since the pandemic overhauled shopping behavior in 2020, retail media networks have been on the rise. early adopters of retail media networks, such as Amazon, Walmart and Kroger, were primed and ready to profit from the explosion in online shopping that occurred as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

more and more retailers are following suit, looking to reach their shoppers by utilizing their own veritable treasure trove of first-party data by building profitable media networks—a new opportunity for growth in a traditionally low-margin business.

as our fellow marketers start to explore this emerging landscape, here are a few considerations to keep in mind.

1. a lot of retail media choices are emerging—and they will not be created equally.

•  the speed of innovation and development of retail media networks among the providers is uneven. determining which network to use and how depends on careful consideration of several factors, like where your product is in its lifecycle.

•  retailers will need to provide a different type of accountability—one that may be new to them. for that to happen, marketers must express what they need from their retail media network in terms of the level of partnership, management and insight. your investment in them should be earned, not expected.

•  even with new first-party data solutions emerging, third-party media opportunities will still be an important tactic to integrate into media plans to balance budget effectiveness and efficiency. try to understand which solutions can fit your needs and best complement retailer media solutions.

2. align and integrate teams around retail media network efforts.

•  in this omnichannel world, sales can be digitally influenced whether they occur online or off. getting your organization on board and aligned on retail media platform strategy, spend and measurement is imperative.

•   the retail media field has grown, the number of dollars to cover it likely will not increase. to fund these buys, dollars will need to come from both marketing and sales.

•  brand and shopper marketing teams need to align on which media in their joint plan will be shoppable and give the lead planning role of that media to the party that is accountable to the retailer. shopper and brand marketing are related but separate tasks, and the accountability for building brands and overcoming shopper barriers should be as well.

3. maximize the impact of retail media by avoiding traditional approaches.

•  look beyond the tactical, surface-level benefits of retail media platforms and pay attention to brands that are challenging and disrupting in them. many brands are using retail media solutions like Amazon to build their brand without any other traditional (and traditionally more expensive) media buys. don’t get caught in the practice of seeing these media solutions as solely a shopper marketing/transactional channel.

•  think bigger. pivot your creative to focus on the end shopper and their mindset with impact to disrupt them. keep your eye on new media that will be shoppable and invest in it while the opportunity is new and the costs are low.

over two years out from the arrival of COVID-19, we can be certain that the pandemic has forever changed the way will live. and the emergence of these retailer media solutions will forever change the way we market. organizations should embrace this new landscape and look to enhance their capabilities, institutional knowledge and creative talents regarding retail media networks. with most shopper marketers, retailer media networks have  become a foundational strategy for  future growth.