蘑菇AV

Retail media ad spending is booming in Latin America. Brazil and Mexico are leading the charge, with Mercado Libre outpacing in-market rivals. Here are the latest trends you need to know.

In today鈥檚 episode, 鈥媤e talk about the promise and challenges financial media networks face in the burgeoning commerce media network landscape.鈥� Join the discussion with host and Head of Business Development Rob Rubin, 鈥婸rincipal Analyst Sarah Marzano, and Senior Analyst Max Willens.

The news: Fanatics launched Fanatics Advertising, a division that will oversee the company鈥檚 ad and brand partnership strategy across its commerce, collectibles, gaming, and events businesses. Our take: Fanatics is taking its swing at the fast-growing commerce media space. Commerce media represented 18.0% of US digital ad spending last year, and we expect its share to keep climbing鈥攈itting nearly $1 of every $5 spent on digital ads (19.7%) this year and close to $1 in $4 (24.8%) by 2029, the end of our forecast period. Sitting at the crossroads of sports fandom鈥攎erchandise, collectibles, betting, and live events鈥擣anatics has a brand position few, if any, rivals can match. If it executes well, Fanatics Advertising could be a home run by turning its unmatched access to fans into an equally powerful ad play.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淢exico Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淏razil Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淢exico Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淏razil Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淢exico Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the first installment of our 鈥淏razil Ad Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

The news: The connected TV (CTV) market is in flux as retail giants Amazon and Walmart escalate their fight for dominance鈥攕taking claims not just on content or devices, but on the operating systems themselves. Our take: Amazon and Walmart are racing to close the gap between attention and action. Controlling TV hardware and CTV operating systems while linking them to first-party retail data helps build seamless, closed-loop ad ecosystems where viewers can become buyers in a click. To stay competitive, marketers must optimize for closed-loop attribution, prioritize retail media integrations, and treat smart TVs as both screen and storefront as retail media and CTV ad spending surge.

In the first 100 days of his second term, President Trump has reshaped business strategy across retail, tech, healthcare, and media. Here鈥檚 how tariffs, regulation, and market volatility are forcing brands to rethink spend, growth, and planning.

The news: Retail media infrastructure firm Topsort is helping major retailers like Woolworths, Kohl鈥檚, and Magalu grow ad revenues by 60% in a single month, per CEO Regina Ye. Topsort鈥檚 Data Genie tool converts billions of data points into instant insights and replaces legacy analytics systems that delay campaign execution. Our take: With budget exhaustion, measurement complexity, and system fragmentation among top buyer complaints, retailers are eager to modernize. Topsort鈥檚 AI-powered tools offer transparency, speed, and flexibility鈥攙alues that align closely with where the market is heading. The bigger question: Will fall product updates bring true interoperability or further entrench silos?

The news: China is outpacing the US in retail media鈥檚 global rise, with nearly half of its digital ad spending now flowing through retail platforms. While Amazon still leads globally, its growth is slowing鈥攅xpected to rise just 18.6% in 2025. Meanwhile, players like Uber Eats, Meijer, and Albertsons are growing ad revenues at triple-digit rates. Our take: Retail media is becoming more fragmented and competitive. Success now requires portfolio diversification, especially as new channels鈥攍ike last-mile delivery and in-store signage鈥攇ain momentum. What began as an Amazon-centric, US-led trend is now a worldwide shift reshaping how consumers discover, consider, and buy.

A large portion of the remainder of search ad revenues will go to retail media networks, primarily Amazon鈥檚. By media: Social network mobile advertising will grow quickly thanks to the rapid growth of video ads. In our limited tariff scenario, social media mobile ad spending will reach $98.45 billion in 2025, a 12.9% YoY increase.

Evolve retail media networks (RMNs) to support AI-driven shopping. Enhance structured product data, ensure seamless integration with AI agents, and prioritize performance-based ad placements. High-quality product feeds and robust analytics will be essential to help brands stay visible and competitive in an increasingly automated retail environment. Ensure AI agents truly remove friction and add value.

Amazon鈥檚 next move is to grow the retail media market. The company is licensing its ad tech to other retailers in a pilot program as its own retail media growth begins to slow. The company鈥檚 retail media dominance is looking less impenetrable as Walmart begins to close the gap. The ad industry is prepared to pounce on a year of market gains and consolidation.

Creator commerce will reshape retail, both on and off social media. Retailers are forging closer relationships with creators. Retail media networks (RMNs) have partnered with creator networks and social platforms to satisfy advertiser demands for incrementality and stay relevant as shopping becomes more social. Walmart convened a Creator Upfront in October.