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series talking shop: latest episode I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Advertising has always been the glamorous side of ecommerce, while product catalog maintenance, reviews, inventory, and other operational work have often been underfunded. But with Amazon’s Sponsored Prompts, that relationship is changing dramatically. This is Part 2 of my Sponsored Prompts series (check out Park 1 here ), I’m digging into why your advertising account is now downstream of everything happening in your operations, and why content is no longer just an input to your ads; it is the ad. I’m also taking a closer look at product reviews, reporting limitations, bidding, and what Sponsored Prompts could ultimately mean for retail media teams. There are some legitimate concerns here, particularly around review manipulation and transparency, but I also see a fascinating upside: Sponsored Prompts could become a surprisingly powerful form of consumer research, as they could reveal the questions, objections, and selling points that actually convert. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [01:37] - Why your advertising account is now downstream of operations, including inventory, reviews, commercial terms, and product content. [03:18] - How Sponsored Prompts turns product content and backend inputs into the ad itself. [05:13] - Why fake and manipulated product reviews could become an even bigger problem when reviews are effectively being used as paid ad copy. [09:26] - Amazon advertising: bidding still works the same way, but advertisers now have less leverage at the auction level. [10:15] - Why Sponsored Prompts reporting is still surprisingly basic, and what Amazon’s slow rollout might tell us about the ad format. [12:49] - The unexpected upside: how Sponsored Prompts could uncover consumer questions and selling points that brands didn't realize they were underselling. Links & Resources Check out Part 1 of my Amazon Sponsored Prompts series: Billed for the Ad Before the Ad Exists: Amazon Sponsored Prompts Ladi Fagbola, an ecommerce account director at the agency Monks, articulated a cool follow-up from my post this week Follow Ladi Fagbola on LinkedIn Read my related articles: Billed for the Ad Before the Ad Exists: Amazon Sponsored Prompts What it means for retail media when AI chat has only 2 ad slots Amazon Unboxed 2025: Key Announcements & Takeaways for Brand Advertisers Retailer AI Assistants: Are Shoppers Actually Using Them? Walmart's Sparky AI Assistant: A Late Mover with Early Promise Check out Basket Case , a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series where we talk shop. I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

There’s a particular kind of vertigo that comes from watching a podcast you started get better without you. I launched the Ecommerce Braintrust podcast back in 2017, and while I’m no longer running it, I still listen because the team at Acadia is in the trenches every day doing the work. A recent conversation between my old Acadia colleagues on measurement really got me thinking about a question I hear from brands all the time: if every advertising platform says it’s winning, why don’t the business results reflect that? When Meta, Google, Amazon and retail media networks all claim credit for conversions, the numbers can quickly become impossible to reconcile. In this episode, I share snippets from a recent Ecommerce Braintrust episode that dig into the idea of “engine inflation,” why multi-touch attribution is struggling in 2026, and what brands should be using instead to understand what is actually driving incremental growth. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [00:00] - The measurement problem every advertiser is wrestling with: when every platform claims to be winning, why don't the business results add up? [01:45] - Introducing “engine inflation” and why platform-reported revenue can exceed actual business revenue. [03:56] - Why multi-touch attribution isn't coming to save us and why Acadia has moved away from MTA. [04:52] - The three-pillar measurement framework: media mix modeling, incrementality testing, and platform optimization. [06:15] - Why the growth of retail media networks makes a holistic view of total media spend increasingly important. [08:34] - Why measuring Amazon and Walmart simply by retail media network and ad type can produce the wrong conclusions. [09:46] - How defensive branded search can look incredibly efficient while doing very little to drive incremental growth. Links & Resources Listen to the full Ecommerce Braintrust episode: The 2026 Measurement Crisis: Why Your Media Efficiency is Probably a Lie With Sally Kazin and Ross Walker - Episode 438 Subscribe to Ecommerce Braintrust on Apple Podcasts Follow Sally Kazin, Head of Analytics @ Acadia, on LinkedIn Follow Ross Walker, Head of Retail Media @ Acadia, on LinkedIn Read my related articles: Retail Media's Measurement Problem: It's Not Just the Retailers 'Not 100% altruistic': ad measurement veteran on what retail media is really optimizing for As Retail Media Spending Soars, Brands Face A Measurement Crisis The Other Side of the Story: Why Retailers Struggle with Media Measurement & Standardization Check out Basket Case , a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series where we talk shop. I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

