How to Build and Scale a Successful Retail Media Network

Retail Media is no longer a niche topic – with ad spend growing at double-digit rates, Retail Media Networks (RMNs) are increasingly seen as the “third big wave” of digital advertising (after search and social media). However, despite market momentum, the reality is that most RMNs are still in the early stages of maturity, and not all are built alike.

A clear understanding of RMN archetypes is crucial to unlocking the right go-to-market (G2M) strategy, monetisation model, and organisational setup. Here, we set out the five dominant archetypes within RMNs, what defines them, and most importantly, what strategic implications executives can derive from them.

A Market Fragmented by Design

While the European Retail Media market is expected to triple in the 5-year-period from 2022/23 to 2028F, we expect over 80% of retailers are stuck in a very nascent stage of development, monetising endemic brands via few on-site formats only. Very few have evolved toward holistic, omnichannel media monetisation, or have managed to diversify beyond known (non-endemic) advertisers.

Leading RMNs such as Amazon, Walmart, Ulta and Uber Eats may all operate RMNs, but they do so under vastly different conditions – and all need bespoke models to optimise performance.

Five Retail Media Archetypes:

The archetype of an RMN is shaped by a combination of attributes:

• Channel footprint (omnichannel vs online pureplay)
• Category focus (generalist vs. vertical champion)
• Scale & reach (mass market vs. niche customer groups or hyper local)
• Depth of first-party data (sales data only vs. full-funnel incl. loyalty)
• Share of endemic vs non-endemic brands (private label vs. 3rd party brands)
• Ad-tech maturity (self-serve vs. managed, closed loop attribution)

These define not only the monetisation potential, but also the strategic levers each RMN can and should pull.

Overview: Archetypes & Their Strategic Implications

Strategic Implications by Archetype

Each archetype brings its own strengths and constraints. Three areas are especially archetype-dependent:

1. Channel & Format Mix

• Marketplace giants can focus on onsite SPA, display, and DSP extensions.
• Omnichannel grocers should emphasize in-store media and link it to digital campaigns and loyalty.
• Quick-commerce players should prioritise mobile, in-app, and off-site activations.

2. Advertiser Base & Monetisation Logic

• Vertically integrated retailers must look beyond endemics, e.g. focusing on FinTech, telcos, and alike that have willingness to pay for reaching a very specific target group.
• Category specialists can justify premium pricing through contextual targeting and curated audiences.

3. Sales & Tech Setup

• Self-serve works best in high-volume / low ticket search contexts (marketplaces).
• Managed service is critical where media education is low or where in-store formats dominate.
• Clean-room or loyalty integrations become must-haves in more mature models.
• Go-to-market must match go-to-market-fit. Tech stack and sales force should be shaped by the archetype (and the willingness / ability to invest and build own capabilities), not the other way around.

Key Takeaways for Strategy Formalisation

• Start with your archetype. It determines your commercial ceiling and the strategic path to scale.
• Don’t benchmark blindly. RMNs differ in revenue mix, margin potential, and sales effort. Growth levers are context specific.
• Build a modular roadmap. Start with low-complexity MVPs (e.g. in-store screens, sponsored product ads) and expand into off-site, self-serve, or data collaborations over time.Define the role of enablement partners. Tech platforms and agencies can accelerate execution but need strategic clarity.
• Invest in measurement early. No matter the archetype, closed-loop ROI attribution is the cornerstone of credibility.
• Retail Media is not a single market, but a portfolio of monetisation models. The most successful networks are not the ones who try to be Amazon, but the ones who understand and scale their own edge.

If you are looking to formalize or rethink your RMN strategy, the first question isn’t “what formats should we offer?” — it’s “what kind of RMN are we?”

For more of our thinking on RMNs, contact our experts today.