Sam’s Club, Gopuff bet on better measurement to win more ad dollars

As tariffs put pressure on retail media budgets, advertisers are, in turn, pressuring retail media networks (RMNs) for more sophisticated measurement tools that provide them with richer data across the entire funnel.

• 71% of brand and agency marketers worldwide say advanced analytics/attribution/measurement models are the area of greatest opportunity in 2025, according to October 2024 data from Digiday and NCSolutions.
• Marketers work with RMNs to achieve both upper- and lower-funnel goals—87% of brand and agency marketers worldwide say their primary retail media goal is brand awareness, while 75% say it’s increased product sales from the retailer, per the same data.

“Too often, measurement is treated as a post-campaign checkpoint rather than a foundational element of media strategy,” said Kevin Dunn, SVP of brands and agencies at LiveRamp. “This reactive approach can limit agility and reduce the effectiveness of decision-making.”

In response, networks like Sam’s Club and Gopuff are rolling out new measurement capabilities to meet these growing expectations.

Capturing the full funnel: As part of its new positioning as a “retail experience network,” Sam’s Club Member Access Platform (MAP) has introduced a suite of measurement capabilities designed to help advertisers achieve full funnel measurement.

• Brands can now measure brand lift—which combines metrics like brand preference, favorability, and purchase intent—and customer lifetime value, which can be used to refine media strategies based on buyer segments and behaviors.
• Sam’s Club MAP is offering AI-powered multi-touch attribution to give advertisers a better understanding of how each touchpoint contributes to conversion.
• AI and machine learning also enable advertisers to conduct propensity modeling with signal fidelity, predicting which members are likely to engage with a campaign based on past purchases, product preferences, demographics, and shopping behavior.

Sam’s Club points to its Scan & Go Display Ads as a testing ground for these capabilities, reporting that the format has driven an average sales lift of 15.5%, with 71% of members the campaign reached being incremental.

• These ads delivered a 10-times higher clickthrough rate (CTR) than standard display placements, underscoring their effectiveness.

Inching toward incrementality: Gopuff teamed up with retail media tech provider Koddi on a new tool to measure incrementality.

• The methodology uses randomized test and control groups that reflect key customer segments (e.g., loyalty members, high-frequency users) and considers ad exposure, customer engagement, and purchases.
• Tracked metrics include incremental conversions, incremental revenue, and incremental ROAS.
• In a pilot program, the tool enabled advertisers to achieve a 40% lift in incremental purchases per user.
• There are plans to expand access to the tool through a self-service model over time.

According to Koddi, the new tool exceeds the Retail Media Measurement Guidelines the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Media Rating Council (MRC) established last year—a win for those that champion measurement standardization.

“Consistent frameworks are essential to achieving scale and effectiveness across platforms,” said Dunn. “Organizations like the IAB have already laid important groundwork in this area, offering guidance that brands can build on. Those who embrace and advance these standards are well positioned to drive greater efficiency, transparency, and long-term growth.”

The bottom line: These developments reflect a larger trend—RMNs are moving beyond basic reporting to offer more meaningful, outcome-based insights.

• For marketers, that means asking tougher questions of their media partners—about lift, long-term value, and how ads contribute across the path to purchase.
• As measurement becomes more central to retail media strategy, platforms that can provide transparent, actionable data will be better positioned to capture advertiser spend.

“A rising tide lifts all boats—and the expansion of measurement capabilities within retail media networks is a promising sign of progress for the entire industry,” said Dunn. “Today’s brands are hungry for data that goes beyond surface-level metrics, helping them uncover actionable insights and determine whether their campaigns are truly driving incremental impact.”

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