When Amazon unveiled Sponsored Prompts at Unboxed, I initially dismissed them as a clever but relatively minor addition to Alexa Shopping. But after digging into Andrew Bell's deep analysis of the underlying patent, I realized this format represents something much bigger and potentially far more disruptive. In this episode, I unpack why Amazon's new AI-powered ad format flips decades of digital advertising on its head by charging advertisers before the persuasive content is even generated! I explore what that means for brands, legal teams, product claims, customer reviews, and the future of retail media. This is Part 1 of a two-part series examining one of the most important shifts in AI advertising that brands should already be paying attention to. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [00:15] Why Amazon Sponsored Prompts seemed simple and why I completely underestimated their impact. [01:30] How Sponsored Prompts fundamentally reverse the traditional advertising model. [03:18] Why Amazon's "charge first, generate later" approach is unlike Google's dynamic advertising. [05:15] The legal and brand risks of AI-generated answers built from reviews and Amazon's own data. [06:00] Why advertisers may be shifting from buying attention to influencing AI-generated persuasion. [08:22] Is Sponsored Prompts the future of AI advertising or just an experiment? Links & Resources Last week, Andrew Bell did a massive deep dive into the patent behind Sponsored Prompts which changed my thinking about how they will work (Disclosure: Bell is VP of Research at ReFiBuy, a company I advise). Read my related articles: Amazon Unboxed 2025: Key Announcements & Takeaways for Brand Advertisers Retailer AI Assistants: Are Shoppers Actually Using Them? Walmart's Sparky AI Assistant: A Late Mover with Early Promise I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

What makes one retail media network stand out when so many seem to promise the same thing? In this episode, I explore a fascinating psychology concept called the 'effort heuristic', and explain why it has huge implications for retail media. When buyers can't easily judge technical quality, they look for visible signs that a retailer is investing, innovating, and genuinely building something worthwhile. I also share why transparency can become a competitive advantage, highlight Costco's retail media strategy as a standout example, and discuss where the line is between showcasing meaningful progress and creating announcement fatigue. If you're building, selling, or buying retail media, this episode offers a fresh perspective on what actually influences decision-making before performance data ever enters the conversation. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [00:00] The psychology study behind the effort heuristic, and why perceived effort influences perceived quality. [01:47] How the effort heuristic applies to retail media buyers evaluating competing retail media networks. [03:19] Why Costco's transparent approach to its retail media tech stack stood out, and what other retailers can learn from it. [05:43] The danger of over-marketing: when every product update becomes an "industry-first" announcement. [06:33] Why the largest retail media networks play by different rules than emerging RMNs competing for test budgets. [07:21] My advice for retailers and technology partners: show your work, earn credibility, and build trust through transparency. Links & Resources The Effort Heuristic by Kruger, Wirtz, Van Boven and Altermatt. Read my related articles: Costco Is The First US RMN To Reveal Its Entire Tech Stack Why RMNs Keep Their Tech Stacks Secret The ‘Costco Velocity’ Tech Stack Is Coming Together. Here's How the Pieces Fit. Check out Basket Case, a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series talking shop: latest episode I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

I finally did something I'd been meaning to do for a while: I requested the full Amazon Ads Consumer File to see exactly what Amazon knows about me. While I expected a few surprises, what I uncovered wasn't just a look into my own shopping habits. It opened my eyes to how brands that don't even sell on Amazon are increasingly using Amazon's audience data to reach consumers. In this episode, a recap of my recent article for The Drum, I unpack what I found inside my data export, why companies like airlines, banks, insurers and fast-food brands are targeting Amazon audiences, and what this tells us about the next evolution of retail media. If you've been wondering where retail media is headed beyond sponsored products and closed-loop attribution, this is a fascinating glimpse into what's coming next. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline [00:00] Why I downloaded my Amazon Ads Consumer File, and the surprising discovery that nearly 400 companies had placed me into advertising audiences. [02:34] Why non-endemic brands are increasingly investing in retail media and what's driving this shift beyond traditional ecommerce advertising. [04:06] Real-world examples from Home Depot, Dick's Sporting Goods and Kroger that show how retailers are monetizing valuable first-party audiences. [05:15] Why only the most sophisticated retail media networks are positioned to successfully attract non-endemic advertising budgets. [07:16] Three major reasons Amazon DSP has become dramatically more attractive to non-endemic advertisers, from stronger audience data to better measurement. [09:15] My biggest takeaway after reviewing my own Amazon data, and why the future growth of retail media may come from brands that don't have products on retailers' shelves at all. Links & Resources Check out my original article on The Drum: Why brands with nothing to sell on Amazon are targeting me there US offsite retail media ad spending will reach $17.05 billion in 2026, up 29.5% YoY, EMARKETER forecasts . Last year, Kroger Precision Marketing ran Chevrolet's Equinox EV launch through Yahoo DSP on grocery-basket signals rather than automotive intent . Ross Walker, Director of retail media at Acadia, argues "The 'Amazon DSP for non-endemic brands' story has existed for years," he wrote last month Follow Ross Walker on LinkedIn Check out Amazon Days, the newsletter of Dr Koen Pauwels, Professor at Northeastern University: Online Ad Effectiveness at EMAC 2025 Read my related articles: How retail media improves the shopper journey (yes, really) The retail media lesson inside Dick’s World Cup push Six ways through the commerce media squeeze Check out Basket Case, a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series talking shop. The latest episode dropped last week I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

