What is retail media?
Retail media is advertising sold by retailers and marketplaces, such as Amazon, Walmart or Instacart, using their shopper data, on their own websites and apps, in stores and increasingly across the wider web and TV. Brands pay to reach people near the point of purchase, and retailers can prove results by linking ads to actual sales.
Retail media includes sponsored products in search results, display and video on retailer sites, off-site retail media using retailer data elsewhere, and in-store screens. Its selling point is closed-loop measurement: the retailer sees both the ad and the purchase.
eMarketer forecast in December 2025 that US retail media ad spending would reach about $71 billion in 2026, with Amazon and Walmart capturing most of the growth. The IAB/PwC report named retail media among the fastest-growing formats in 2025. See also commerce media and retail media network.