As retail media matures into a powerful marketing channel, a new evolution is underway – the rise of commerce media networks. What began as a way for retailers to monetize their digital shelves is now expanding far beyond traditional retail, into travel, hospitality, delivery platforms, financial services, and beyond. This shift represents an exciting convergence of attention, data, and commerce, redefining how brands engage with consumers in moments that matter.
At its core, commerce media builds on the foundations of retail media – leveraging first-party data and closed-loop measurement to drive performance for advertisers. But where retail media was largely focused on grocery and consumer goods, commerce media extends these capabilities into any environment where a transaction or decision takes place. In this broader ecosystem, every digital touchpoint – from booking a flight to ordering dinner – becomes an opportunity for value exchange between brands, platforms and consumers.
This week in London, I’m moderating a panel discussion at Retail Media Summit UK with some of commerce media’s biggest disruptors, including Deliveroo, PayPal, United Airlines, and Marriott International. These innovators are proving that commerce media is not just about products in carts – it’s about contextual relevance and attention monetization across industries.
Take Deliveroo, for example. With its deep understanding of local habits, timing, and food preferences, Deliveroo’s network offers advertisers a high-intent, moment-based audience that goes beyond demographics to capture mood and motivation. Similarly, United Airlines’ Kinective Media is reimagining commerce media in the travel space – using passenger data, itineraries, and contextual insights to serve brands in ways that enhance, rather than interrupt, the customer journey. PayPal Ads adds another layer of disruption, transforming payment data into a powerful predictor of purchase intent across countless categories, while Marriott International demonstrates how hospitality brands can use loyalty ecosystems and owned channels to bridge digital and physical experiences.
The promise of commerce media is turning attention into value. When the “moment of transaction” expands beyond a retail checkout, so too does the potential for brands to influence and measure outcomes. Even without direct proximity to purchase, commerce media networks can harness intent-rich data and contextual signals to demonstrate performance and relevance in new ways.
Yet, this opportunity doesn’t come without its challenges. For emerging networks, building advertiser trust, creating scalable measurement frameworks, and educating the market on value are critical hurdles. Success will depend on balancing data sophistication with creative storytelling – helping advertisers see not just who they’re reaching, but why that moment matters.
In the coming years, the most successful networks will be those that combine strong consumer trust, differentiated data, and seamless experiences – all while offering brands measurable impact and creative freedom.
Commerce media isn’t just an extension of retail media, it’s a reimagination of digital advertising – one that fuses media and commerce in every industry where people spend time, attention, and money. For marketers and disruptors alike, this is more than a trend – it’s the next great growth engine for the digital economy.
