As U.S. growth slows, giants like Procter & Gamble and Diageo are placing massive bets on retail media integration to close the gap between discovery and purchase. However, the real story isn’t just about following the big spenders; it is about navigating the fragmentation of a channel that is rapidly expanding yet still maturing. In Digiday’s recent analysis, industry leaders, including Mile Marker’s Chief Media Officer Shattuck Groome, weighed in on the explosive growth and the lingering need to accurately measure marketing impact in retail media.
A Segment “On Fire”
While macroeconomic headwinds are causing uncertainty elsewhere, retail media has become a safe harbor for advertisers seeking trusted environments. The shift is palpable, with global spend projected to hit $312 billion by 2030.
Shattuck Groome noted in the report that for agencies and clients selling consumer products, retail media is “the fastest growing segment… it’s on fire”. This isn’t just about established players adding incremental spend; challenger brands are aggressively increasing their retail and commerce media budgets to capture growth.
Navigating the “Wild West”
Despite the influx of capital, the channel faces significant hurdles regarding standardization. Aside from established giants like Amazon and Walmart, Groome described the retail media landscape as “the Wild West,” plagued by inconsistent metrics and varying capabilities across different retailers.
While P&G may be leading the charge, Groome emphasized that smart marketers shouldn’t blindly follow the herd if they cannot reliably measure marketing impact. “I don’t necessarily pay attention to what Procter & Gamble is doing… We use our own data. We use our own clients,” Groome said, highlighting the importance of having the ability to validate strategies against your own specific return on marketing objectives rather than general industry trends.
The Bottom Line
Retail media is positioning itself as a dominant force in the marketing mix, but the winners in 2026 will be those who can look past the hype to solve for incrementality. Success requires navigating the “Wild West” of fragmented metrics with a focus on your own data to measure marketing impact, rather than just following the blue-chip leaders.
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