The New Definition of Retail Media: Omnichannel, Full-Funnel, Closed-Loop

How to keep up with the changes

As customer expectations evolve at record speed, retail media has emerged as the ad industry’s fastest-moving answer — redefining how brands connect, convert, and grow.

According to eMarketer, advertisers will spend $62 billion on retail media in 2025 and $100 billion by 2028. Several factors are driving this growth: the years-long discussion of Google deprecating third-party cookies, the explosive growth in retailers’ access to first-party shopper data, and the ongoing pressure on marketers to prove ROI. Nielsen predicts retail media will grow 20% in 2025 compared to a growth rate of 4.3% for the total advertising market.

Today’s retail media has expanded, grown, and become more focused all at once. To keep up with the changes (and keep from getting left behind), here’s a new definition of retail media, and how Sam’s Club MAP is leading the charge.

The full funnel

Retail media marketing was known as a bottom-of-funnel channel that reaches customers at the point-of-sale, primarily through in-store channels, when they’re ready to buy. While retail media’s lower funnel performance remains strong, especially when combined with closed-loop measurement, it has demonstrated its potential beyond closing sales. Today’s retail media marketing touches every stage of the shopper journey.

Thanks to social media, the consideration phase, or middle-of-funnel, has expanded. Consumers are exposed to brands much more frequently and are making purchase decisions constantly. This means you now have more opportunities to reach them, but it also means your traditional view of the funnel needs updating.

Today’s shoppers don’t move through a linear funnel. They’re often already in the consideration stage. That means brands must meet them where they are, with messages that integrate naturally into each channel.

Hence why retail media now plays across the entire funnel. From in-store demos and sampling to connected TV (CTV) ads through offsite partners, retail media networks (RMNs) help brands build awareness, spark discovery, and capture attention before consumers shift into the consideration mind set. 

More channels, more connections

Retail media marketing has the power to reach consumers wherever they are, whether they are actively shopping or not. 

Think of it this way:

• ​​​A brand advertisement on social media reaches consumers who are scrolling through their feeds. 
  

• CTV advertisements reach consumers who are marathoning their favorite shows.
  

• Website and in-app ads reach consumers as they browse or search for specific products. 
  

• Email follow-ups reach customers who may be actively considering buying or have abandoned their carts. 
  

• Ads on a retailer’s website or ecommerce app reinforce brand awareness. 
  

• In-store ads reach customers who are ready to purchase. 
  

• Experiences like product demos, sampling, and immersive brand zones, which are dedicated spaces inside and outside the club with interactive displays or pop-up events, give brands opportunities to surprise and engage members.
  

Pulled together through a retail media network, these channels combine into a powerful force, surrounding consumers with a single message: yours. More channels mean more opportunities to connect with consumers. 

Closed-loop measurement

With so many stops along the shopping journey, it can be difficult to understand which messages and tactics are delivering on your objectives. Fortunately, retailers’ access to first-party shopper data enables them to provide closed-loop measurement through their retail media network, linking each action a shopper takes to specific campaigns and channels. 

What sets closed-loop ecosystems apart is their ability to connect advertising exposure to outcomes that are harder to measure than simply counting impressions or clicks. Closed-loop reporting links advertising campaigns to results that reveal how your campaign is performing:

• Sales lift shows whether your campaign generated incremental revenue beyond what would have occurred otherwise.
  

• Repeat purchase rate reveals whether customers returned and bought again.
  

• Brand lift tracks how exposure translates into customer recognition and consideration with measurable purchase behavior.

Sam’s Club uses its membership model to power closed-loop measurement, giving you clear visibility into how your campaign is working with whom and where. It links every ad a member interacts with to the actions they ultimately take, creating a complete view of the journey from awareness to purchase.

For example, if a member sees your ad online but buys the product in-club, Sam’s Club can connect those moments. This closed-loop insight shows exactly how your campaign influences behavior across the entire funnel.

Advanced measurement methodologies, such as incremental return on ad spend (iROAS) and Sam’s Club MAP’s Omni-Impact^TM, show advertisers what’s really working, down to the exact tactics and messages, so they can plan smarter, target better and drive greater results;

• Omni-Impact unifies multi-touch attribution (MTA) and media mix modeling (MMM) to deliver a holistic measurement solution. It evaluates omni-channel effectiveness, reveals search incrementality, tracks 12-month performance trends, and offers audience-level insights to optimize advertising investment. With Omni-Impact, long-term data about member behavior informs each interaction, providing new insights into how your campaign impacts members.

• iROAS taps into the power of incrementality, so you can see how specific member actions impact specific parts of your campaign and drive results beyond what was achievable without your campaign. 

How MAP can help

Sam’s Club MAP leverages first-party data from our loyal members to deliver personalized, seamless experiences that connect brands with members across the entire shopping journey —whether browsing online, shopping in-club, or engaging across multiple channels. By combing precision targeting with robust omnichannel measurement, verified by a third-party, advertisers can achieve greater returns on their investments.

Contact us today to learn more.