Are the easy days of retail media growth behind us? My prediction is retail medi
By Ecommercequeen · November 10, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Are the easy days of retail media growth behind us?
My prediction is retail media spend will continue to increase but 2027 will be the year brands start to build alternative playbooks to retail growth. They’ll lean into alternative methods of closed loop measurement. They’ll stop throwing money into category search terms and focus on being loved enough to be searched for by name. They’ll invest in integrating retail display with brand campaigns to maximize incrementality. And no matter how effective retailer audiences are, they’ll steer clear if the CPM premiums are too high.
Overall, CMOs are becoming increasingly discerning with their media dollars, recognizing that an overreliance on performance media could be cannibalizing the precious brand investments needed to build consumer connection and fuel future demand.
Is this the end of retail media’s heyday? Not at all but CPM compression is likely ahead and a healthy reality to balance media efficiency closer with brand media. In fact, cost declines are key to fuel the next wave of RMN growth.
I recently shared my perspective with Digiday on the forces shaping retail media’s next chapter:
📈 The tailwinds:
• New inventory expansion: Particularly in-store and experiential that unlock incremental investment.
• Creative innovation: New formats that allow brands to move beyond sponsored listings and create premium consumer experiences.
📉 The headwinds:
• Greater investment scrutiny: Brands are questioning whether performance media is capturing existing demand at the expense of creating new demand.
• Measurement democratization: As agile MMM and incrementality measurement become more accessible, retail media’s historical premium for closed loop attribution will compress.
Thanks to Michael Burgi for having me at the Digiday Media Buying Summit in beautiful Newport Beach!
This post was written by a human.