No longer simply a budget line on a marketing plan, retail media has evolved into something far greater, enabling truly omnichannel brand building campaigns that influence shoppers across the entire journey, writes IAB UK’s Olivia McCullagh.
The first thing to understand is that loyalty isn’t about always choosing the same brand in the same category every time, writes Dean Harris. Brands often talk about ‘our customers’ or claim to be ‘their brand’, but shoppers don’t belong to brands, and they don’t get chosen simply because they were chosen last time. Brands are chosen because, in the moment a decision is made, they stand out, both mentally and physically. They win the moment.
Daily online shopping frequency has
Drawing on that data and the work that MiQ is doing with clients around the world, Robert Smolarski offers his pick of the advertising trends that will be especially important in 2026…
Will 2026 be a defining year for commerce media? It increasingly feels that way. Growth remains strong, but the rules of success are changing. As budgets tighten and scrutiny increases, commerce media is shifting from experimentation to maturity. What is emerging is a more connected, collaborative ecosystem, powered by data, creativity and, increasingly, trust.
In a world where consumer attention is increasingly fragmented and retail media is evolving faster than ever, it’s crucial to remember that scale does not equate to quality; what actually matters is the depth of the customer relationship. Without trust, scale is hollow.
Debbi Rosenthal, Head of Solutions at MiQ UK, provides a tested, pragmatic playbook for off-site retail media network activation.
Al Ward, VP of Commerce at Brave Bison, explains why brands may need to reconsider their safety-first approach to ecommerce tech.
Claire Trbovic, Group Business Director: Incubation Hub at SMG, discusses the role of AI as the “operating system of retail media.”
Ana Laura Zain, CMO at Pentaleap and Co-founder of Women in Retail Media Collective, shares the three things she views as the foundation for marketing success.
Debbi Rosenthal, Head of Solutions, MiQ UK, explores the opportunity presented by commerce media, and how best to approach it.
Dan Larden, Head of Media at ISBA, discusses why standardisation is essential for the future of retail media.