What happens when retail, media, entertainment and commerce start becoming part of the same ecosystem?
In Episode 006 of Commerce Media Minute, Shaun Ayala looks at three stories that raise a bigger question about where commerce media may be heading.
Walmart’s advertising business keeps growing
Walmart reported continued momentum in its advertising business, including 43% growth for Walmart Connect in the U.S., excluding VIZIO.
With stores, ecommerce, marketplace, first-party data, Walmart+, VIZIO and now Vibe increasingly connected, the bigger question may be whether advertising is becoming more than a media business inside retail — and instead becoming part of the economics of retail itself.
Roku + Amazon explore the impact of CTV
New research from Roku and Amazon Ads examined more than 400 brands using Amazon DSP and explored how connected-TV advertising may influence performance beyond the CTV channel itself.
The findings send Shaun back down the measurement rabbit hole: if someone sees an ad on television, searches for the brand later and eventually makes a purchase, how should marketers think about which channel deserves credit?
As commerce media becomes more connected, measuring channels independently may not tell the entire story.
Best Buy enters Fortnite
Best Buy opened a virtual store inside Fortnite’s Drive City, giving players the ability to explore departments, interact with experiences including Geek Squad, complete a quest and unlock in-game rewards.
Rather than functioning like a traditional advertisement, the store becomes part of the entertainment experience itself.
That raises another interesting question: What does a retail experience become when the store itself becomes media?
Disclosure: Shaun Ayala works at Best Buy. Commerce Media Minute is an independent ShaunAyala.com production, and the perspectives shared in this episode are his own.
The takeaway
Commerce media isn’t simply expanding into more channels.
The boundaries between the store, the screen, the media and the transaction are starting to disappear.
In this episode:
- Walmart Connect and the growing role of advertising in retail
- VIZIO and Vibe
- Roku and Amazon Ads’ CTV measurement research
- Amazon DSP
- New-to-brand measurement
- Best Buy’s Fortnite experience
- Gaming as an emerging media and commerce environment
- What increasingly connected consumer journeys could mean for marketers
Commerce Media Minute is an independent short-form podcast hosted by Shaun Ayala covering commerce media, retail media, advertising, AI, measurement and the trends shaping the future of marketing.
Visit ShaunAyala.com for more commerce media insights.