IAB Europe: share of media buyers using multiple retail media networks doubles

August 30, 2026 · sostav.ru

IAB Europe research cited in a 2026 indoor-advertising trend review from sostav.ru found that the share of media buyers running campaigns across multiple retail media networks at once has more than doubled, a sign that Europe's Retail Media market is maturing beyond retailer websites and apps. The review places shopping-mall screens inside that same ecosystem alongside digital storefronts, loyalty programs and in-store displays, treating a visitor's stay in a mall as a sequence of contact points across digital surfaces. Lab Adv centralizes that inventory into one network, letting a brand or agency calculate a unified media plan in three minutes, launch campaigns across several cities at once, coordinate approvals centrally and pull consolidated reporting. IAB also names artificial intelligence a top strategic priority for the media market in 2026, with buyers automating media planning and personalizing indoor messages by time of day, season and each mall's specific audience.

Operational load drops for teams that used to negotiate placements mall by mall: one contract and one dashboard replace dozens of vendor relationships, contracts and reporting formats for a single federal campaign. Media plans built around the customer's actual path to purchase treat attention time, audience match and contribution to the overall media mix as core planning inputs for indoor screens. Management companies gain a new revenue line by turning shopping centers into data-driven media venues, and agencies get inventory they can scale and test across markets without adding staff for each new city.