How Sam’s Club, Kroger, Albertsons, and Instacart are evolving

Plus: 3 retail media networks worth watching that aren’t Amazon or Walmart JULY 24, 2023 | By Sara Lebow, Arielle Feger, and Becky Schilling [How Sam’s Club, Kroger, Albertsons, and Instacart are evolving their retail media networks]( Amazon is the biggest retail media network in the US, accounting for three-quarters of retail media revenue share, per our forecast. But its limited grocery footprint leaves an opportunity for competition. Here are recent updates in grocery retail media, and a prediction on the future of in-store retail media. Sam’s Club The Walmart Inc.-owned company will earn $5.80 billion in US grocery ecommerce sales this year, according to our forecast. Sam’s Club just updated its Member Access Program (MAP) retail media network. - Advertisers can view what revenues are generated by which ads. - Sam’s Club members can add items to their carts directly from retail media ads. - Advertisers can target “browse pages,” rather than just search pages. - MAP advertisers can attribute in-store purchases to search ads. The Kroger Co. Kroger will see $15.85 billion in US grocery ecommerce sales this year, according to our forecast. - Kroger announced it would bring its [Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM) retail media network]( in-house in June, part of a growing trend of retailers maturing past partnership-based retail media networks. - The self-service platform enhances ad automation and curation for advertisers. - KPM boasted the [same sales impact across 51% fewer impressions]( than third-party ad buys, according to senior vice president Cara Pratt. Story continues below. Albertsons Companies Albertsons’ US grocery ecommerce sales will total $5.47 billion this year, according to our forecast. - The Albertsons-Kroger merger is still up in the air, but if the merger does go through, Albertsons and Kroger [could combine retail media capabilities]( over their 5,000-store footprint. - In the meantime, [Albertsons is beefing up]( its measurement capabilities with an aim toward standardization. - Albertsons is also focusing on connected TV (CTV) via a partnership with Omnicom Media Group. Instacart Instacart will account for $35.19 billion in US grocery sales this year, according to our forecast. - Instacart’s [retail media business]( grew 30% last year to $740 million, per The Information. - We project Instacart’s ad revenues will grow another 43.8% this year to $1.14 billion. - [Instacart partnered with Roku]( to deliver CTV ads earlier this year. Stores are the next frontier Insider insight: [In-store retail media]( ad spend will account for just 0.5% of US omnichannel retail media ad spending, according to our forecast. - But come 2027, one-fifth of all US digital out-of-home ad spend will come from retail media. - Brand displays on shelves, video ads on TV screens, digital screens at checkout, in-store audio, and displays in parking lots are all budding ad channels for grocery ad buyers. - It’s still difficult to attribute in-store purchases to in-store ads. This ad channel won’t explode until retailers can access closed-loop data on who is seeing what ad and how that informs purchases. [Read online]( TRENDS [3 retail media networks worth watching that aren’t Amazon or Walmart] Amazon and Walmart will rake in over 82% of US retail media ad spend this year. But marketers looking to diversify may want to consider other retail media networks. Here are three. 1. Walgreens Advertising Group Walgreens Advertising Group gives advertisers access to over 97 million loyalty members both online and at Walgreens’ over 9,000 stores. The retail media network launched [self-serve programmatic and clean room solutions]( in 2022 and recently partnered with Meta on its new ad offering, powered by the platform’s massive collection of first-party data. Why we care: The intersection of [healthcare and retail]( is a lucrative space for brands. Walgreens can leverage its health and wellness options to get consumers in-store (or online), where brands can then target them with more personalized deals and products. 2. Macy’s Media Network Macy’s Media Network (MMN) offers more than 60 ad placements across Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s channels. In May, [MMN partnered with The Trade Desk](, allowing advertisers to target programmatic ads across display, connected TV, and audio channels using the department store’s loyalty program data. Why we care: Though Macy’s is the US’s 15th most popular retail media network, only 8% of marketers currently use it, according to the Association of National Advertisers. As Macy’s grows its ad business (ad revenues increased 34% last year to reach $144 million), we bet more advertisers will jump on board. 3. The Save Mart Companies retail media network [The Save Mart Companies operate over 200 grocery stores]( in California and Nevada. Why we care: The [future of retail media is tied distinctly to grocery and grocery ecommerce](, according to our analyst Andrew Lipsman. While The Save Mart Companies can’t compete with the physical footprint of Walmart or ecommerce dominance of Amazon, it’s got a regional advantage that can put brands in front of consumers they may not otherwise be able to reach. Email sent to: {EMAIL} If you cannot view the HTML newsletter, [please read it in your browser here](. [Become a Premium Subscriber]( | [Advertise with us]( [Manage your email preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Privacy Policy]( ©2023 Insider Intelligence, 11 Times Square, New York, NY 10036 [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo](