Retail media is establishing itself as an essential lever for brands wishing to capture consumers' attention directly on retailers' sites and marketplaces. This advertising channel, which is booming in Canada, is redefining the way brands interact with their audiences, optimize their campaigns and measure their return on investment. 

This approach differs from traditional advertising by enabling brands to reach customers directly where they make their purchasing decisions. At Les Pitchous, we help brands in all sectors capitalize on retail media, particularly on platforms like Amazon, but also on other key players in Canada. Our aim? Generate growth, strengthen their digital presence, and maximize return on advertising investment.

In this article, we'll take a look at what retail media is, why it's a major issue in 2025, and how companies can build a winning strategy by leveraging platforms like Amazon, but also many other players.

What is retail media and why is it so important?

Retail media refers to all advertising formats distributed on retailers' websites and applications. Unlike campaigns on search engines or social networks, retail media reaches consumers directly at the moment they are shopping or looking for products. In other words, it offers a hyper-contextual, intent-to-buy advertising environment, making it particularly effective in generating sales.

In Canada, this market is booming. According to eMarketer, worldwide spending on retail media is expected to reach $143 billion by 2025, representing average annual growth of 25% (eMarketer, September 2024). In Canada, again according to eMarketer, retail media spending is expected to reach $3.8 billion by 2025. For brands, this means that not investing in retail media means leaving a considerable advantage to their competitors.

Why bet on retail media in 2025?

• A highly qualified audience: Consumers who visit sites like Amazon, Walmart.ca or even grocery stores like Loblaw, already have a clear purchase intention. This means your ads aren't just seen: they directly influence purchase decisions. By 2025, brands in Canada will find that well-targeted retail media campaigns generate higher conversion rates than the average traditional advertising channel.

• Valuable, actionable data: retail media platforms offer detailed information on shoppers' behavior: items viewed, purchase history, search terms used, and so on. Using this data, brands can fine-tune their campaigns and optimize their return on investment. For example, Amazon Advertising provides insights into the customer journey, enabling keywords, bids and budgets to be adapted in real time.

• Clear performance measurement: Unlike traditional media or even social advertising, where sales attribution can be blurred, retail media lets you precisely measure the return on your advertising spend. You can quickly see the impact of advertising on sales, helping you to allocate your resources more effectively.

• Essential leverage in a post-cookie environment: As the end of third-party cookies and growing privacy concerns redefine the digital landscape, retail media stands out for its first-party data model. By 2025, brands that invest in this channel will enjoy a strategic advantage by relying on valuable, directly actionable data.

Conclusion

In 2025, retail media represents much more than an opportunity. It's an essential lever for brands seeking sustainable growth in an ever-changing digital environment. By investing wisely in Amazon Ads and other platforms such as Walmart Connect or Loblaw Media, and relying on strategic partners such as Pitchous, Ecommerce Managers can turn their digital presence into a real profit driver.

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Les Pitchous is a company specialized in helping brands accelerate their growth on Amazon.

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