11 retail media networks pitch measurement and reach to advertisers in New York
Ascendant Network brought together 15 retail and commerce media advertising businesses in New York City last week, from The Home Depot and Albertsons to PayPal Ads and Chase Media Solutions, each presenting how it stands out to agencies and brand marketers chasing retail media budgets. The Home Depot's Arun Ramaswamy said proving incrementality has become the industry's central ask: "If you look at where the industry is going, incrementality is a key ask: prove that the investment truly works." Orange Apron Media's Kailey Emery cited a 30% lift in brand trust, a 70% increase in recall and a 40% boost in purchase intent for advertisers placed near Home Depot content, while Albertsons said ad slots next to its serialized Rico's Tacos videos beat benchmarks by 200% and a recent America 250 campaign drove a 24% increase in units sold. Chase Media Solutions' Lauren Griewski pointed to more than $1.9 trillion in debit and credit transaction data from 2025, and Dick's Sporting Goods cited a survey showing 63% of U.S. parents have children in youth sports, with 84% saying it shapes their purchase decisions.
Media planners now weigh a widening set of retail media networks, each offering a different first-party signal: Home Depot's renovation and home-project intent, Chase's transaction-level spending data, DoorDash's day-of-week ordering patterns, PayPal's cross-merchant purchase and payment history. Assessing each network means checking its measurement methodology, its incrementality proof points, and how its data connects to other channels in a campaign, including the CTV and streaming inventory that DoorDash, PayPal and other networks are adding alongside upper-funnel video formats. As these networks push further into video, planners need consistent ways to measure their contribution next to the television budgets already in place.