Last week, I had the opportunity to moderate a powerhouse panel at the The Drum's inaugural Global Commerce Leaders Forum in Miami. And let me tell you, the insights that came out of our lightning round were too good not to share. I asked each expert a simple but loaded question: What’s one thing you’d fix in the next 12 months to make retail media networks more mature? The answers cut straight to the core of where this industry is headed.

In this episode, I break down the most compelling takeaways. From why we need to reconnect retail media with its retail roots, to the urgent need for better collaboration, clearer measurement, and a long-term vision. If you’re building, buying, or scaling within retail media, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth and what really drives impact.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – Setting the stage: Highlights from the Global Commerce Leaders Forum panel
[01:05] – Why it’s time to “bring the retail back” to retail media
[02:00] – How performance data is winning over merchants and driving adoption
[03:30] – The industry’s biggest challenge: agreeing on measurement and “the math”
[05:45] – Finding your North Star in a maturing and more competitive landscape
[07:45] – Breaking down silos to unlock the next phase of retail media growth

Links & Resources

• Content from The Drum's 2026 Commerce Media Global Leaders’ Forum
• Read my related articles:
  • Ace Hardware's RedVest Media: Notes From My Interview With Molly Hjelm
  • Brands Are From Mars, Retailers Are From Venus
  • Retail Media's Measurement Problem: It's Not Just the Retailers
• On Thursday May 7 I am hosting a LinkedIn Live event: How Kroger Precision Marketing Is Plugging Into National Brand Budgets ! Join me, Christine Foster (head of Kroger Precision Marketing) and Jon Flugstad (Metarouter) to hash out the details of Kroger's partnership with DV360 and how this development is a sign of maturity in the retail media ecosystem. Bring your questions, we'll be doing this LIVE.
• I'm keynoting at Xnurta's Signal to Scale summit on May 19 in Chicago. This is the room to be in if you work in retail media, care about what AI actually changes, and want to leave with something you can put to work. A full day focused on agentic AI, modern measurement, and the strategies the best teams are already building toward. Reserve your spot here.
• I am sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

I’m coming to you a little under the weather today, but this recap of my recent article for The Drum was too important not to share. In this episode, I break down Kroger’s new YouTube integration and why it could be a turning point for retail media networks trying to crack into elusive national brand budgets.

I dig into what Kroger Precision Marketing actually built with Google’s DV360, why it matters for both measurement and media buying workflows, and how this move could finally align retail media with the expectations of brand marketers. If you’ve been wondering what it really takes to unlock CMO-level budgets, this episode connects the dots, and challenges the old playbooks many of us have been relying on.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – I kick things off (slightly sick!) and introduce Kroger’s YouTube integration
[01:00] – Why retail media networks are struggling to unlock brand budgets
[01:30] – What Kroger’s DV360 integration actually enables for advertisers
[02:15] – The three biggest barriers to brand budget adoption and how Kroger addresses them
[03:00] – Why YouTube video changes the game for emotional brand storytelling
[04:00] – The measurement breakthrough: SKU-level attribution and real-time optimization
[06:00] – Why workflow simplicity (and fewer dashboards) is a bigger deal than you think
[08:30] – What happens when online ads connect to in-store purchases (and why that’s the real test)

Links & Resources

• My article on The Drum: Kroger’s YouTube deal is the brand budget bridge retail media has been waiting for
• Read my related articles:
  • iROAS results can be easily gamed. But we shouldn't just throw it away
  • The ‘Costco Velocity’ Tech Stack Is Coming Together. Here's How the Pieces Fit.
  • Brian Monahan's 'Bloody Obvious' Bets Are Shaking Up Albertsons Media Collective
• NEXT WEEK on Thursday May 7 I am hosting a LinkedIn Live event: How Kroger Precision Marketing Is Plugging Into National Brand Budgets ! Join me, Christine Foster (head of Kroger Precision Marketing) and Jon Flugstad (Metarouter) to hash out the details of Kroger's partnership with DV360 and how this development is a sign of maturity in the retail media ecosystem. Bring your questions, we'll be doing this LIVE.
• I launched an Instagram account with comedy skits about the retail media industry! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Today I’m sharing highlights from a recent LinkedIn Live I hosted with Paul Brenner from In-Store Marketplace and Michelle Dooley from Catalyst Media Consulting. We dug into one of the most pressing challenges in retail media today: how we measure in-store performance, and whether the industry is actually optimizing for the wrong outcomes.

We explored their new research report that proposes a shift away from overly narrow metrics like one-to-one attribution and toward a more meaningful standard: shopper purchase rate. The conversation unpacks why current scorecards are falling short, how in-store media is being misunderstood across stakeholders, and what a more unified, product-movement-driven measurement system could look like.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – I introduce the core problem: whether we’re measuring in-store retail media the right way
[01:04] – Paul Brenner breaks down the gap between RMN tech expectations and real-world retail execution challenges
[02:39] – Michelle Dooley explains how “in-store” means very different things across brands, retailers, and RMNs
[03:45] – Key research insights: in-store is broader than digital, and product movement is the dominant success metric
[06:46] – Introduction of “shopper purchase rate” and why it’s emerging as a better measurement framework
[09:00] – Why shopper purchase rate could unify RMNs and merchants around a shared scorecard and shift focus back to in-store effectiveness

Links & Resources

• Full webinar replay: In-Store Retail Media: Are We Measuring the Wrong Things? [New Research]
• Download the report: In-Store Media Has a Measurement Problem – Just Not the One You Think
• In-Store Marketplace (ISM)
• Catalyst Media
• Follow Paul Brenner, SVP, Global Retail Media and Partnerships @ In-Store Marketplace (ISM), on LinkedIn
• Follow Michelle Dooley, Expert Advisor @ Catalyst Media, on LinkedIn
• Read my related articles:
  • In-Store Retail Media Evolved Differently in Europe. Here's Why.
  • Who's Signing the Check For Experiential In-Store Media?
  • Sam's Club Cracked the Code on In-Store Retail Media—Here's How They Did It
• I am sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

I made the trek through Atlanta traffic to attend Home Depot’s Orange Apron Media upfronts, and let me tell you, it was absolutely worth it. In a year where brands are scrutinizing every dollar spent on travel and events, this one-day gathering managed to draw hundreds of suppliers from across the country. That alone says something. But what really stood out wasn’t just the announcements: it was how the event was designed.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the seven smartest decisions Home Depot made with their upfronts. From resisting the urge to copy Amazon’s playbook to creating a tightly focused, high-impact experience for advertisers. If you’re building or scaling a retail media network, there are some seriously valuable lessons here about audience, format, messaging, and momentum.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – Why hundreds of suppliers showed up for a one-day event (and why that matters right now)

[00:56] – Why Home Depot didn’t try to replicate Amazon’s “Unboxed” (and why that’s a good thing)

[01:37] – The power of a closed advertiser ecosystem and how it becomes a strategic advantage

[02:15] – Why putting merchants on stage before media teams sends a stronger message

[02:58] – Serving three audiences at once: suppliers, partners, and internal teams

[04:15] – How supplier voices and testimonials added credibility and broke up the sales pitch

[05:41] – Why venue choice reinforced Home Depot’s brand identity

[07:00] – The “narrow and deep” press strategy that led to meaningful coverage

Links & Resources

• My OAM piece from last week: Orange Apron Media is leaning into the things only Home Depot can do
• Karen Jacobs from Emarketer's piece from last week: Home Depot deepens retail media push with Reddit and Pinterest partnerships and new tools
• Read my related articles:
  • Why Home Depot put its merchants on stage at its retail media upfronts (The Drum)
  • Home Depot’s Retail Media Chief Puts Suppliers At The Center
  • The ‘Costco Velocity’ Tech Stack Is Coming Together. Here's How the Pieces Fit.
• I launched an Instagram account with comedy skits about the retail media industry! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Today I’m taking you behind the scenes of a packed stretch of travel — three major industry events in just a few days — and using it as a jumping-off point to unpack a bigger question: are work trips and in-person events still worth it in today’s commerce media landscape?

