Mastercard has unveiled a digital media network, making an active play at capturing a piece of the retail and commerce media pie.
Mastercard Commerce Media will leverage Mastercard’s permissioned data, as well as its technology and relationships with advertisers, publishers, and consumers to provide personalised commerce for clients. The payment card firm currently boasts 25,000 advertisers and 500 million enrolled consumers, who were responsible for over 160 billion transactions in 2024 alone.
“We understand how to connect advertisers to consumers and consumers to the products, services and experiences they value,” said Craig Vosburg, chief services officer at Mastercard. “Mastercard Commerce Media is a natural extension of the trusted connections we’re known for and the work we already do across our unique suite of services. That means we’re not just well-positioned to bring a full-scale commerce media network to life — we’re best-positioned.”
The commerce media network will also utilise relationships with Citi, WPP, American Airlines, and Microsoft to help to power its services.
The service will work by advertisers going to Mastercard to deliver offers and content, and the company then using its data to identify the right audiences for each. Consumers who receive these offers can activate them on their enrolled card and complete the purchase. Mastercard can then attribute this directly to the served content.
Mastercard Commerce Media can also be paired with the company’s Dynamic Yield and Marketing Services platforms.
Mastercard is planning to open up new distribution channels, as well as expansions to new markets and deeper integrations with existing solutions, in 2026 and beyond.
