Your Retail Media Network Isn’t a Network — and What to Do About it

Retail media is having its gold-rush moment. Nearly every retailer now claims to operate a “retail media network.” The enthusiasm is understandable. Margins are high, the data is valuable, and the investor story practically writes itself.

There’s only one issue: most of these so-called networks aren’t networks at all.

They’re ad products. Good ones, but still just ad products. Calling them networks is like calling a billboard a broadcasting empire. Mislabeling them as networks is creating confusion, slowing progress, and masking the real opportunity in front of retailers and advertisers.

The Illusion

Sit in on a retail media pitch and you’ll hear confident claims about “connecting brands with high-intent shoppers across a powerful network.” But lift the hood and the offering usually amounts to sponsored product listings and a few placements inside a retailer’s digital walls.

There’s nothing wrong with that, but it isn’t a network. A real network spans the full consumer journey. Aside from the obvious giants, most retail media programs today fall short. Only true networks offer off-site reach, unified measurement, and real data activation that builds credibility, not just revenue. Here’s a look at what makes a network, how retailers should act, and what the future holds.

What a True Network Looks Like

Very few retailers are actually constructing network infrastructure. Leaders like Walmart and Amazon.com now run advertising well beyond their owned properties, using their data to reach consumers on publisher sites and across streaming environments. Kroger and Target are close behind, treating data as the core of the ecosystem rather than an add-on to product placements.

These companies have made a critical mindset shift. They’re not retailers selling ads. They’re media companies that happen to own retail data. That shift will define the next decade’s winners.

5 Things Retailers Should Do Now

Retailers don’t need to pretend that on-site ads make a network. Companies that want to build something durable must focus on the capabilities that actually define one.

1. Extend your reach beyond your own walls.

Consumers spend most of their time off-site. A real network meets them there. DSP relationships, streaming integrations, and off-site partnerships allow your data to travel to the right audiences.

2. Build measurement that can follow your data.

If your measurement stops at your site, your network stops there too. Real networks connect off-site exposure to on-site conversion with unified, cross-channel attribution built on modern frameworks.

3. Treat first-party data as the engine of your ecosystem.

Data activation is the foundation of a network. Privacy-safe data interoperability improves frequency, relevance, and business outcomes far beyond what a retailer can do alone.

4. Form partnerships early.

Scale is hard to build on your own. Strategic alliances deliver shared reach and shared demand long before you can achieve it independently.

5. Be honest in your pitch.

Credibility is a competitive advantage. Don’t burn it by overpromising.

Where This All Leads

If you’re running a retail media program, ask yourself: Are you actually building a network or are you selling ad placements with extra steps? If it’s the latter, that’s fine. There’s real value in an on-site media offering. Just call it what it is. Save “network” for when you’ve earned it.

For those serious about building a real network, know that measurement will become the battleground in 2026. Incrementality and cross-channel attribution will determine who gets premium budgets. Retailers unable to prove lift will face pricing pressure and shrinking demand.

Furthermore, fragmented measurement, differing data policies, and incompatible standards will force the sector to organize. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new industry consortium form aimed at establishing shared definitions and accountability. Of course, large brands will build in-house retail media teams. This maturity will expose which “networks” actually deliver value and which are still selling window dressing.

The future of retail media won’t be won by whoever has the most on-site real estate. It will be won by the companies that stop thinking like retailers and start thinking like media operators. The ones that build real reach, real data activation, and real measurement.

Everyone else will be remembered as a footnote in the retail media bubble of the early-to-mid 2020s.

Peter Wilmot is the chief product officer at Shopsense AI, an AI-powered retail media platform.