For commerce media to mature, retailers must embrace collaboration. Finally, they are.

Hi, I’m Claire Reid , Client Director at SMG , based in New York City. Welcome back to Spotlight, the newsletter from the pioneers in connected commerce at SMG . We're just back from an inspiring week in Cannes, where our colleagues joined global leaders to discuss the future of commerce media.

As retailers and others in the commerce media space rush to solve retail media’s challenges, a clear theme emerged in France: maturity and collaboration. For years, brands have focused on leveraging first-party data to reach shoppers at the digital point of sale. While powerful, this "walled garden" approach is no longer sufficient to guarantee success outside the biggest Retail and Commerce Media Networks.

For most networks, the future of commerce media isn’t just about reaching shoppers on-site; it’s about influencing them across their entire purchasing journey in-store, off-site, and online. We heard that message loud and clear at Cannes this year, with numerous new industry partnerships announced to enable greater collaboration.

Strategic Shifts

Recent industry moves are proving this evolution is well underway:

• DoorDash acquired Symbiosis, an ad-tech firm, to extend its ad reach across the open web.
• Instacart partnered with Pinterest, turning social discovery into shoppable moments.
• CVS Media Exchange teamed up with Reddit to run advertising on the platform, linked back to CVS' loyalty program data.

These partnerships signal a fundamental, strategic shift.

Three Major Challenges Ahead

1. Limited On-Site Focus: If you're only activating retail media on-site, you're missing the critical inspiration phase, where shoppers engage on social media, search, and content platforms.
2. Forgetting the Store: The majority of consumers still shop at brick-and-mortar retail stores. Retailers need to ensure that brands can leverage physical assets at the point of purchase to drive the sale.
3. Friction = Lost Sales: Any gap between discovery and purchase can result in abandoned interest. A seamless transition from inspiration to checkout is essential.

Walled gardens can create blind spots. The gap between inspiration and purchase is where brands lose momentum.

At SMG, we advocate for moving from siloed strategies to interconnected ecosystems, leveraging intelligent partnerships that unite rich shopper data, the web, social commerce, and physical stores.

Retailers must break down platform walls and offer advertisers omnichannel opportunities—from discovery to decision.

This Week: MAD//Fest London

SMG is taking the stage at MAD//Fest London!

• Lee LeFeuvre , Chief Commercial Officer, SMG
• Helen Johnson , Managing Director, {Capture}
• Uche Ofili , Head of Media Agencies, SMG

They’ll share insights on the most pressing challenges and opportunities in commerce media.

Also Coming Up:

• SMG's Talking Shop webinar series returns this September. Get ready to mark your calendars for another can't-miss discussion with industry leaders.
• Groceryshop September 28 | Las Vegas
• SMG x ADWEEK October 8 | New York City. SMG is teaming up with ADWEEK to host an event this fall in New York City during Advertising Week. More information coming soon!
• Retail Media Summit UK October 15 | London. In partnership with ADWEEK. Space is limited—register your interest here.

News Spotlight

Retail Media’s Cannes Moment

The News: Retail media took center stage at Cannes Lions, with the festival debuting its first-ever Retail Media Awards. The Gold went to Uruguayan grocer Ta-Ta, for a campaign tying reusable bag usage to loyalty data, resulting in a 62% spike in registered customers and a 92% drop in bag sales.

SMG POV: Retail media has outgrown its niche. At Cannes, it was part of nearly every conversation. The energy around collaboration between brands, platforms, and media owners was undeniable. The future belongs to those who simplify planning, activation, and measurement.

Read all of SMG’s Cannes 2025 takeaways here

Sam’s Club Launches New AI-Powered Measurement

The News: Sam’s Club Member Access Platform (MAP) (MAP) launched Omni-Impact, a new tool using AI and deterministic data to track performance across all touchpoints, from Scan & Go displays to sponsored emails and more.

The platform offers:

• Incremental sales lift measurement
• Year-long campaign effectiveness insights
• Focus on experience-driven retail media

SMG POV: As measurement remains a core challenge for Retail Media Networks, this is a smart move. Especially amid economic headwinds, brands are looking for long-term value. A 12-month view supports the case that retail media builds brand equity, not just quick wins.

📰 Read more from Mass Market Retailers ’ Thorvardur De Shong.

Albertsons Pilots Screens

The News: Albertsons Media Collective is launching a digital screen network in select stores through a new partnership with STRATACACHE .

Key features:

• Large-format displays in high-traffic areas
• Integration with in-store audio, off-site display, social video
• Measurement tools offering sales attribution and proof of play

SMG POV: We’ve been championing in-store media for years. Physical retail remains where most purchases happen, and stores act as modern cultural theaters and meeting places. Brands can’t afford to overlook the power of immersive, in-person media moments, especially when activated as part of entire omnichannel strategy. 

📰 Read more from Chain Store Age 's Dan Berthiaume .

Statistic Spotlight

Small-format stores pack a punch. An eye-tracking study from the SMG-operated Co-op Media Network and Lumen Research found small-format stores deliver:

• 2x opportunity to see
• 3x greater attention
• 4x more brand recall

…when compared to large-format stores.

This data, already previewed earlier this year, is now available in every major agency planning tool following an exclusive rollout with Dentsu.

“In a world that's gone from chunky 30-second ads to micro-content, getting attention across channels is critical.” — Dean Harris , Head of Retail Media at Co-op

📰Read more in Performance Marketing World

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