Retail Media: The Untapped Powerhouse Of Brand Building

Retail media is no longer just about closing the sale; it’s shaping perceptions, building loyalty, and turning casual browsers into lifelong customers. Are you using it to its full potential?

Retail Media: From Conversion Tactic to Brand Builder

Retail media is traditionally seen as the engine behind last-mile conversions, a way to capture shoppers as they make purchasing decisions. But new research from SMG, in collaboration with the Path to Purchase Institute and MESH Experience, shows something game-changing: Retail media significantly impacts brand awareness, consideration, and trust, not just sales media.

By analysing over 36,000 real-time consumer experiences across multiple retail categories in the UK and US, including beauty, pet care, electronics, and more, the findings prove that retail media drives results across the full funnel, including harder-to-shift brand equity metrics like NPS and affinity media.

The Research: Real People, Real Retail Experiences

This isn’t your average media effectiveness study. Using MESH Experience’s Real-Time Experience Tracking (RET), over 10,000 participants captured every interaction they had with a brand over a week, whether online, in-store, via email or while scrolling social media.

The result? A robust dataset of how retail media stacks up against traditional mass media.

Why Retail Media Works So Well

Let’s break down the standout stats:

2.6x Increase in Brand Consideration

People exposed to retail media are 2.6 times more likely to consider a brand for future purchase, higher than traditional mass media.

3x Improvement in NPS

Retail experiences are three times more effective at increasing Net Promoter Score than no exposure. That means happier customers who are more likely to recommend your brand media.

68% Relevance + 67% Positivity

Retail media experiences rate extremely high in terms of relevance, positivity, and persuasiveness, even matching the scores of brand-owned ads media.

Retailers: Why This Should Matter to You

If you’re a retailer, you already sit on a goldmine: your physical footprint, your shopper data, and your direct connection to consumer moments of truth. This research shows that:

• 52% of people report a retail experience in an average week
• Retail media adds an additional 1.9 brand experiences per person, per week
• 28% of all brand touchpoints captured in the study were through retail channelsmedia
  

That’s unmatched visibility, and it’s measurable.

Retail Media: Stronger Than Mass Media?

Surprisingly, paid retail media outperforms mass media across multiple brand-building metrics:

This flips the narrative. Retail media isn’t just supportive; it’s often leading the charge in brand impact.

Key Takeaways for Retailers and Brands

1. Retail media builds brands, not just baskets. If you’re only using it for short-term performance, you’re missing the bigger picture.
2. It drives trust and memorability. Retail touchpoints scored highly on knowledge, memorability, and trust media.
3. It reaches people often. With 52% of people experiencing a retail touchpoint each week, it keeps brands top of mind.
4. It’s persuasive. A persuasive retail experience increases the likelihood of positive brand affinity fivefold.

Final Thought: Retail Media Deserves a Bigger Seat at the Table

For large retailers navigating the complex marketing landscape, the message is clear: Retail media isn’t just a sales tool; it’s one of the most effective brand-building channels available today.

With consumers increasingly expecting personalised, relevant interactions and retailers sitting on the most powerful first-party data in the ecosystem, now is the time to act.

Don’t just play catch-up. Lead the future of brand building through retail media.

Ready to unlock the full power of retail media?

Connect with us at smg.team to explore how we can help you harness your retail footprint to build stronger, more memorable brands.