Examples of Retail Media Advertising in Action

In 2024, worldwide retail media spend is expected to top $140 billion. Amazon—the retail media elephant in the room—will account for 74.2 percent of retail media ad spend in the U.S., and about 42 percent of retail media ad spend worldwide. However, despite the dominance of Amazon in the U.S. and players like Alibaba globally, there’s still a tremendous amount of spend—tens of billions of dollars—going into other retail media destinations.

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So, where are those dollars going and how is that money being put to use? What is an example of retail media advertising? And what do marketers need to know about making the most of this growing area of spend?

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The look and feel of retail media advertising is different depending on the platform being leveraged. For marketers, it’s imperative to understand the full array of options in the market today, and the ways in which they are uniquely suited to helping advertisers achieve their goals. 

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Let’s look at three distinct examples of retail media advertising and how they vary in terms of formats and results. 

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Walmart Connect: A CPG Example

Walmart’s extensive reach and data-driven approach allow advertisers to target shoppers based on intent signals. For a consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand, aligning ads with searches related to their category would ensure a high likelihood of purchase from consumers who are already engaged in a buying journey.

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Imagine a major CPG brand considering Walmart Connect’s on-site search ads to promote its line of household cleaning products. The CPG brand might aim to boost visibility among high-intent shoppers already searching for similar products, thereby increasing sales and improving market share. Walmart’s platform would allow the brand to directly reach consumers likely to convert. By bidding on keywords that align with popular cleaning product searches, this brand’s products could appear prominently at the top of search results on Walmart’s e-commerce platform.

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Target Roundel: An Electronics Example

Target’s retail media platform, Roundel, is tailored for brands that wish to engage shoppers during their browsing journey. The platform’s ability to showcase products in a visually engaging format on a trusted retailer’s site makes it an ideal choice for an electronics brand looking to promote high-consideration items to a receptive audience.

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Let’s say a prominent electronics brand wanted to work with Target Roundel to feature its range of smart home devices. In this case, the electronics brand might want to generate awareness and educate potential customers about new product features while also encouraging purchases directly on Target’s platform. By placing display ads on Target’s website, the brand could reach a broad audience of tech-savvy consumers browsing for electronics and home goods.

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Instacart Ads: An F&B Example

Instacart’s platform allows brands to target consumers with specific shopping intents, such as buying groceries or meal kits. For a food and beverage brand, featured product ads align well with the user’s mindset, enhancing the chances of conversion by delivering timely and relevant product suggestions.

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Consider a food and beverage brand leveraging Instacart Ads to promote a new line of ready-to-eat meals. The brand might be looking to drive product trials and sales among consumers already browsing for similar items. By using featured product ads, the brand’s products could be showcased at the top of relevant category searches, ensuring high visibility among shoppers browsing for meal solutions on Instacart.

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Platforms like Walmart Connect, Target Roundel, and Instacart offer diverse ad formats that can cater to different marketing goals, whether focused on driving sales, building awareness, or deepening customer relationships. For brands and marketers, understanding these varied formats and aligning them with specific objectives is key to maximizing the impact of retail media campaigns.

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