Retail media: A key asset for your e-commerce strategy

By 2028, the global Retail Media market is expected to reach more than $175 billion¹. This unavoidable trend is transforming the world of digital advertising. Visibility gains and sales boosts are in store for e-retailers. With accurate data and targeted distribution, retail media are guaranteed to reach the right customers at the right time. Rakuten, a pioneer in e-commerce and a committed player in retail media, already supports thousands of brands and sellers in this approach, thanks in particular to its innovative, incentive-based loyalty program. Want to find out more about this sales tool? Follow the guide

What is Retail Media?

Retail media refers to all the advertising space offered by retailers, whether online or in-store, to brands wishing to promote their products.

There are two main forms of retail media:

• Physical retail media, via point-of-sale (POS) advertising such as shelf displays, interactive screens or displays.
• Digital retail media, or e-retail media, which uses e-commerce sites, marketplaces and other digital channels to deliver targeted advertising.

Let’s take an example: you sell natural cosmetics on a marketplace. Thanks to retail media, you can place sponsored ads directly on beauty search pages. You can also advertise to buyers who have recently viewed similar products. The result: your products are more visible where your customers make their decisions.

It’s an effective method that has a direct impact on engagement and customer satisfaction, by offering content that’s better adapted to their expectations.

What are the 5 benefits of a retail media strategy for your online store?

As an e-commerce professional, you can’t help but notice the intense competitive pressure in the sector, which constantly forces you to stand out from the crowd. Retail media is a strategic lever for achieving this, thanks in particular to these 5 advantages.

Enhanced user experience (UX) and customer loyalty

A good retail media strategy enhances the shopping experience and promotes customer loyalty. To achieve this, it leverages :

• Non-intrusive advertising, seamlessly integrated into the shopping journey, without disruption or annoyance.
• Contextual relevance, with ads that are displayed according to the searches or pages consulted by the user.
• Natural integration of products that appear in native locations, as a logical and useful recommendation.

Precise targeting of an ideal audience

Retail media makes it possible to go beyond simple advertising to reach the right customers, at the right time, with the right message, thanks to :

• Transactional data, using purchase histories to send the right messages to the right profiles.
• Behavioral targeting with campaign personalization based on online behavior.
• Ad personalization, with more engaging and effective tailored messages.
• Maximized relevance as products are shown to users most likely to be interested.

Good to know:Rakuten’s Retail Media offer is based on a unique technology that combines onsite (on the marketplace) and offsite (elsewhere on the web) delivery. As a result, your ads follow potential buyers wherever they go

Maximizing your return on investment

In addition, retail media is a cost-effective solution because it offers you :

• Precise, real-time measurement of results (impressions, clicks, conversions).
• Continuous performance-based optimization to maximize effectiveness.
• CPA control to keep your budget under control.
• Increased sales thanks to greater visibility with a targeted audience.

Protect your brand image and build trust

Controlling where and how your products are promoted is essential to preserving your image. Retail media offers you a coherent, reassuring advertising framework in line with your values. It ensures :

• Choice of locations in environments consistent with your brand universe.
• Control over content, with visuals and advertising messages validated by you.
• A controlled environment to avoid juxtaposition with competing or irrelevant advertising.

Prepare your marketing strategy for a world without cookies

Third-party cookies are files that track Internet users on different sites to offer them targeted advertising. They are currently in their last years. Browsers are gradually phasing them out to better protect users’ privacy. As a professional, this means you’ll have to rethink your strategy. Retail media, the solution of the future, is already adapting to this new framework, notably with :

• First-party data collected and used directly from your customers.
• Regulatory compliance, so you can comply with data protection laws.
• A real competitive edge, so you can maintain high-performance, respectful targeting.

How to set up a successful retail media strategy: key steps

There’s no doubt that a successful retail media strategy depends on careful planning and the right choices for your business. Here are a few tips on how to implement them.

Define SMART objectives

The first step is to formulate clear objectives using the SMART method (Specific – Measurable – Achievable – Realistic – Time-bound). A SMART objective helps you stay on track and measure the impact of your advertising actions in concrete terms. For example: “Increase sales of a product range by 20% within 3 months thanks to a retail media campaign.”

Know your target audience inside out

You need to identify the profiles of your most loyal or high-potential customers, their buying habits and their expectations, in order to create messages that are adapted, punchy and therefore more effective. Tools like Google Analytics or Rakuten dashboards, for example, enable you to visualize transactional and behavioral data to better segment your audience.

Choosing the right advertising formats

Native banners, sponsored products at the top of the list, recommended inserts… It’s essential to adapt the format to your objectives and the distribution channel. Each format has its own advantages, so it’s up to you to choose according to your priorities. For example, a mobile banner can be effective in generating quick clicks. On the other hand, a sponsored product on a results page is better suited to direct conversion.

Optimize your product sheets

Clear, well-illustrated and well-referenced product sheets are the key to boosting campaign performance. The ad attracts, but it’s the product sheet that converts! A well-written product sheet includes attractive visuals, as well as customer reviews to reassure visitors

Tracking and analyzing campaign results

Thanks to integrated reporting tools, such as the Rakuten Ads dashboard, you can track your KPIs in real time: click-through rate, conversion rate, return on advertising spend… to fine-tune your actions. Precise management is the key to continuous performance improvement.

Test and refine your retail media strategy

Don’t hesitate to test different messages, formats, segments… to analyze what works best and adjust your campaigns for maximum effectiveness. For example, you could test a retail media campaign with a classic headline, then a version that plays more on emotions, and finally compare the results to find out which has the greatest impact.

Rakuten, an ally in your retail media strategy

Rakuten’s retail media offer is based on a powerful, intuitive platform designed to maximize your impact. With it, you benefit from exceptional visibility for :

• Reach 1/3 of French e-buyers every month.
• Access an audience of 15 million unique visitors.
• Engage a loyal community of 13 million Club R members.

But also state-of-the-art technology with :

• A solution powered by Mirakl Ads, the market leader in retail media.
• Targeting strengthened by an AI-based semantic approach, for even more precise, high-performance ads.

Last but not least, you also benefit from remarkable ease of activation, including:

• An easy-to-use, self-service platform.
• 5 simple steps to launch your first campaign.
• Clear, real-time reporting, with exportable data to measure every euro invested.

Today, retail media is much more than just an advertising lever: it’s a growth gas pedal! By choosing Rakuten as your partner, you’ll benefit from a powerful ecosystem that will ensure your brand’s lasting place in the daily lives of connected shoppers. Take advantage!

Sources :

¹Minted, Why the partnership between Mirakl Ads and Rakuten reflects the rise of retail media