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    Retail Media

    Retail Media Launch: Case Evidence and Measurement

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    By Art Kukharenko

    Retail Media Launch: Case Evidence and Measurement

    A retail media launch case needs a defined launch milestone, an operating scope and evidence of advertiser delivery and measurement. The original project records are unavailable here. Use this page to plan the evidence your own launch should produce; the historical timeline and outcome remain unverified.

    Key facts

    • The market is concentrated, and the platforms sell to everyone else. Tinuiti estimates that Amazon and Walmart take roughly 80% of US retail media spend (Tinuiti, 18 May 2026); a Kevel 2026 report cited by Osmos attributes 75.7% of e-commerce ad spend to Amazon and 4.9% to Walmart (Osmos, 4 June 2026); IAB says hundreds of commerce media networks compete for budgets concentrated among a few large platforms (IAB, 14 April 2026).
    • Criteo is the largest third-party network. It had "over 200" retailers when it became Google's first onsite retail media partner on 10 September 2025 (Criteo, 10 September 2025), deployed $1.1 billion of media spend in Q2 2026 (Criteo, 5 August 2026) and added Lidl, Loblaw Advance, Massmart and Hyundai Department Store in 2026 (Criteo press releases).
    • The retailers that own ad tech are now selling it. Amazon Retail Ad Service is in beta with Asda as the first UK retailer (Amazon Ads, accessed 17 October 2026); Gopuff will use Instacart's Carrot Ads as it joins the Instacart Marketplace (Instacart, 22 September 2026).
    • Walmart is buying the buy side. It closed Vizio for about $2.3 billion on 3 December 2024 (Walmart, 3 December 2024) and completed the acquisition of the self-serve CTV platform Vibe.co on 4 August 2026, announced 23 June 2026 (Vibe.co, 4 August 2026).
    • Measurement certification has reached the platforms. Moloco became the first technology provider certified under IAB Europe's Retail Media Certification Programme on 7 October 2026, after Albert Heijn and Nectar360 (IAB Europe, 7 October 2026).
    • One incumbent is gone. Microsoft's PromoteIQ domain no longer resolves (checked 17 October 2026); Tinuiti still lists it among legacy platforms (Tinuiti, 18 May 2026).

    Definition

    Retail media network platform: the software a retailer uses to sell, serve, target, report and bill advertising on its own properties and, through extensions, on third-party media and in its stores, using its first-party shopper data. The platform may be licensed (Kevel, Topsort), bundled with a demand network (Criteo, Epsilon), supplied by another retailer (Amazon, Instacart) or built. See the glossary entries for retail media network and take rate. For the strategic choice behind the vendor choice, see Retail media infrastructure: build vs buy.

    Evidence status

    Customer outcome not verified. Original client records, reporting periods and source data are unavailable. The historical result and customer narrative are withheld.

    Evaluate the workflow

    • Define the launch milestone: a configured platform, a live campaign or a measured business result.
    • Preserve the project timeline, dependencies and approval records.
    • Verify advertiser delivery, purchase measurement, permissions and operating ownership.

    Read the current references

    Read the retail media guide for the broader decision framework.

    FAQ

    What is a retail media network platform? It is the software that lets a retailer sell and serve ads on its own site, app, emails and stores, target them with its shopper data, and report sales back to brands. Platforms come as demand bundles (Criteo, Epsilon), as software (Kevel, Topsort, Moloco, Mirakl Ads, Pentaleap, Osmos), or as another retailer's service (Amazon Retail Ad Service, Instacart Carrot Ads). The retail media hub collects the related guides.

    Which retail media platform does Walmart use? Its own. Walmart Connect runs on in-house technology, uses The Trade Desk as a DSP partner for offsite, and has added owned screens and buying tools through acquisitions: Vizio for about $2.3 billion on 3 December 2024 and Vibe.co, completed 4 August 2026 (Walmart, 3 December 2024; Vibe.co, 4 August 2026; Tinuiti, 18 May 2026). Kroger similarly runs on its 84.51° unit (Tinuiti, 18 May 2026).

