Core Challenges Limiting Success
Commerce media has secured its position as a significant channel within digital marketing, with widespread adoption and increased investment plans among brands. However, marketers continue to report a range of challenges limiting their ability to fully realize the channel’s potential. These challenges fall into several categories, beginning with strategic planning. Many find it difficult to integrate commerce media effectively into broader marketing strategies, leading to fragmented efforts and limited impact.
Operational complexities also impede success. Managing campaigns across diverse retail media networks requires a high level of coordination and efficiency that many teams are still developing. Content creation and optimization pose further difficulties, especially in producing tailored messaging that resonates with specific shopping audiences. Perhaps most persistently, measurement issues remain a barrier, as marketers struggle to accurately attribute sales and gauge return on investment in an evolving ecosystem.
What Marketers Need Next
The path forward lies in advancing the capabilities available to marketers. Smarter tools that leverage artificial intelligence and better targeting options can help optimize campaign performance. Effective use of first-party data is increasingly important to drive precise audience segmentation and personalization across retail media networks. Alongside technology, there is a notable demand for strategic expertise to guide investment and execution, particularly for non-endemic brands entering commerce media seeking to understand this specialized environment.
Agency partnerships play an important role in providing this strategic support, helping brands navigate diverse platforms and consolidate their efforts. As commerce media channels expand beyond on-site retail properties to off-site and new formats, the ability to manage complexity while maintaining clear goals becomes essential.
In summary, commerce media represents a growing opportunity with strong adoption among marketers. Yet, to unlock sustained value, the industry must address ongoing hurdles through improved technology, refined strategies, and collaborative support. Those who develop the capabilities to manage these challenges are positioned to capitalize on the expanding role of retail media networks in the marketing mix.
