Retail Media Networks Are Having a Main Character Moment
Here’s Why It Matters…
By Josefina Loza
Hey changemakers,
We’re deep into 2025, and if you’ve been paying attention, you know the marketing game is evolving at lightspeed. Between AI-generated content, hyper-personalized everything, and Gen Z rewriting the rules of brand loyalty, one thing is certain: if your strategy isn’t adaptable, you’re already behind.
But today, let’s zoom in on something that’s quietly stealing the spotlight — retail media networks.
That’s right… The ad space once reserved for big-box giants is now a major power player in the performance marketing arena. Let’s break it down, Lozafina style.
In Q1 2025 alone, retail media spend jumped by 21% year-over-year, the Business Insider reported. Brands are doubling down on what’s working. Click-through rates are improving, cost-per-clicks are staying stable, and marketers are loving the direct-to-conversion data trail.
Translation? Retail media isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a revenue-driving, ROI-friendly reality.
Gone are the days when retail media was just about sealing the deal at checkout. Sure, bottom-funnel product placements (those targeted ads that show up right when a customer is ready to buy) still matter. They drive conversions by putting your product front and center at the moment it counts.
But today’s smartest brands (yes, like yours) are going beyond the bottom. They’re embracing full-funnel strategies that connect the dots from awareness to purchase to lifelong loyalty.
Think: a sponsored ad on Amazon to close the sale and an upper-funnel storytelling campaign on Target’s Roundel or Walmart Connect to build connection and brand trust. It’s all about meeting your customer where they’re already shopping with intention and purpose.
Here’s where it gets juicy. You no longer need a million-dollar ad budget to play in this space.
Retailers like Instacart, Kroger, and even CVS are opening the doors to nano and micro brands, giving them a chance to show up like the big guys.
If you're a founder or marketer for a smaller brand, here's what you should be doing right now:
Audit your product presence on platforms like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Instacart. Is your brand visible, consistent, and keyword-optimized?
Invest in smart placements, especially for new product launches. Use retail data to target the exact shopper behaviors you want.
Use your retail media performance data to inform your social ads, email funnels, and in-store strategy. This isn’t a silo, it’s a whole ecosystem.
Retail media is powerful because it’s a first-party data heaven. As we continue to phase out third-party cookies, the brands that will win are the ones leveraging real shopper data (think purchase intent, recency, loyalty) — and using it with care.
This isn’t just about performance. It’s about building trust while staying ahead of regulation.
If your brand isn’t tapping into retail media in 2025, you're leaving serious money (and visibility) on the table.
This isn’t a trend; it’s a shift. A shift toward precision. Toward transparency. Toward being exactly what your audience needs, exactly where they need it.