Last week, I got a first look at groundbreaking new research from EMARKETER and Bain that flips the retail media conversation on its head. Instead of surveying brands and media buyers, this study goes straight to the source, the leaders of Retail Media Networks (RMNs), to uncover their honest perspectives on what’s working, what’s not, and where the industry is headed next.

In this episode, I unpack some of my personal highlights from the preview webinar. From the surprising honesty RMN leaders are showing about their measurement challenges, to their quiet anxiety about the impact of agentic AI on the retail media landscape. Simply put; we’re entering what I like to call the “awkward teenage years” of retail media. Plus, I draw a parallel between retail media’s growing pains and the iconic babyccino!

This episode is sponsored by Connected Commerce at Acosta Group

Timeline

[00:00 ] – A first look at new Bain & EMARKETER research that shifts the lens to RMN leaders.
[01:00 ] – What the humble babyccino can teach us about growing up (and retail media’s maturing phase).
[02:30 ] – Public confidence vs. private reality: the top challenges RMN leaders admit to behind the scenes.
[03:00 ] – Measurement and attribution: why nearly half of RMNs say it’s their biggest hurdle.
[03:30 ] – The “Retail Media Doom Loop” and how tech and talent gaps are keeping networks stuck.
[05:00 ] – Agentic AI and GenAI search: the top disruptive forces worrying retail leaders.
[06:00 ] – Bain’s Stephen Mewborn hints at new partnership models.
[06:30 ] – Retail media growing up, facing scrutiny, and learning to move beyond trade dollars.

Links & Resources

• Watch the EMARKETER & Bain webinar on demand, Retail Media, Unfiltered: What RMNs Told Us About Scaling, Struggling, and Succeeding
• Read my article The Retail Media Doom Loop
• Read my article The 3 Ways Agentic Commerce Could Destroy Retail Media
• Read my article Why Agentic Shopping Poses an Existential Threat to Retail Media (Part 1)
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn