How to Get Started with Retail Media: Turning Data into Growth

Retail media has quickly moved from an experiment to a cornerstone of marketing. In 2025, Canadian retail media spending will reach about C$3.7 billion, representing 20% of all digital ad spend. Globally, the channel is expected to exceed US$160 billion this year. For brands, this is not a passing trend, it is where advertising meets commerce and drives measurable growth.

At Shopper Marketing Media™, our mission is to help brands navigate this opportunity with strategies that connect data, media, and the shopper journey. Here is a practical guide to getting started.

Retail Media Quick Start Framework


Goals → Channels → Audiences → Creative → Measurement.

For marketers who want the essentials fast, here’s a five-step checklist to launch effectively: set clear goals, choose the right channels, build precise audiences, develop creative that converts, and measure against outcomes.

This framework keeps campaigns focused and ensures every retail media dollar is working toward growth.

Why Retail Media Matters

Retail media delivers advertising where buying decisions happen, on product pages, in search results, or in store. It works because it leverages retailer first party data, captures shoppers with high intent, and closes the loop between exposure and sales.

Retail Media Measurement & KPIs: Start with Clear Goals

Retail media works best when it begins with a defined outcome.

  • Awareness: Grow reach and brand equity with impressions and lift studies.
  • Acquisition: Use loyalty and purchase data to find new to brand buyers.
  • Sales Growth: Increase conversion, basket size, and repeat purchases.
  • Loyalty: Re engage existing shoppers with personalized campaigns.
  • In a 2025 survey, 62% of CPG marketers said they plan to increase retail media spend in the second half of the year. Most are focusing on acquisition and growth.

Choose the Right Channels

The most effective campaigns use a blend of touchpoints for at least five weeks.

  • Onsite: Sponsored search, product carousels, banners
  • Offsite: Programmatic, social, connected TV
  • In store: Digital signage, in-store audio, sampling, shelf media
  • This multi channel approach keeps shoppers engaged across the path to purchase, from discovery to checkout.

Build Smarter Audiences

Retail media’s advantage is access to shopper level data. You can create:

  • Off the Shelf Segments: broad and efficient
  • Custom Audiences: tailored by demographics and behaviors
  • Bespoke Audiences: advanced targeting such as lapsed buyers or new category shoppers
  • Global forecasts show retail media search alone will add nearly US$5 billion in incremental spend by 2026. That growth is being driven by the precision of audience targeting.

Creative that Converts

Creative is the shopper experience. It must do more than look good, it has to drive action.

  • Use clear, high contrast product imagery
  • Match messaging to the audience, from first time buyers to loyal shoppers
  • Include simple calls to action such as “Buy Now” or “Add to Cart”
  • Keep messaging consistent across online and in store placements
  • As more brands lean into retail media, creative is often the only differentiator when everyone is using similar data.

Measure, Learn, Optimize

One of the greatest advantages of retail media is closed loop attribution.

  • Match metrics to goals: brand lift for awareness, NTB % (the share of customers who purchased your brand for the first time during a campaign) for acquisition, ROAS for sales
  • Refresh creative when engagement or conversion drops
  • Reallocate budget to top performing products or audiences
  • Extend winning campaigns to new regions or channels
  • Standards for measurement are still developing, especially across different retailers, but the ability to tie spend to outcomes is what makes retail media so powerful.

Challenges in Retail Media and How to Overcome Them 

Retail media is growing fast, but it comes with its share of challenges. Data silos and inconsistent reporting make it hard to compare results across retailers. The solution is working with partners who can normalize data and deliver cross-retailer attribution. At Shopper Marketing Media™, we use Datalytica to give brands a clear, consistent view of performance.

Creative fatigue is another hurdle. As more brands invest, ads can blend together. Success comes from creative that adapts by channel and resonates with specific audiences, whether it is a sponsored search result, connected TV ad, or in-store screen.

Measurement is also evolving. Some networks report impressions, others sales lift, but very few offer the full picture. We guide brands to the right KPIs, such as new-to-brand buyers, ROAS, and lifetime value, so spend is tied directly to outcomes.

Finally, running campaigns across multiple channels and retailers can stretch teams thin. A structured process with clear goals, audience segmentation, creative alignment, and ongoing optimization keeps things on track. Our role is to simplify that complexity so brands can focus on growth.

Looking Ahead

In store retail media, including digital screens, in-store audio, and shelf tags, is expected to surpass US$1 billion globally by 2028. Canada’s overall retail media market will more than double in the same timeframe.

The brands that build capability now will have the advantage later. Retail media is not just another line on the media plan. It is becoming the new trade marketing, one that links every dollar invested to a measurable result.

Retail media is about meeting shoppers where decisions are made, with the right message, and measuring impact every step of the way. Starting with clear goals, using data driven targeting, balancing channels, and focusing on creative execution will set brands up for success.

At Shopper Marketing Media™, we believe where data fuels retail success, brands win.

What is retail media?

Retail media is advertising that happens within a retailer’s ecosystem, such as websites, apps, and stores. It uses retailer data to target shoppers when they are ready to buy.

Why is retail media important for brands in 2025?

In 2025, Canadian retail media spending will reach C$3.7 billion, about 20% of all digital ad spend. Globally, retail media will exceed US$160 billion. It is one of the fastest growing areas in advertising.

How do retail media networks work?

Retail media networks use first party data from retailers, such as purchase history and loyalty programs, to deliver ads across onsite, offsite, and in store channels. This allows brands to reach shoppers at multiple points in their journey.

What are examples of retail media channels?

Examples include sponsored product search and banner ads on retailer websites, programmatic display and connected TV that link back to retailers, and in store placements such as digital screens, shelf ads, and in-store audio.

How should brands measure retail media success?

Brands can match metrics to goals. For awareness, use impressions and brand lift. For acquisition, track new to brand %age. For sales, focus on ROAS and incremental growth. For loyalty, measure repeat purchases and customer lifetime value.

How much should brands budget for retail media in 2025?

Budgets will vary by category and growth stage, but retail media is no longer experimental. In Canada, it represents about 20% of all digital ad spend in 2025, or C$3.7 billion. Most CPG marketers are increasing spend, with acquisition and sales growth as the top objectives. A practical rule of thumb is to allocate at least 10–20% of digital budgets to retail media, then adjust based on performance and category benchmarks.

What’s the difference between retail media and trade marketing?

Trade marketing focuses on promotions and co-op spend to secure in-store visibility, often through displays, discounts, or merchandising agreements. Retail media takes that a step further by using retailer first-party data and digital placements—onsite, offsite, and in-store—to target specific audiences and measure performance. In other words, trade marketing buys space, while retail media buys outcomes tied to shopper behaviour.

 Which retailers in Canada have the strongest retail media networks?

Most major Canadian retailers have launched or expanded retail media programs. Loblaw, Walmart, and Canadian Tire have mature networks with strong data capabilities. Sobeys and Metro are investing heavily to catch up, while convenience and specialty players such as 7-Eleven are building fast-growing networks with national reach. The competitive landscape is evolving quickly, and brands that diversify across multiple networks will have the advantage.