Wakefern retail media network: how Wakefern Media Exchange sells ShopRite shoppers

Wakefern is a cooperative, so one network sells media in stores owned by many independent companies. Mars United counted 50 member companies running 362 supermarkets under six banners in April 2024 (Mars United, 4 April 2024). A brand signs with Wakefern once and reaches all of them. The flip side is coordination. Mars United, an agency, warned at launch that alignment between the media team, merchandising and other departments had not been "clearly laid out".

The network was built on coupons. Inmar began as a coupon clearinghouse and had run Wakefern's digital coupons and offsite media for years before the 2024 launch. Its Offer Media tool turns a digital coupon into an offsite campaign. It pulls the offer details and generates the creative automatically (Grocery Dive, 15 March 2024). For a brand already funding ShopRite promotions, media and offers can sit in the same plan and the same tool.

Wakefern has also changed vendors more than once. Its search and onsite display ran on CitrusAd until 28 February 2024, then moved to Inmar, for which Wakefern became the first retail media partner. In 2025 Wakefern added Birdzi's customer intelligence platform, and pilots combining Birdzi with Media Exchange planning tools "improved return on investment" (company-reported, Publicis Commerce, October 2025). The platforms comparison explains the trade-offs grocers face when they switch stacks.

Onsite. Inmar manages sponsored products in search, onsite display such as homepage tiles, and shoppable recipe pages. Mars United cautioned in 2024 that search and onsite media were new to Inmar, so early campaigns could take longer to launch.

Offsite. Offer Media runs offsite campaigns that promote digital coupons. Through Inmar's partnership with Aki Technologies, brands can also buy personalised "Moments" campaigns with several creative versions.

In-store. Wakefern says the network covers planning, activation and measurement for in-store marketing. It has not published a screen network or in-store formats.

The network draws on shopper behaviour across Wakefern's banners and on digital coupon activity that Inmar processes. Birdzi added shopper analytics, forecasting and planning in 2025. Wakefern has not published which signals define its audiences or whether brands can bring their own data into a clean room.

Wakefern describes automated reporting that measures campaigns against the advertiser's key performance indicators (Wakefern via The Shelby Report, 15 March 2024). Mars United advised brands to expect 60 to 90 days or more before initial benchmarks after the move to Inmar (Mars United, 4 April 2024). We found no accreditation or published attribution window. Retail media measurement standards explained covers what to request.

1. Choose managed or self-serve. Large suppliers usually plan with the Wakefern advertising team; smaller brands can launch in the Inmar self-service platform.
2. Start with search. Sponsored products put your items in front of shoppers who are already searching on banner sites.
3. Link media to offers. If you fund digital coupons, use Offer Media to promote them offsite.
4. Ask about in-store. Confirm what in-store marketing is available and in which banners.
5. Agree the measurement plan. Set KPIs, the attribution window and the benchmark period before launch.

It suits:

• brands with distribution in ShopRite and other Wakefern banners across the Northeast;
• promotion-led brands that already fund digital coupons;
• smaller brands that want self-serve access to a regional grocer.

It suits less:

• brands that need national reach from one network;
• advertisers that require accredited or independently audited metrics;
• buyers who need published in-store screen inventory.

• Any 2026 announcement about Wakefern Media Exchange.
• Current member, store and banner counts; the figures above date from April 2024.
• Specific data signals, clean room options and the attribution method.
• In-store screen inventory, revenue, rate card and minimum spend.

1. Wakefern Food Corp., announcement of Wakefern Media Exchange, as published by The Shelby Report, "Wakefern Food Corp. Introduces Retail Media Network" (15 March 2024). https://theshelbyreport.com/2024/03/15/wakefern-food-corp-introduces-retail-media-network/
2. Grocery Dive, "Wakefern launches retail media network with self-service capabilities" (15 March 2024). https://www.grocerydive.com/news/wakefern-launches-retail-media-network-self-service-Inmar-technology/710484/
3. Path to Purchase Institute, "Wakefern Launches Retailer Media Network" (20 March 2024). https://p2pi.com/wakefern-launches-retailer-media-network
4. Mars United Commerce, "Wakefern Launches New 'Media Exchange' Platform" (4 April 2024). https://www.marsunited.com/wakefern-launches-new-media-exchange-platform/
5. Publicis Commerce, "Retail Media Roundup, October 2025" (October 2025). https://go.publiciscommerce.com/hubfs/RetailMediaRoundup_October2025.pdf