In July, Marketing reported that retail media is set to grow as advertisers fight for the attention of cost-conscious shoppers.

A key factor in the shift to retail media is the need for accountability. With tighter budgets; brands and media agencies need results. The beauty of retail media is that results are usually very accessible through the EPOS sales data. Both abc media and Dunhumby have recently presented similar campaign results. abc report that against control stores, average sales uplifts for a retail media campaign are around 20%, with residual increases (in the following promotional period) of around 10%. It is also reported that multi-channel activity can double the response. With so many purchase decisions made when you have the basket and the money in your hand, it seems that increasing the number of touch points can have a dramatic effect.

Of course sales results are only one measure and there is a growing need for a better understanding of the emotional effect of retail media on consumers – brand awareness, familiarity and consideration. Stuart Tiedeman Managing Partner at abc believes that the level and quality of information will undoubtedly improve; ‘we are seeing a more professional, media-centric approach to retail media. This means better planning, better quality media, more relevant creativity and inevitably a thirst for more information. Tiedeman believes that agencies and retailers are responding, ‘we are seeing more and more requests for data and research and it’s clear that we have to respond. It’s refreshing to see both new and established research companies getting more involved with retail media, it can only add to the quality of the media and therefore the results’.

Rather like the web revolution, it seems that lessons have been learned and retail media is now growing up.