Retail media in the US is on track to surpass $70 billion by the end of 2024, and retailers are shifting their advertising sales strategy. Walmart, Albertsons, and Instacart are launching creative studios and branded content — moving away from traditional media buying focused on price and discounts, they're now offering brands tools to build awareness and drive audience engagement.
From price tags to series: how retail media is transforming creative
Blogger advertising and retail media have historically addressed different business goals. The former drove reach and brand awareness, the latter drove conversions through product displays and pricing. Now the largest US retailers are blurring that line.
In June, Albertsons launched Rico's Tacos with Procter & Gamble — a 22-episode series about a family running a taco stand in Southern California. Bounty, Vicks VapoRub, and Head & Shoulders were woven into the storyline based on purchase behavior data from the Latin American audience. The retailer is testing different episode lengths and driving viewers to the content through QR codes in stores.
Walmart Connect unveiled its first original show at the May Newfronts presentation — Backyard Escapes, a program about yard renovation featuring product integrations from the network's assortment. Production is handled by the in-house studio Lightbox Creative Solutions, which oversees strategy, creative direction, and campaign execution for brands.
Instacart launched the Instacart Ads Studio division to co-develop advertising materials with CPG producers. Amazon continues placing brands inside Prime Video content — Liquid I.V. appeared in Off Campus and The Summer I Turned Pretty, while Cetaphil and L'Oréal are integrated into other projects.
Why retailers need creative studios and influencer marketing
Retail media traditionally focused on the bottom of the funnel — show the product, the price, the buy button. Brian Monahan, VP of retail media at Albertsons Media Collective, explains the shift: this approach drives store visits but doesn't build the category, introduce the product to new audiences, or establish brand preference. That requires consistent communication and a portfolio of formats.
Blogger advertising and retail media historically competed for different budgets — the former for brand awareness, the latter for performance. Now retailers are competing for both.
The retail media market is growing faster than TV and programmatic advertising. Retailers want to capture budgets that brands have historically spent on TV spots and display campaigns. Creative formats and branded content are ways to differentiate among competitors and prove that retail media works not just for conversion but also at the top of the funnel.
The audience and speed challenge
The question isn't whether retailers can measure results — they're well-equipped thanks to purchase data. The question is whether their shows reach a large enough audience to justify brand spending.
Aaron Jones, director of digital at Liquid I.V., told Adweek that integration into Amazon series delivered significant consideration lift, but the primary goal was reaching fans of specific shows. Products could be purchased while watching, but purchase signals were further down the funnel. Liquid I.V. chose Amazon not because of customer data, but for the classic reason — the shows had the right audience.
Katie Comerford, president of commerce at Horizon Media, says clients view retailers' new formats with cautious interest. Retail channels are tightly tied to sales targets with clear forecasts and KPIs. Branded content requires extended production timelines, and any creative spending must demonstrate better results than standard retail formats. Comerford is more interested in using retail data to optimize placements in real-time — for example, showing different creative and products based on weather.
What this means for the Russian market
In Russia, retail media is developing along a similar trajectory: marketplaces are expanding advertising services, offering brands customer data and targeting tools. The experience of American retailers shows the next step will be creative formats and content that builds awareness, not just drives direct sales.
For brands currently splitting budgets between marketplace placements and influencer campaigns, it's important to create synergy between these channels. Retail data helps understand who buys the product and in what context, while influencer marketing brings that context to a broader audience. When planning media strategy, it makes sense to synchronize messaging: what the brand communicates through influencers and what it shows at the point of sale. This is exactly where the ETC team operates — at the intersection of these competencies — selecting influencers based on customer profiles, forecasting reach, and developing creative mechanics — helping brands maximize every channel and unify them into a single media plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is retail media and how does it work
Retail media comprises advertising formats on retailer platforms (marketplaces, network websites) where brands promote products using customer behavior data. Ads are shown to buyers at the moment they're ready to make a purchase, ensuring high conversion. Historically, the format focused on performance, but retailers are now developing creative tools for brand awareness building.
How is retail media different from blogger advertising
Retail media works at the point of purchase and targets conversion, while blogger advertising targets reach, engagement, and audience loyalty at early funnel stages. Retail media uses transaction data, influencer marketing leverages subscriber trust in an influencer's opinion. Now the lines are blurring: retailers launch branded content, and influencers integrate direct purchase links in social media.
What budget is needed for retail media in the US
Minimum budget depends on the platform and format: standard placements on Amazon or Walmart start from several thousand dollars per month. Branded content and custom creative projects require budgets from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to Emarketer's forecast, the aggregate US retail media market will reach $70 bln in 2024.
Key takeaways
- Retail media in the US will grow to $70 bln in 2024, with retailers moving beyond performance advertising and launching creative studios.
- Albertsons and P&G released a 22-episode Rico's Tacos series with three product integrations based on Latin American audience data.
- Walmart Connect unveiled Backyard Escapes, Instacart opened Instacart Ads Studio for co-producing creative with brands.
- Amazon places brands inside Prime Video content — Liquid I.V., Cetaphil, and L'Oréal are integrated into popular series.
- The main risk for retailers is insufficient audience for branded content and lengthy production cycles that may not justify costs compared to standard formats.
- For Russian brands, the US experience shows that retail media and influencer marketing should be synchronized in a unified media plan, using customer data for targeting across both channels.
Want to see where the market is heading before your competitors do? The ETC team builds a media strategy and media plan for your niche — with reach forecasts and KPIs fixed in the contract.
