Commerce media is no longer confined to a retailer’s website or app. During ADWEEK House Advertising HQ, three commerce connection sessions co-hosted with SMG laid out where the discipline is heading next: the mall walkway, the grocery aisle and the travel journey.
In-store commerce media needs environment-specific proof
The opening panel brought together commerce leaders from IAB, Simon Property Group, DG Media Network and Hy-Vee’s RedMedia. Their focus was on growing in-store media, and the central question was how to prove it works.
The metrics that matter differ by setting. Malls lean on foot traffic and sales as useful signals. Grocery stores watch immediate shopper behavior—whether someone actually picks up a product. Across both environments, advertisers are looking for evidence of incremental sales before they scale investment.
Measurement is only one part of the brief. The panelists also emphasized the other half of the job: making the store experience pleasant, drawing in the right shoppers, shaping which brands appear, and prompting product discovery and trial.
Grocery campaigns must travel with the shopper
In a fireside chat, Liz Roche, VP of media and measurement at Albertsons Media Collective, told ADWEEK’s Zoë Ruderman that grocery shopping is a constant in people’s lives. That means campaigns need to meet consumers at each point of the journey, not only at the shelf.
Connected TV campaigns and promotions can reach shoppers before they arrive at the store, creating a bridge from the living room to the aisle. Roche also warned against leaning too heavily on ROAS and iROAS in media networks, because those figures shift depending on methodology. Instead, she argued for a broader performance view that includes category and brand movements inside the store.
Travel media networks are becoming a serious audience play
The final panel, featuring WHSmith North America, Lyft Ads, Marriott Media and Tripadvisor, made the case for travel audiences. Travelers bring purchasing power, educational attainment and above-average interest in categories such as retail, alcoholic beverages and home improvement.
Travel also puts many people in a more positive frame of mind, which can make them more receptive to brand messages. But reaching these audiences requires a measurement approach built for the travel experience. Conversion and brand lift still matter, but panelists said brands should study the broader journey—including its highs and lows and the products and services consumers need at each stage.
What marketers can act on
- Match in-store measurement to the setting: foot traffic and sales in malls; product pickup and immediate response in grocery.
- Use CTV and promotions to reach grocery shoppers before the store trip.
- Do not let ROAS or iROAS be the only performance lens; add category and in-store data.
- Treat travel media as a journey with emotional and practical touchpoints, not a single conversion moment.
The shift is clear: commerce media is becoming more physical, more contextual and more journey-based. Brands that build measurement plans around those differences will be able to defend budgets and scale what works.
Source: Adweek