    How much does a retail media platform cost? Vendors do not publish price lists. The models that are public or reported are: a percentage of media spend plus platform fees (Criteo), SaaS without revenue share (Kevel), a per-spend or platform fee (Osmos), pay-for-outcomes (Rokt) and, in one Moloco customer's case, cost per order (Osmos, 4 June 2026; Rokt; Moloco). Ask for the effective take rate at your expected spend, including any demand fee, and compare it with the glossary definition of take rate.

    Criteo vs Kevel: what is the difference? Criteo sells a network: its Commerce Max DSP brings brand and agency demand, including Google Search Ads 360 buyers in beta since 10 September 2025, to "over 200" retailers, and it charges a share of spend (Criteo, 10 September 2025; Osmos, 4 June 2026). Kevel sells the engine: ad-serving APIs, a self-serve console, audience tools and an exchange, on SaaS pricing without revenue share, used by Home Depot, Chewy and Dollar General among others (Kevel, accessed 17 October 2026; Osmos, 4 June 2026). The first is faster to revenue; the second keeps the advertiser relationship with the retailer.

    Can a retailer build its own retail media platform? Yes, and the largest do: Walmart, Kroger through 84.51°, and Amazon, which now sells its stack to others (Tinuiti, 18 May 2026; Amazon Ads). Below that scale the honest answer is "build the parts that differentiate, license the rest": an owned clean room and data layer, an owned or white-label DSP for offsite, and a licensed or open-source ad server underneath. Vendor frameworks put the full custom build at $10 billion-plus GMV (Osmos, 4 June 2026); the sequencing is in Retail media infrastructure: build vs buy.

    How this works on owned infrastructure

    AdSovereign provides an enterprise RTB stack for deployment inside a customer’s own infrastructure. Use the architecture to map the relevant components, the security controls to evaluate access and data boundaries, and the pilot to define a bounded evaluation. Compare the operating responsibilities and commercial terms against your own requirements. Infrastructure control does not establish demand access, legal permission or a measured performance improvement on its own.

