We asked industry experts how retail media is evolving, and how the ad industry can take advantage of new opportunities in the space. 

Retail media has been on a rapid rise: for quite some time now, the industry has been talking about the opportunities it’s bringing about for advertisers, and how these can best be harnessed. 

Globally, we’re seeing a boom in the launch of retail media networks. Last year, UK supermarket Co-op established the Co-op Media Network, offering advertisers a way to connect with their shoppers via off-site digital media channels.

At the start of this year, WHSmith founded a retail media ad network across the US and Canada with a particular focus on airports, railway stations, and resorts. 

In May, Frasers Group started a network to include over 750 UK stores, 60 plus Everlast Gyms, and Frasers Group-owned shopping centres and OOH inventory. 

A month later, Cotswold Outdoor Group joined the race, launching one to provide advertisers with opportunities in 75 of its stores across the UK and Ireland. And the list goes on. 

To address this boom, IAB Europe created a Retail Media Certification Programme for retailers, setting a new standard for transparency, consistency and accountability in retail media measurement across the region. 

Fast-forward to the end of the decade, WPP’s 2025 This Year Next Year report forecasts that retail media’s total share of ad revenue will hit 18%, dominated by both China and the US. In fact, retail media ad revenue is set to overtake that of total TV in 2027. 

As the space evolves and opportunities multiply, what can advertisers take advantage of? We asked some experts from across the industry. 

Unlocking unique opportunities through smarter planning and activation

Sales don't start in store. So it's great to see retail media grow beyond just retailer “on-site” ecosystems, which primarily focus on the end-of-the-funnel (i.e. e-commerce and in store), to now encompass "off-site" omnichannel environments and broader data partners that can power more holistic sofa to store strategies. 

Taking a first mile and last mile approach requires a broader media mix, where broadcast channels like prDOOH and in particular CTV can build brand preference before a consumer gets to the store, maximising the effectiveness of on-site retail media activations.

Additionally, advancements with mobility analysis can map the true catchment area for stores that go beyond proximity for smarter planning and activation. Using consented and aggregated mobile data, identification of visitor origin areas (where they live and work) in relation to the client’s store and their competitors becomes possible, unlocking unique opportunities to defend and grow share.

Dom Woolfe, VP Sales & Country Lead, UK, Taptap Digital

A new phase 

Retail media is entering a new phase. Real-time bidding is breaking down old demand monopolies and opening the field. With RTB protocols, retailers can make both onsite and offsite formats programmatically addressable, tapping into budgets already flowing through DSPs. This shift means less friction for advertisers and higher yield for retailers, without compromising relevance for shoppers.

Partnerships like Pentaleap and Teads highlight the potential: onsite sponsored products and offsite video or display can now run in one unified auction, measured with the same closed-loop precision. What once required separate platforms and silos is becoming a single, open ecosystem.

The next accelerant will be agentic AI. Shopping assistants will scan product feeds and pages at machine speed, rewarding retailers whose infrastructure is structured, fast, and transparent. In that world, retail media evolves beyond ad slots, it becomes part of the core plumbing that connects shoppers, brands, and commerce.

Ana Laura Zain, CMO, Pentaleap

Agentic AI will be a game-changer

Retail media is entering its next growth phase, evolving from simple on-site ads into a fully integrated environment where data, content, and commerce converge. While Amazon and other closed platforms dominate, the open web has a unique opportunity. It can offer scale, diversity of touchpoints, and transparency that walled gardens often lack. Collaboration among publishers, retailers, and technology providers will be vital to unlocking this potential.

Agentic AI will be a true game-changer. By moving beyond recommendations to autonomous decision-making, AI can personalise shopping journeys in real time, optimise product discovery across channels, and even predict consumer intent before it is expressed. For brands, this means campaigns will become targeted and truly tailored to the consumer context. To succeed in retail media, the companies should combine data-driven efficiency with AI-enabled creativity, delivering seamless, relevant, and realistic shopping experiences.

Yaron Tomchin, CEO, Mobupps

The real momentum comes from expanding beyond walled gardens  

Retail media is growing fast, but its real momentum comes from expanding beyond walled gardens. While platforms like Amazon excel at lower-funnel conversions, the open internet offers scale, diversity, and a better environment for discovery and brand building. Retailers are extending their ad networks offsite, working with top DSPs to activate first-party shopper data across the open web. This gives brands more flexibility, transparency, and creative freedom than closed ecosystems can offer.

Agentic AI will take this further. These systems will not just recommend products but complete purchases on a user’s behalf. For brands, that means shifting focus to machine-readable product data and optimising for how AI agents interpret value.

The US remains the most mature retail media market. In Europe, local leaders like Carrefour are driving adoption. In Latin America, Mercado Libre is outpacing Amazon in key markets. Asia Pacific is gaining traction, with strong growth projected through 2030.

Frederic Liow, Chief Revenue & Operations Officer, AlgoriX

Can the open web compete? 

Retail media is growing really fast, maybe the fastest part of digital ads now. Big players like Amazon, Walmart, Carrefour lead this space with strong networks.

The question is: can the open web compete? I think yes, but it will not be easy.

The open web has advantages because it is bigger and more diverse, with many publishers and content types. If they connect better, share data in a smarter way and offer clear measurement, then brands will trust it more.

The following important point is that transparency and cooperation are key. Also people don’t only shop on Amazon. They keep reading news, visiting blogs and using price comparison sites. That is a chance for the open web to show strong ad value.

In addition to that, we see AI on the rise and I really believe it will have an even stronger impact. It will know budget, taste and other needs, which means for retail media you have to be in “AI-shortlist”.

Emin Alpan, CEO, Aceex