Moving Beyond Pilot Purgatory
Many retailers struggle to move beyond pilot programs when it comes to in-store retail media. Sam’s Club offers a rare example of a retailer that has scaled its efforts into a measurable and integrated platform. Rather than treating in-store initiatives as experimental, Sam’s Club treats retail media as a core component of its business strategy, enabling replicable success across its locations.
Experience-Driven, Data-Powered Activations
Sam’s Club combines experiential events like parking lot activations with a range of in-store technologies, including Scan & Go checkout systems, strategically placed digital screens, and even computer vision technology embedded in floor-cleaning devices. These activations are designed with clear objectives to engage members and deliver measurable outcomes, transcending the traditional focus on advertising impressions.
Precision Measurement and Seamless Integration
The backbone of Sam’s Club’s retail media success lies in its sophisticated “omni impact tool,” which integrates multi-touch attribution with marketing mix modeling. This approach enables SKU- and member-level return on investment analysis, offering precise visibility into campaign performance. Moreover, the retailer has redefined joint business planning by embedding retail media discussions directly into merchandising operations, fostering deeper alignment between media and merchandising teams.
Lessons from a Leader: Scale and Strategy
Other retailers can learn from Sam’s Club’s focus on performance-driven activations supported by rigorous measurement and organizational alignment. While the retailer benefits from unique advantages such as its membership business model, scale, and insights from Walmart, it demonstrates the importance of treating retail media as an integrated, accountable channel rather than a side project. The combination of technology, data-driven decision-making, and cross-department collaboration provides a blueprint for advancing in-store retail media beyond pilot phases.