    Sources

    1. Criteo, "Criteo and Google announce onsite retail media integration" (10 September 2025). https://www.criteo.com/news/press-releases/2025/09/criteo-and-google-announce-onsite-retail-media-integration/
    2. Criteo, "Criteo announces intention to redomicile to Luxembourg and list ordinary shares on Nasdaq" (31 October 2025). https://www.criteo.com/news/press-releases/2025/10/criteo-announces-intention-to-redomicile-to-luxembourg-and-list-ordinary-shares-on-nasdaq/
    3. Criteo, "Criteo and Zepto partner to drive the next wave of quick commerce in India" (21 August 2025). https://www.criteo.com/news/press-releases/2025/08/criteo-and-zepto-partner-to-drive-the-next-wave-of-quick-commerce-in-india/
    4. Criteo, "Criteo partners with Hyundai Department Store to strengthen retail media business" (8 April 2026). https://www.criteo.com/news/press-releases/2026/04/criteo-partners-with-hyundai-department-store-to-strengthen-retail-media-business/
    5. Criteo, "Criteo and DoorDash expand partnership to Canada" (16 April 2026). https://www.criteo.com/news/press-releases/2026/04/criteo-and-doordash-expand-partnership-to-canada-as-on-demand-delivery-of-grocery-and-retail-items-accelerates/
    6. Criteo, "Criteo partners with Lidl to expand onsite retail media" (19 May 2026). https://www.criteo.com/news/press-releases/2026/05/criteo-partners-with-lidl-to-expand-onsite-retail-media/
    7. Criteo, "Massmart accelerates retail media offering in South Africa with Criteo" (22 July 2026). https://www.criteo.com/news/press-releases/2026/07/massmart-accelerates-retail-media-offering-in-south-africa-with-criteo/
    8. Criteo, "Criteo and Loblaw Advance partner to expand advertiser access to premium retail media network" (5 August 2026). https://www.criteo.com/news/press-releases/2026/08/criteo-and-loblaw-advance-partner-to-expand-advertiser-access-to-premium-retail-media-network/
    9. Criteo, "Criteo reports second quarter 2026 results" (5 August 2026). https://criteo.investorroom.com/2026-08-05-CRITEO-REPORTS-SECOND-QUARTER-2026-RESULTS
    10. Criteo, press releases index (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.criteo.com/news/press-releases/
    11. Kevel, home page (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.kevel.com/
    12. Kevel, "About" (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.kevel.com/about
    13. Topsort, home page (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.topsort.com/
    14. Topsort, "About" (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.topsort.com/about
    15. Mirakl, "Mirakl Ads" (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.mirakl.com/products/mirakl-ads
    16. Mirakl, home page (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.mirakl.com/
    17. CitrusAd / Epsilon Retail Media, home page (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.citrusad.com/
    18. Epsilon, "Retail media network" (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.epsilon.com/us/products-and-services/retail-media-network
    19. Moloco, "Moloco Commerce Media" (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.moloco.com/products/moloco-commerce-media
    20. Moloco, "About" (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.moloco.com/about
    21. IAB Europe, "Moloco becomes first technology provider to achieve IAB Europe Retail Media Certification" (7 October 2026). https://iabeurope.eu/moloco-becomes-first-ad-tech-company-to-achieve-iab-europe-retail-media-certification-marking-major-expansion-of-the-program/
    22. Vantage, home page (accessed 17 October 2026; Triangle Retail Media release 19 March 2026). https://www.gotvantage.com/
    23. Koddi, home page and "About" (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.koddi.com/ and https://www.koddi.com/about
    24. IAB Europe, "IAB Europe In-Store and Travel Media Measurement open for public comment" (17 September 2026). https://iabeurope.eu/iab-europe-in-store-and-travel-media-measurement-open-for-public-comment/
    25. Zitcha, home page and "Contact" (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.zitcha.com/ and https://www.zitcha.com/contact
    26. Pentaleap, home page (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.pentaleap.com/
    27. Osmos, home page (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.osmos.ai/
    28. Osmos, "Build vs buy retail media ad tech stack: decision framework and vendor comparison (2026)" (4 June 2026, updated 23 September 2026). https://osmos.ai/blog/build-vs-buy-retail-media-ad-tech-stack-2026
    29. Instacart, press releases index, "Instacart and Gopuff announce new, first-of-its-kind partnership in the U.S." (22 September 2026). https://company.instacart.com/pressreleases
    30. Amazon Ads, "Amazon Retail Ad Service" (beta; accessed 17 October 2026). https://advertising.amazon.com/retail-ad-service
    31. Symbiosys, home page (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.symbiosys.ai/
    32. Rokt, home page (accessed 17 October 2026). https://www.rokt.com/
    33. Walmart, "Walmart completes acquisition of Vizio" (3 December 2024). https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2024/12/03/walmart-completes-acquisition-of-vizio
    34. Vibe.co, "Walmart completes acquisition of Vibe.co" (4 August 2026; announcement 23 June 2026). https://www.vibe.co/blog/whats-new/walmart-completes-acquisition-of-vibeco
    35. Tinuiti, "Retail media networks: the complete guide" (18 May 2026). https://tinuiti.com/blog/ecommerce/retail-media-networks/
    36. IAB, "Building a More Competitive Commerce Media Ecosystem" (14 April 2026). https://www.iab.com/guidelines/building-a-competitive-commerce-media-ecosystem/
    37. IAB/MRC, "Retail Media Measurement Guidelines" (January 2024). https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IAB_Retail_Media_Measurement_Guidelines_January2024.pdf

    Changelog

    • October 17, 2026: updated search phrasing, source-linked reference context, author and dates. Withheld numerical claims without inline sources.

    What to read next

    Continue with the retail media reference guide.