I've been wrestling with a question that's becoming impossible to ignore: will agentic media buying fundamentally reshape retail media, or even eliminate parts of today's ecosystem? As AI-powered agents begin making more decisions across ad buying, optimization, and measurement, it's worth asking who wins, who loses, and whether the way advertising dollars flow today will look anything like it does a year or two from now. In this episode, I share highlights from an insightful conversation on the Ad Tech Therapy podcast, where Scott Messer and Jana Meron responded to my question about the future of agentic media buying. They unpack whether AI will truly collapse the ad tech stack, why history suggests the industry is more likely to evolve than disappear, and what all of this could mean specifically for retail media. If you've been wondering how AI will impact agencies, retailers, brands, and ad tech platforms, this episode is for you. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline 00:00 – The question I can't stop asking: Will agentic media buying disrupt retail media as we know it? 01:03 – Why I posed this question to Scott Messer and Jana Meron, and the challenge I gave them. 02:00 – Fear, disruption, and why concerns about AI replacing jobs are both rational and useful. 03:30 – Will AI eliminate layers of the ad tech ecosystem or simply make them more efficient? 06:30 – How retail media's technology stack differs from traditional programmatic advertising. 09:00 – My biggest takeaway: Retail media isn't losing layers, it's reorganizing them. Links & Resources Listen to the full AdTech Therapy episode: Where the Puck Are We Going? Subscribe to AdTech Therapy on Apple Podcasts Submit a question to AdTech Therapy via their Patient Portal Follow Scott Messer, AdTech Therapy host, on LinkedIn Follow Jana Meron, AdTech Therapy host, on LinkedIn Why retail media supply-side platforms alone won’t save your ad business by Jon Flugstad on the Moloco blog Read my related articles: How an RMN's tech stack impacts your advertising results AI in retail: selecting solution providers that deliver real value, not just hype AI in real life: how retailers and brands are leveraging AI (real numbers) Check out Basket Case , a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series where we talk shop. I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

What if ordering lunch sounded like the way many brands buy retail media? That was the inspiration behind my latest comedy skit... but beneath the joke is a serious question about how retail media is changing the way marketers think about growth. In this episode, I unpack a thoughtful LinkedIn post from Juliana Nodwell, and connect it with several of my past articles about why precision isn't the same as purpose. I explore where retail media truly excels, why brand marketing and retail media serve different jobs, and how confusing the two can actually weaken long-term growth. Along the way, I revisit insights from Jordan Witmer, Steve Gray, and Jason O'Toole that challenge some of the industry's biggest assumptions about full-funnel marketing. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline 00:00 – My comedy skit that pokes fun at today's retail media buying habits. 00:52 – Juliana Nodwell's argument: Are marketers confusing precision with purpose? 02:25 – Why retail media and brand media have different jobs, and why that's okay. 04:09 – Jordan Witmer explains how budget ownership shapes retail media strategy. 06:44 – What How Brands Grow teaches us about the metrics that actually build brands. 07:46 – Why investing in brand media can make performance media more efficient over time. Links & Resources Here's the skit , which first appeared on the new Basket Case podcast from The Drum and QSIC. Juliana Nodwell's post on LinkedIn Follow Juliana Nodwell, Retail Media & Omnichannel Strategy at Kraft Heinz, on LinkedIn Read my related articles: "Whoever Owns the Budget Determines What Retail Media Is Allowed to Be" The 'How Brands Grow' Dogma Wants To Have A Word With Retail Media Brand Media Lowers the Tax You Pay on Growth I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

We've spent the last year watching retailers race to launch AI shopping assistants, but I think we're asking the wrong question. Instead of obsessing over who has the smartest chatbot, we should be asking: What job are shoppers actually hiring these AI assistants to do? In this episode, I unpack insights from a fascinating recent conversation on Jason Del Rey's newsletter The Aisle with former Amazon and Walmart product leader Mukesh Jain, explore why "nobody wakes up wanting to chat with a retailer," and explain why the future of AI shopping may have far less to do with conversation than we think. Along the way, I revisit one of my own predictions about retailer AI, and explain why recent research has changed my perspective. This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop Timeline 00:00 – Why Clayton Christensen's "Jobs to Be Done" framework is still the best way to think about AI shopping assistants. 02:15 – The three distinct shopping jobs AI needs to solve, and why chatbots aren't the answer for every one of them. 03:32 – The quote that changed how I think about retailer AI: "Nobody wakes up wanting to chat with a retailer." 06:00 – Will ChatGPT and Gemini win shopping discovery, or can retailers build assistants shoppers actually return to? 08:28 – Why I changed my mind about Amazon Rufus, and what Kantar's latest research revealed about what consumers really value. 10:00 – My biggest takeaway: today's retail AI chatbots are just the beginning, not the finished product. Links & Resources Check out Jason Del Rey's interview with Mukesh Jain on The Aisle . Follow Mukesh Jain, Co-founder, SignalAI, on LinkedIn Subscribe to The Aisle Read Wave 1 of Kantar's AI-Enabled Commerce Pulse Subscribe to Watson Weekly on Apple Podcasts Follow Rick Watson, Founder, RMW Commerce, on LinkedIn Follow Holden Bale, Global Chief Strategy Officer at Merkle, on LinkedIn Read my related articles: What it means for retail media when AI chat has only 2 ad slots The agentic media buying race has a problem: nobody's asked the buyers AI-Enabled Shopping Hits 74% Adoption Check out Basket Case, a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series talking shop: latest episode I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn