蘑菇AV

Amazon strengthened its grip on ecommerce in 2024: The retailer warded off growing competition from Temu and Walmart by improving delivery speeds, offering deals, and enhancing Prime benefits.

Netflix's NFL debut sets records: Despite technical hiccups, Christmas Day games drew over 24 million viewers each, boosting the platform鈥檚 sports ambitions.

With about 5,200 Walmart and Sam鈥檚 Club locations in the US, Walmart can offer in-store ad inventory that meets shoppers where they make purchases. We expect US in-store retail media ad spending to reach $360 million this year and $1 billion by 2028. Walmart鈥檚 retail media success is evident in its quarterly results. Advertising now accounts for approximately one-third of Walmart鈥檚 overall income.

But the most successful creator brands sell in multiple channels, including ecommerce platforms, owned websites and apps, and in stores. Our forecast includes only sales that originate or take place on social media. Making real money from merchandising is a long shot for most creators. For one, anything beyond a mug or a T-shirt will generally require access to capital.

Three years ago, traditional media accounted for the majority of ad spending. The balance tipped in 2022, and digital spending will completely overshadow traditional by 2026. Retail media is the biggest driver of digital. During the economic downturn, ad spending was drawn down the funnel, with retail media being the biggest beneficiary.

Display advertising will capture 85.7% of the $90 billion in additional ad spending between 2024 and 2028. Search's share of digital spend will hold relatively steady at 41.5% in 2024. Retail media networks and AI search capabilities are expected to drive search growth. Nonvideo formats will account for just $12.75 billion of incremental spend through 2028.

The impact of tariffs on retail and ad spending. How retailers and business leaders are planning for tariffs. Consumer sentiment and behavior around tariffs. This deck can help you:. Develop commerce strategy (retailers and brands). Develop media strategy (brands and agencies). This Infopack was compiled in May 2025 and features our retail and ad spending forecast scenarios issued in April 2025.

Since then, growth in ad spending on video formats across social media and connected TV has taken off. Display ad spending growth will continue to slightly outpace that of search over the next few years. But retail media throws most of its weight behind search. Retail media is the fastest-growing ad channel we track.

The pandemic鈥檚 mini ecommerce boom helped supercharge retail media, but the category is now experiencing more measured growth. However, advancements in in-store and off-channel retail media (via CTV, for example) will help the category retain its importance. Click here to view the full forecasts for retail media, CTV, and mobile ad spending. Retail media is digital advertising鈥檚 new poster child.

While ad spend allocated to in-store retail media has yet to take off, consumers are ready and willing to engage with digital in-store formats, according to a new survey by 蘑菇AV in collaboration with Placer.ai.

Fubo pioneers interactive TV ads: New formats aim to move commerce from second screens to big screens with seamless shopping experiences.

Politics will buoy linear TV ad spending this year, but allocations will continue to shift toward streaming options that keep gaining ad-supported viewers.

Target noticed a 鈥減ronounced鈥� sales dip the week before and after the event, showing how consumers held back on shopping until they knew items would be on sale. The retail media implication: Amazon Prime Day, and its competitor events, are creating a new pattern of consumer behavior where shoppers will hold out on their purchases鈥攆rom everyday essentials to big ticket items鈥攗ntil they go on sale.

US social media ad spending will ride the momentum platforms built in H2 2023 thanks to AI, social video advertising growth, and a fixation on bottom-funnel outcomes.

Retail media is now being adapted by companies in other verticals: Financial services and travel companies are among those launching commerce media networks in a bid to monetize their first-party data.

The opportunity: In-store retail media makes up a small鈥攂ut rapidly growing鈥攑iece of total retail media spend, as advertisers look to take advantage of retailers鈥� large in-store audiences and reach shoppers closer to the point of purchase. Advertisers allocated 18% of their retail media budgets to in-store media this year, up from 7% in 2022, per a Bain survey.

OpenAI rolls out free search to capture shoppers during a peak ecommerce season, offering price comparisons and product links just when consumers need them most

On today's podcast episode, we discuss whether search, social, connected TV, or retail media has been driving growth the most this year, how much non-cyclical ad growth has been fueling this year's numbers, and what to expect from ad spend in 2025. Tune in to the discussion with host Marcus Johnson and our analyst Ross Benes.