How Retail Media Networks Are Evolving into Full‑Funnel Powerhouses

Retail media has long hinged on on-site visibility. But as we hit mid-2025, advertiser expectations have transformed: clients now demand full-funnel performance from awareness to conversion. This shift is reshaping how brands strategize and spend in shopper marketing.

From Shelf Ads to Strategic Ecosystems

Early retail media focused on sponsored products and search placements on retailer sites. Today, top RMNs offer integrated ecosystems spanning:

Programmatic display and audio off-site
Connected TV and video placements
Social ad activations powered by shopper data

Amazon's established data infrastructure remains a benchmark. Meanwhile, retailers like Walmart, Instacart, and H‑E‑B are rapidly scaling their capabilities to add cross-channel formats, self-service tools, and deeper analytics to meet full-funnel demands.

What It Means for Shopper Marketers

Media campaigns must connect: In-store display ads must tie into broader brand narratives and digital touchpoints. Isolated in-aisle tactics risk underperformance.
Collaboration becomes essential: Brand, creative, media trading, and analytics teams must remain aligned throughout campaign development and execution.
New KPIs matter: Reach and lift metrics are as critical as conversion. Define success metrics that reflect awareness, consideration, and purchase impact across platforms.

Real-World Developments to Watch

Mars United’s recent reporting highlights transformative RMN innovations:

Woolworths’ Cartology deploying digital signage across malls
H‑E‑B’s self-service interface enabling brands to launch campaigns with real-time dashboards
JLP’s expansion into off-site media through Epsilon
Sam’s Club’s AI-driven Omni-Impact tool, designed to measure incremental ROI across all touchpoints, including in-store interactions

These developments signal that RMNs are no longer limited to site-based tactics. They’re becoming brand platforms capable of engaging audiences wherever they are.

Strategy Recommendations for Brands

Begin with an audit: Map your coverage across funnel stages and identify gaps in awareness or upper-funnel formats.
Invest in integration: Ensure your retail media investments sync with broader marketing efforts. Campaign launch, creative, tracking, and optimization should span channels.
Track meaningful outcomes: Include metrics like reach expansion, attribution lift, cross-channel performance, and customer lifetime value...not just on-site clicks. CTR is not a KPI.

Staying Relevant in a Shifting Landscape

Today’s retail media isn’t just about driving purchase. It’s all about building brand momentum. Platforms that deliver narrative and performance across channels help brands stay top-of-mind before shoppers even reach a store’s page.

With full-funnel RMNs rounding into form, shopper marketers have an opportunity: integrate storytelling with precision targeting, optimize in real time, and align measurement across ecosystems. The stakes are high but so are the rewards.

Retail media isn’t just evolving. It’s becoming the spine of connected, measurable shopper marketing.

Are you and your brands ready?

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