Defining the Maturity Spectrum
A new study by Koddi and Forrester Research segments commerce media maturity into three stages: Nascent, Emerging, and Trailblazer. The Nascent stage represents early pilots with limited integration and basic data use, accounting for 49% of the market. Emerging organizations, making up 38%, have developed structures and are working toward revenue goals. Trailblazers, at 13%, have fully embedded commerce media into their strategies, leveraging AI-driven targeting, outcome-linked measurement, and operational scalability.
Retail’s Position and Pressing Needs
The retail sector leads the pack, with 22% of retailers classified as Trailblazers. This demonstrates retail’s head start in embedding commerce media deeply within their marketing efforts. However, major obstacles remain. The fragmentation of media ecosystems calls for unification to allow seamless data flow. Data collaboration across teams and third-party partners remains limited, impeding accuracy in targeting and measurement. Additionally, automation and attribution processes require improvement to support scalability in increasingly complex retail media networks.
Accelerating Retail Media Growth
To advance maturity, retailers should prioritize building connected technical infrastructure that supports integrated data systems. Incorporating AI-driven audience targeting will increase precision and return on ad spend. Measurement models must be fully aligned with business outcomes, moving beyond last-click attribution to multi-touch, outcome-linked evaluations. Operational scalability demands addressing workforce skills and process automation to manage expanding media networks efficiently. These steps are critical given the projected market growth to $1.3 trillion by 2030, positioning retail media as a significant revenue driver within retail marketing.
In conclusion, while retail is ahead within commerce media maturity, the gap between current capabilities and full operational scalability underscores the need for focused action. Retailers able to unify ecosystems, integrate advanced data and AI technologies, and optimize measurement will lead the sector toward a Trailblazer future.
