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Retail

IAB Europe updates retail media guide for 2025 market

Comprehensive 101 resource addresses €10bn European sector growth.

Luis Rijo

• 6 min read
Mobile retail media advertising platform showing shopping cart integration for e-commerce campaigns
Mobile retail media advertising platform showing shopping cart integration for e-commerce campaigns

IAB Europe released its updated 101 Guide to Retail & Commerce Media 2025 Review on July 15, 2025, according to the organization's announcement. The comprehensive educational resource targets the sector's transformation from emerging advertising tactic to strategic infrastructure worth over €10 billion annually across European markets.

The 28-page guide represents continuous updates to content first developed by IAB Europe's Retail Media Committee in September 2023. According to the document, on-site retail media ad spend grew 22.2% to exceed €10 billion in 2024, while more than 90 percent of advertisers now partner with retailers to access first-party data and engage customers along the purchase path.

"E-commerce's explosive expansion has propelled Retail Media into the mainstream - what many call the third wave of digital advertising," states the guide's introduction. The document cites that more than 2.5 billion people shopped online in 2024, generating vast streams of behavioral data that advertisers can transform into precise audience signals.

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Summary

Who: IAB Europe's Retail Media Committee published the updated guide, with contributions from industry experts across retailers, agencies, trading desks and advertising networks including representatives from Advertima, Epsilon, Equativ, Google, Koddi, LiveRamp, REWE Group, The Trade Desk, and WPP Media.

What: A comprehensive 28-page educational resource providing definitions, measurement frameworks, buying methodologies, best practices, and case studies for the retail media sector, covering on-site, off-site, and in-store digital advertising environments.

When: Released on July 15, 2025, representing the second major update to content originally developed in September 2023, with annual revisions planned to address the rapidly evolving retail media landscape.

Where: Targets European markets where retail media achieved €10+ billion in annual spending, with global relevance for the worldwide retail media sector projected to exceed $150 billion by 2026.

Why: Addresses industry needs for standardization, education, and best practices as retail media transitions from experimental advertising tactic to strategic infrastructure, with over 90% of advertisers now partnering with retailers for first-party data access and purchase-path engagement.

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Technical framework expansion drives adoption

The guide establishes harmonized definitions drilling down into digital on-site, digital off-site, and digital in-store environments. According to the definitions, Commerce Media Networks (CMNs), which include Retail Media Networks (RMNs), allow brands and merchants to address shoppers throughout their buying journey using commerce data for planning, execution, and measurement.

On-site digital retail media encompasses advertising sold on commerce platforms or retailers' owned digital properties, including sponsored products, sponsored display, and video formats. Off-site activities leverage retailer data overlaid with third-party inventory including display, video, social, Connected TV and Digital-Out-Of-Home placements.

The document outlines five core programmatic approaches spanning retailer inventory and automation degrees. Traditional demand-side platforms have expanded into retail media for both on-site and in-store inventory, with examples including The Trade Desk and StackAdapt offering sponsored product placements across multiple retailers.

First-party data drives strategic importance

According to the guide, more than one-third of buyers cite access to first-party data as a key driver of retail media adoption. The document emphasizes that retail media provides precise targeting capabilities despite third-party cookie limitations, with retailers possessing abundant first-party consented data including customer email IDs enabling accurate matching and attribution.

The ability to advertise at the point of purchase, combined with closed-loop attribution, represents another significant growth factor. The guide notes that retail media captures shoppers in "buy" mode, boosting ad relevance and purchase intent while providing direct attribution of sales to advertising activity within reporting systems.

"Digital Retail Media offers benefits beyond immediate sales by enhancing brand visibility and engaging a broader audience across various touchpoints to promote brand awareness and product consideration," according to the document's analysis of strategic benefits.

Measurement standards address industry fragmentation

IAB Europe published Version 1 of the Retail Media Measurement Standards for Europe in April 2024 following public consultation between February and March 2024. According to the guide, over half (53%) of buyers cited lack of standards as a barrier to investment, prompting the organization's standards development initiative.

