More than half of brands take advantage of non-endemic partnerships

Key stat: 53% of brands often leverage data and media opportunities with retailers that do not carry their products, according to August 2023 data by Merkle.

Beyond the chart:

• Retailers including Walmart, Home Depot, and Albertsons have recently opened up their retail media networks to non-endemic advertisers, recognizing the way it expands revenue opportunities.
• The growing importance of first-party data positions retailers well to capture shifting ad dollars amid the loss of legacy identifiers. Some 84% US marketers say they are more likely to invest in retail media because of third-party cookie deprecation, per an April 2024 report by LiveIntent.
• Retailers still have to approach non-endemic advertising strategically, employing best practices to ensure the ads complement—but not compete with—the brands they carry. Non-endemic ads should be curated, contextually relevant, and align with customers.

Use this chart:

• Advocate for a more diverse retail media mix.
• Assess and compare your non-endemic partnerships.

More like this:

• Non-Endemic Advertising Explainer 2024 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• Growth in retail media search ad spend will outpace its traditional counterpart
• The 7 biggest retail media moves from the first half of 2024
• 4 (more) retail media networks worth watching

Methodology: Data is from the October 2023 Merkle report titled "Retail Media Research Report." 100 US retailers and brands were surveyed during July-August 2023. Respondents worked at brands and retailers with over $50 million in annual revenue. All participating retailers have a shopper marketing or co-op marketing program, as well as a monetization program that's incremental to their shopper marketing. All participating brands categorize themselves as either consumer packaged goods (CPG) or consumer brands.