I dive into fresh data from my LinkedIn poll and explore the growing divide between those constantly on the road and those opting out entirely. I talk about budget pressures, decision fatigue, and the real, often unspoken value of being in the room. If you’ve ever felt torn between FOMO and JOMO when it comes to industry events, this episode will give you a clearer lens on how to think about where and when to show up.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – A whirlwind week: juggling three major commerce media events across multiple cities
[01:00] – Why I ran a LinkedIn poll on event attendance and what sparked the question
[01:45] – The surprising stat: 28% of industry professionals aren’t attending any events
[02:45] – The real reason behind declining attendance: budget pressure vs. calendar overload
[03:30] – The explosion of commerce media events and why choosing is harder than ever
[05:00] – Decision fatigue, FOMO vs. JOMO, and the emotional side of skipping events
[06:00] – What makes an event truly worth attending in 2026

Links & Resources

• Read my related articles:
  • Writing From the Middle of the Room
  • My Media Diet
  • Get On The Damn Stage
• I am sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Today I’m focusing on my recent article for The Drum, breaking down what really stood out from Home Depot’s third annual Infronts event, and there’s more going on than just incremental progress. Sure, merchant alignment and the shift toward self-service are important, but what really caught my attention is how Orange Apron Media is doubling down on the things only Home Depot can do.

From turning the Pro customer into a powerful media asset, to rethinking how in-store and online performance are measured, this episode explores how differentiation (not scale) is becoming the real competitive edge in retail media. I also dig into how tighter integration between media and merchandising data is changing the game for suppliers, and why Home Depot’s so-called “limitations” might actually be its biggest strengths.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – Two major themes from InFronts: merchant alignment and self-service evolution
[00:30] – Why Orange Apron Media is focusing on what makes Home Depot uniquely powerful
[00:45] – The Pro customer as a high-value, deeply owned media audience
[01:45] – Scaling in-store media: 1,400 stores and a layered retail media ecosystem
[02:45] – Why paint is a top performer when you measure beyond e-commerce
[04:00] – Connecting media spend to real sales through integrated analytics
[06:30] – Home Depot’s hybrid tech stack strategy: build vs. buy decisions
[07:15] – “Quirks are a feature”: turning specialization into a competitive advantage

Links & Resources

• My article on The Drum: Why Home Depot put its merchants on stage at its retail media upfronts
• Read my related articles:
  • Home Depot’s Retail Media Chief Puts Suppliers At The Center
  • The ‘Costco Velocity’ Tech Stack Is Coming Together. Here's How the Pieces Fit.
  • ‘Retail Media has a PR problem’ Says CVS Media Exchange's Parbs Dhariwal
• I launched an Instagram account with comedy skits about the retail media industry! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

Today I dig into a question that’s been coming up more and more from retail media leaders: Should we be measuring retail media the same way we measure national media? It sounds simple, but once you get into it, things get complicated fast. I share insights from experts across my network to unpack why there’s no clean, one-size-fits-all answer, and what brands should actually be doing instead.

I explore the tension between commerce-specific measurement models and traditional marketing mix models. Where each one works, and where they fall apart. I also break down real-world failure modes, who should actually own measurement, and the critical mindset shift brands need to make before they even start analyzing performance. If you’ve ever struggled to reconcile ROAS, MMM, and retail media impact, this episode will give you clarity (and a few strong opinions).

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – The big question: Can retail media and national media be measured the same way?
[01:00] – Why different objectives require different measurement frameworks
[02:00] – The “camera lens” analogy: why one model can’t do it all
[03:15] – What goes wrong when brands force a single MMM across everything
[04:00] – How measurement issues start influencing business decisions (in the wrong way)
[05:00] – Who really owns measurement: brands, agencies, or retail media networks?
[07:30] – The maturity gap: why not all brands are ready for advanced measurement
[08:15] – The key takeaway: define the job of each dollar before measuring success

Links & Resources

• Recap of my LinkedIn Live with Jordan Witmer from SALT XC: Whoever Owns the Budget Determines What Retail Media Is Allowed to Be
• Read my related articles:
  • iROAS results can be easily gamed. But we shouldn't just throw it away
  • 'Not 100% altruistic': ad measurement veteran on what retail media is really optimizing for
  • Why ROAS Refuses To Die
• I'm hosting a LIVE event with In-Store Marketplace and Catalyst Media Consulting on April 22 about In-Store Retail Media: are we measuring the wrong things? We'll discuss New Research on the state of in-store retail media measurement — and why the path forward may actually be simpler than the industry is making it. REGISTER HERE
• Follow my new Instagram account for comedy skits about the quirks of retail media @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn