Walmart acquires Vibe.co to expand self-serve CTV retail media
Walmart agreed to acquire self-serve CTV platform Vibe.co for approximately $1.4 billion to integrate its long-tail advertising engine into Walmart Connect.
Retail Media News
Retail-media advertising technology and programmatic (on-site and off-site), in-store and omni-store digital media (screens, audio, smart-cart), shoppable video and CTV, measurement, data and identity, creator and influencer commerce, and AI and agentic marketing automation.
Google launches Universal Cart for AI-powered checkout
Google is rolling out a Universal Cart in its AI Mode and Gemini app that connects products across retailers and supports checkout via Google Pay or retailer handoff.
AI recommendations outperform search, driving retail media infrastructure investment
McKinsey reports AI-generated product recommendations convert 4.4 times higher than traditional search, while Mirakl finds 42% of customers abandon purchases due to insufficient product information.
AI platforms projected to drive 1.5% of US retail ecommerce in 2026
EMARKETER projects that AI platforms will account for 1.5% of US retail ecommerce sales in 2026, representing approximately $20.57 billion in revenue.
Condé Nast Launches AI-Powered Creator Marketplace VETTE in 2026
Condé Nast is launching VETTE, an AI-powered marketplace where creators build digital storefronts under a revenue-share model with AI merchandising tools and retail-media revenue streams, in early 2026.
Jivox launches AI platform for agentic commerce media ads
Jivox has released an AI product that creates and launches commerce-media campaigns in approximately five minutes and integrates with agentic shopping agents like Perplexity's 'Buy with Pro'.
GenAI becomes default for automated programmatic bidding in 2026
EMARKETER reports that 2026 marks a shift to GenAI-driven automated bidding as the default in programmatic advertising, with targeting moving from static to real-time and creative becoming continuously auto-generated.
Walmart Connect tests ads inside agentic shopping agents
Walmart Connect has begun testing advertising formats within its Sparky shopping agent and is rolling out a beta version of the Marty advertising assistant for Sponsored Search campaigns.
Retailers integrate creator commerce into retail media ecosystems
Major retailers are using influencer-driven experiences and TikTok Shop livestreams as primary channels for new retail media activations and seasonal events.
Feedvisor launches Agentis to optimize Amazon seller profit
Feedvisor has introduced Agentis, an agentic commerce platform for Amazon sellers that coordinates advertising, pricing, inventory, and competitive intelligence to optimize for profit rather than just return on ad spend.
Walmart ties creator bonuses to sales thresholds and marketplace commissions
Walmart has integrated its Creator Program into its core sales infrastructure by introducing a tiered bonus structure that pays creators for hitting sales thresholds and expanding commissions to include third-party marketplace sellers.
Amazon launches agentic AI tool for retail media campaign creation
Amazon has introduced a beta version of an agentic AI creative partner designed to assist advertisers with audience research and the generation of final creative assets.
Upfluence launches agentic platform to automate creator marketing workflows
Upfluence has introduced an MCP-enabled agentic platform that autonomously manages creator discovery, outreach, negotiation, and payments, reducing campaign setup time from six weeks to five minutes.
Agentic AI becomes default logic layer for programmatic ad planning
Industry analysts predict that 2026 will mark the shift of agentic AI from concept to early deployment in programmatic, with buyer and publisher agents emerging through open standards like AdCP and UCP.
Retail media measurement matures with first-party data integration
Closed-loop retail media measurement is maturing on first-party data and clean rooms, with platforms enabling brands to join first-party data with exposure and conversion data at an aggregate level.
LTK launches flat-fee creator campaign tool for brands
LTK is rolling out Quick Collabs, a flat-fee, one-click creator-campaign feature to all brands and U.S. creators on its Brand Platform.
Newton Research launches agentic AI analytics within Snowflake Cortex
Newton Research has introduced agentic AI analytics agents inside Snowflake Cortex AI, allowing brands and agencies to run media mix modeling and campaign reporting without transferring data.
Google launches Universal Commerce Protocol for agentic checkout
Google introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard co-developed with major retailers to power new checkout features in AI Mode and the Gemini app.
Agentic media buying cuts intermediary fees by over 80% in live test
A live deployment of agentic media buying on PubMatic's Activate Platform reduced intermediary fees by over 80% and lowered CPMs, according to Digiday.
Grocers expand in-store digital screens to capture retail media spend
In-store retail media is projected to reach $1.06 billion by 2028, with 97% of retailers planning to invest in the channel to compete with online platforms.
Databricks targets agentic advertising with unified data layer
Databricks is positioning its platform as the intelligence layer for agentic advertising, integrating with Magnite, Epsilon, Acxiom, Amperity, and CTV platforms to power campaign, audience, creative, and attribution agents.
Mastercard launches commerce media platform using transaction data
Mastercard introduced Mastercard Commerce Media in October 2025, a platform that utilizes over 160 billion transaction data points to offer advertisers card-linking attribution and reported return on ad spend of up to 22x.
IAB Tech Lab releases agentic roadmap for programmatic trading
The IAB Tech Lab has released an Agentic Roadmap that extends OpenRTB with new protocols for agent-to-agent trading, coinciding with the debut of a new industry event called Programmatic AI in Las Vegas in May 2026.
The Trade Desk launches first AI agents for automated media buying
The Trade Desk has introduced its first AI agents, with Stagwell as the initial client, to facilitate automated media buying within the programmatic industry.
Amazon Ads launches agentic AI tools for planning and creative
Amazon Ads introduced agentic AI tools at unBoxed 2025 that automate campaign planning, enable natural-language data queries, and generate display and video creative.
Strategics drive 71% of 2025 ad-tech M&A activity
Strategic buyers accounted for 71% of scaled ad-tech deals in 2025, including acquisitions by T-Mobile, The Trade Desk, and Publicis.
ShopMy raises $70M to expand creator commerce infrastructure
ShopMy secured $70 million in funding at a $1.5 billion valuation to support its affiliate infrastructure connecting over 185,000 creators.
Retail media overtakes linear and connected TV in global ad spend
Retail media reached $196.7 billion in global ad spend in 2026, surpassing the combined total of linear and connected television.
Retail media ad spend projected to reach $178 billion by 2028
GroupM forecasts that global retail media advertising expenditure will grow from $136 billion in 2024 to approximately $178 billion within four years, driven by the decline of third-party cookies and increased advertiser adoption of multiple networks.
PubMatic launches agentic operating system for programmatic ad campaigns
PubMatic introduced AgenticOS on January 5, 2026, an agent-to-agent platform that uses AI to plan and optimize programmatic campaigns in real time.
Retail media shifts from ROAS to holistic marketing objectives
Retail media industry predictions indicate a strategic pivot from return on ad spend to frameworks measuring incremental growth, lifetime value, and brand equity.
Creator services dominate retail media M&A activity
A report tracking $2.77B in influencer marketing transactions from January 2025 to June 2026 found that services and representation businesses accounted for 73.8% of acquisition volume.
Looma raises $13M to expand in-store retail media network
Looma secured a $10M Series B and $3M credit facility to scale its in-store screen network across 1,100 retail locations, reaching 27 million shoppers monthly.
Amazon dominance drives demand for unified retail media management tools
Amazon controls approximately 77% of US retail media spend, while fragmentation across multiple networks creates a need for unified measurement and management layers.
US retail media ad spending projected to reach $69.3B in 2026
US retail media advertising spending is projected to reach approximately $69.3 billion in 2026, reflecting sustained double-digit year-over-year growth.
US Retail Media Spend Hits $69.33B in 2026
US retail media ad spend is forecast to reach $69.33B in 2026, with Amazon Ads and Walmart Connect accounting for $9.42B of the total increase from 2025.
Google Unifies First-Party Data Uploads Across Ads and Analytics
Google launched its Data Manager API in October 2025, providing a unified interface for uploading first-party data across Google Ads, Analytics, and DV360.
Retailers rebuild tech stacks to unify retail media channels
Retail media networks are entering a re-platforming phase as advertisers increasingly treat the channel as significant, prompting retailers to unify on-site, off-site, and in-store technology.
In-store retail media ad spend forecast to grow 33.1% in 2026
US in-store retail media advertising is projected to increase by 33.1% in 2026, despite currently accounting for less than 1% of total US retail media spend.
ShopMy raises $70M at $1.5B valuation for curated commerce
ShopMy, a shopper-marketing infrastructure company, secured a $70 million investment at a $1.5 billion valuation, reporting over $1 billion in annual sales and 200% year-over-year revenue growth.
US retail media spend projected to hit $128B by 2026
Analysts project US retail media spending will reach $128 billion in 2026, with the top three networks controlling approximately 74% of the market. Amazon Ads is estimated to account for $88.6 billion of that total.
Topsort launches self-service in-store digital ad auction
Topsort introduced a self-service format in May 2026 that integrates in-store digital screens into the same auction-based infrastructure as on-site retail media.
In-store retail media shifts to AI-optimized dynamic displays
In-store retail media is evolving into AI-optimized displays that process real-time store signals like foot traffic and basket composition to serve dynamic, personalized ads on smart shelves.
AI-driven smart shelves automate in-store advertising content
Retailers are deploying AI-powered smart shelves and digital signage that adjust advertising content based on real-time inventory, time of day, and shopper demographics.