Albertsons moves toward retail media measurement standardization with API, TransUnion partnership

An increasingly fragmented retail media ecosystem has made it difficult for advertisers to track campaign performance across multiple retail media networks (RMNs), said Liz Roche, vice president of measurement and media at Albertsons Media Collective.

While some RMNs offer their own measurement tools for advertisers, they lack scalability and standardization.

“One-off RMN solutions make it hard for clients to scale strategy and determine the efficacy of their media,” said Roche. “Standardization will allow retail media networks to maintain and capture the current sizable growth trajectory of retail media ad spend. Essentially, all boats will rise with the tide.”

That’s why Albertsons Media Collective launched an API for advertisers to integrate retail media campaign data into their own measurement models.

• “By providing a transparent way to understand and measure performance in one place, our measurement API removes friction from cross-channel media measurement, helping advertisers determine the value of each channel and adjust their strategies accordingly,” said Roche.
• The retail media network has also teamed up with TransUnion to offer advertisers access to marketing mix modeling (MMM) measurement.
• “Marketers are investing in MMM because it provides a more accurate and comprehensive view of campaign performance across all channels and partners,” said Roche. “With the growing complexity of the consumer journey, it’s crucial to understand how different touchpoints interact and drive outcomes.”

Over half (53.5%) of US marketers use MMM, according to a July 2024 survey from EMARKETER and Snap Inc.

• 30.1% of US marketers believe MMM is best at identifying drivers of business value or outcomes, more than web analytics (20.2%), incrementality lift testing (19.9%), and third-party multitouch attribution (11.7%).
• 56% of advertisers plan to focus at least somewhat more on MMM in 2025, according to recent data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

Advertisers’ desire for standardized, holistic measurement solutions will shape retail media going forward, according to Roche.

“Retail media is moving toward enabling brands and advertisers to obtain media performance data how they want it, when they want it, and with more insights,” she said.

This was originally featured in the Retail Media Weekly newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.