Commerce Media: The Ultimate Guide

Kevel Team

Written by the people building the future of retail media

Table of Contents

• What Is Commerce Media
• Commerce Media Vs. Retail Media
• Why Advertisers Are Drawn To Commerce Media
• Benefits of Commerce Media
• Top Commerce Media Examples
• How To Get Started

What commerce media is and how to implement it.

In just five years, retail media exploded from a $1B market to a staggering $30B, according to eMarketer. Commerce media is a highly lucrative and untapped channel with tremendous potential, forecasted to drive over $280B for advertisers in higher ROAS by 2026. Marketers, publishers, and consumers all benefit from commerce media as it enables accountability, consumer privacy, first-party data, targeting insights, and more.

What Is Commerce Media

Criteo defines commerce media as, “advertising that connects shoppers with products and services throughout the buying journey across both physical and digital touchpoints, linking advertising investment directly to transactions.” Digiday has dubbed commerce media as retail media’s “bigger cousin” as it encompasses more verticals than just retailers.

Commerce media empowers non-retail and non-endemic advertisers to leverage commerce data to engage audiences.

Commerce data is a set of purchase and intent data that gives insight into consumer behaviors and journeys.

Commerce Media Vs. Retail Media

Comparing scope & reach

• Retail media: Focuses on advertising within a retailer’s platform, leveraging first-party data to target shoppers.
• Commerce media: Encompasses a broader range of e-commerce verticals, targeting consumers throughout their buying journey.
• Both: Include off-site advertising, but publishers play a fundamental role in commerce media.

Comparing types of advertisers

• Retail media: Attracts retailers and sophisticated advertisers.
• Commerce media: Includes non-retail advertisers from various industries, such as travel.
• Both: Attract retailers for advertising.

Comparing types of data

• Retail media: Uses first-party data for in-store personalization.
• Commerce media: Integrates large volumes of commerce data for comprehensive insights.
• Both: Leverage first-party data for personalized customer experiences.

Why Advertisers Are Drawn To Commerce Media

Commerce media’s appeal lies in its ability to expand traditional channels and its robust attribution capabilities. The draw can be categorized into four areas:

Attribution

Commerce media’s first-party commerce data allows for measuring campaigns based on real-time consumer actions, creating a feedback loop for continuous optimization.

Incrementality

Commerce media can lead to incremental growth; for example, paying to improve product visibility on platforms can result in increased sales.

Ad Formats

Dynamic and interactive ad formats engage shoppers during their buying journey, including:

• Video
• Connected TV (CTV)
• Display
• Contextual
• Sponsored products

Audiences

Commerce media allows for enhanced audience targeting, such as recommending products based on past purchase history.

Benefits of Commerce Media

Marketers

• Scalable addressability
• Boost engagement and conversions
• Extended reach

Publishers / Media Owners

• More ad revenue
• Personalized user experience
• Enhanced inventory addressability
• Marketer relationships

Consumers

• Relevant ads
• Better site experience
• Diverse content and choice

Top Commerce Media Examples

Example #1: Amazon Advertising

Example #2: eBay Ads

Example #3: Delivery Hero

How To Get Started

Traditional retail media networks

DIY

In-housing with Kevel

For more info on retail media, visit our quick guide here or download our eBook on Launching Your Own Retail Media Network.

Kevel Team

The Kevel Team is made up of retail media, ad tech, and commerce experts helping brands build world-class ad platforms.