3 Crucial Cross-Channel Commerce Media Strategies

Commerce media has emerged as one of the fastest-growing areas of digital advertising, offering brands new opportunities to drive measurable results. With commerce media spending projected to exceed $150 billion globally by 2025, it is a vital component of the modern marketing mix. 

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Despite its standalone power as a channel, commerce media should not exist as an island. Brands that integrate commerce media into their broader media strategies have the opportunity to extend the impact of their commerce media budgets much further than an individual promoted product listing might suggest. To unlock these opportunities, it’s essential to adopt a cross-channel approach that ensures commerce media investments deliver maximum impact.

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Here are three strategies to extend the power of commerce media across channels.

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1. Embrace Partners’ Full Product Suites

Many leading commerce media platforms offer far more than simple product listings or on-site sponsored ads. To maximize ROI, brands should take full advantage of these platforms’ broader capabilities, which often extend to off-site and omnichannel formats. Consider:

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Cross-channel Amazon opportunities: Amazon’s advertising ecosystem spans sponsored products, sponsored brands, display advertising, online video, streaming TV (via Freevee and Fire TV), and audio (through Amazon Music and Alexa devices). These diverse offerings allow brands to reach audiences not only on Amazon’s website but also across third-party websites, apps, and even living rooms.

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Walmart and Target’s expansive reach: Similar to Amazon, Walmart Connect provides advertisers with cross-channel tools like in-store media, CTV ads, and off-site targeting through the Walmart DSP (demand-side platform). Likewise, Target’s Roundel platform leverages first-party data to power off-site campaigns, allowing brands to reach shoppers through digital channels outside of Target’s ecosystem while maintaining relevance and precision. Roundel’s offerings extend across CTV, display, search, YouTube, social channels, influencer marketing, and more. 

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By leveraging these commerce media players’ full product suites, marketers can create campaigns that not only drive conversions on commerce platforms but also build brand awareness and engagement across multiple touchpoints.

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2. Emphasize Off-Site Activities

Commerce media is no longer confined to the walls of e-commerce platforms. Off-site retail media display ad spending is expected to grow 163.6 percent between 2024 and 2028, when it will top $28 billion.

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Off-site activities leverage commerce platforms’ rich shopper data to target high-intent audiences across external sites and channels. For example, a CPG brand can use insights from a retail media network to deliver personalized ads on social media or CTV platforms. This approach ensures continuity in messaging and allows brands to reach consumers wherever they are in their digital journey.

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When evaluating commerce media partners, brands should prioritize those with robust off-site capabilities and partnerships. For example, a retail media network’s ability to integrate with popular ad exchanges or premium publisher networks can significantly expand a campaign’s reach and effectiveness.

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3. Integrate Commerce Media and Content Marketing

As commerce media matures, the industry will approach a saturation point, similar to what occurred in social media advertising. To sustain growth and extract new value, brands need to think beyond standard ad placements. One promising approach is to integrate content-driven strategies into commerce media buys.

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Content marketing allows brands to engage shoppers higher up the funnel, building awareness and consideration before the purchase phase. This is particularly valuable in commerce media, where most campaigns are still focused on bottom-funnel conversions.

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Examples of content-driven commerce media include: 

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• Shoppable videos: These immersive formats combine storytelling with direct purchase opportunities, engaging users while driving sales.
• Interactive content: Sponsored quizzes, polls, or gamified experiences can generate engagement and keep your brand top-of-mind.
• Educational articles: Partnering with retail media networks to produce sponsored articles can help shoppers understand the value of a product or category, encouraging them to explore and purchase.

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By integrating these content strategies into commerce media campaigns, marketers can reach audiences in the mid-funnel, creating stronger connections that translate into higher lifetime customer value.

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Commerce and retail media offer brands a powerful way to connect with shoppers and drive measurable results. However, to fully capitalize on this opportunity, brands must adopt a cross-channel approach that extends the impact of their commerce media investments. By embracing partners’ full product suites, prioritizing off-site activities, and integrating content marketing, marketers can ensure their campaigns deliver value at every stage of the customer journey. As the commerce media landscape continues to evolve, those who think strategically and holistically will emerge as leaders in this growing space.

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