We speak to Victor Roca, Director of Ads and Retail Media at Glovo, to discuss the retail media landscape and how the Delivery Hero-owned platform is capitalising on the opportunity presented by fast-growing channel.
How have you seen retail media develop over your time in the industry?
Historically, media platforms have focused on selling audiences and first party data, while advertisers are primarily interested in outcomes and returns. But today’s platforms – especially those close to the point where a consumer makes a purchase – enables the sell-side to demonstrate outcome-based campaigns much more effectively.
With access to real-time purchase data, retailers can directly link media spend to business results. The enhanced ability to demonstrate ROI has become non-negotiable and this evolution means retail media now speaks to both CMOs and CFOs.
Generally speaking, the rise of retail media that I’ve seen over my time in the industry reflects a broader shift in marketing: from impressions to outcomes and from assumptions to data-backed results.
What do you see as the main reason for its rapid growth in recent years?
Retail media has grown so quickly because it aligns with how people shop today and how brands are pressured to perform. Consumers are no longer starting their product searches on traditional search engines – they’re going straight to retail platforms instead. That gives retailers a unique position to influence purchase decisions at the source and promote their partner brands.
At the same time, consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands are under immense pressure to justify marketing spend. Retail media delivers measurable outcomes – clicks, conversions, and sales – making it an easy choice for performance teams.
The third key factor is data. Retail platforms have access to first-party data that is not only rich, but actionable. This allows for hyper-targeted campaigns that deliver real value and engagement.
“Retail media has grown so quickly because it aligns with how people shop today and how brands are pressured to perform.”
How have changes in consumer behaviour influenced this growth?
Today’s consumers don’t shop the way they used to. They’re skipping traditional search engines and heading straight to retail apps and platforms to look for products. That shift is important. It means the discovery process is happening within the commerce environment itself. When a user searches for a product within a retail platform, they’re already in a purchase mindset. That gives retail media a unique edge: it reaches consumers when they’re ready to act.
This change in behaviour has shifted both traffic and influence away from general media to retailers. And with this shift, brands are realising they can engage shoppers in a more relevant and timely way. Retail media capitalises on this by offering the right message, to the right person, at the right time, and the proximity to the transaction is what makes it so powerful.
What are the main barriers to future growth?
Retail media is gaining momentum, but some barriers still need addressing. Firstly, measurement: without consistent standards across platforms, it’s difficult for brands to benchmark performance and scale investment with confidence. Secondly, fragmentation: as more retailers launch media solutions, the ecosystem becomes increasingly complex. This makes it harder for advertisers to plan and optimise effectively. Finally, integration: retail media can’t sit in isolation – it needs to align with broader marketing strategies, supporting both performance and brand objectives across the funnel.
Solving these challenges requires more than just new tools. It calls for shared standards, deeper collaboration and a shift in how the industry builds for long-term, scalable impact.
Where does retail media fit into an omnichannel strategy?
Retail media is no longer just a conversion tool – it’s now a critical component of a full-funnel, omnichannel strategy. Its real strength lies in reaching consumers at the moment of intent, when they’re actively shopping. At Glovo, we’ve expanded beyond just in-app placements. Our retail media solutions now let brands target users off-platform too – leveraging our first-party transaction data to reach shoppers across display, social, and more.
This ability to connect data and intent across channels means retail media can power both lower-funnel conversions and upper-funnel awareness. It complements broader strategies by enabling precision and accountability within campaigns that traditionally relied on softer metrics.
As brands seek to balance reach with relevance, retail media becomes the bridge, offering both scale and specificity, and helping marketers get closer to the consumer in a more measurable way.
“Its real strength lies in reaching consumers at the moment of intent, when they’re actively shopping.”
How do you currently work with brands/agencies to maximise the effectiveness of their retail media campaigns?
We position ourselves as strategic partners to brands, helping them get the best return on every Euro spent. Our aim is to help them reduce wasted ad spend and maximise performance.
The process starts with understanding the brand’s campaign goals. Based on that, and leveraging insights from thousands of campaigns, we recommend the right combination of formats, placements and audiences. To support this, we’ve built a performance toolkit that includes targeting, creative strategy and optimisation levers, all designed to drive results. Ultimately, we want brands to see Glovo not just as a media channel, but as a growth engine.
What does the future hold for Glovo’s retail media strategy?
The future of Glovo’s retail media strategy is all about scale, data and automation. Over the past 18 months, we’ve built a full-funnel ad ecosystem where advertisers pay only for performance, such as impressions or clicks. We’re now taking it further by opening access to our most powerful asset: first-party shopper data. Based on actual transactions, this data gives brands a unique edge in targeting and personalisation, which is particularly valuable within app ecosystems. It enables advertisers to build more transparent, value-driven relationships with customers, well beyond traditional ad personalisation.
Next, we’re launching a self-service platform where advertisers can access Glovo’s audiences and activate campaigns across their preferred channels. This gives brands more control and flexibility, while keeping performance at the core.
Ultimately, we want Glovo to be a must-have in every CPG brand’s media plan – not just because of our reach, but because of our ability to drive meaningful, measurable results at scale.