The measurement framework covers primary media metrics including viewability and invalid traffic, attribution metrics for consistent advertising investment comparison, and additional retail media insights such as "New to Brand" metrics. The standards were developed following consultations with retailers, media buyers, brands and agencies across Europe.

Data from IAB Europe's 2025 Attitudes to Retail Media Report shows buy-side stakeholders consider return on ad spend (ROAS) and incrementality sales measurement as key metrics for evaluating retail media investments. Large advertisers have begun requesting third-party verified media quality across previously unmeasured on-site campaigns.

Programmatic integration accelerates market sophistication

The guide details programmatic retail media spanning five approaches unlocking different inventory pools and automation degrees. API-driven marketing platforms and bid optimizers allow brands to manage multiple retailer networks from unified dashboards, with platforms like Kenshoo and Pacvue connecting via APIs to dozens of RMNs based on performance signals.

Curation platforms monetize unsold retailer inventory by pooling leftover impressions into single supply streams. Brands access this inventory programmatically at discounted CPMs while retailers increase fill-rates without building full programmatic stacks themselves.

The document notes that traditional demand-side platforms have expanded retail media access. A real-life example includes Uber Advertising opening premium Journey Ads inventory on the Uber Rides app to programmatic buyers across ten European markets via Google's Display & Video 360 and The Trade Desk.

According to the guide's innovation section, future retail media networks will evolve into content studios crafting editorial-quality stories around products and use cases. This includes shoppable lookbooks, interactive recipe videos, and live-streamed shopping sessions hosted by in-house influencers.

Computer Vision AI for in-store audience measurement enables retailers to measure traffic and engagement metrics accurately. Real-time audience activation in-store uses AI and visual-spatial sensors to target audience segments by triggering relevant content using digital screen networks.

The document highlights Carrefour UAE's media network Precision Media partnership with Advertima, an AI-powered data solutions provider, as an example of real-time audience activation capabilities in retail environments.

Case studies demonstrate measurable performance outcomes

The guide includes multiple case studies showcasing successful retail media campaign execution. Ferrero partnered with dentsu and REWE in Germany, achieving 1.4 million shoppers reached, 25% increase in brand consideration, and 50% increase in unique household reach through frequency capping optimization.

REWE Group Retail Media Connect and Unilever's Magnum campaign demonstrated weather-integrated targeting across 434 German geo-units. The campaign achieved 30% sales uplift in prioritized regions versus deprioritized ones and 65% improvement in targeting efficiency from 34% to 56% conversion rates.

Turkish retailer Migros partnered with Mimeda for Valentine's Day campaigns targeting ice cream sales during winter conditions. The campaign achieved 20 times return on ad spend through category-sponsored advertising solutions and digital storefront ownership strategies.

Market expansion reflects broader digital transformation

The guide's release coincides with significant European retail media market growth. European retail media spending has outpaced the broader advertising market by nearly four times, with retail media surging 22.1% while overall advertising grew 6.1% in 2024.

Industry analysis shows brands working with 4-6 retail media networks doubled in 2025, signaling clear diversification strategies among European advertisers. The percentage of buy-side stakeholders maintaining retailer partnerships for more than one year increased from 50% to 63%.

The retail media sector has attracted significant technology provider interest. Criteo reported record profits as retail media drove fourth quarter growth, with retail media business exceeding $250 million in annual revenue and growing 23% at constant currency.

Implementation guidance supports practical adoption

The guide provides extensive best practices developed by IAB Europe's Retail Media Committee experts from retailers, agencies, trading desks and advertising networks. On-site recommendations include running full strategies combining Product Listing Ads and Banner campaigns to reach shoppers at every buying journey stage.

Off-site guidance emphasizes full-funnel approaches building on purchase-focused on-site placements by adding brand awareness and consideration formats. The document recommends implementing omnichannel measurement enabling aggregated media planning views across formats and touchpoints.

Trade marketing initiatives receive clear distinction from digital retail media activities. According to the guide, trade marketing budgets focus on influencing retailers or wholesalers to promote products more effectively, including magazine features, in-store promotions, email campaigns and loyalty programs planned and delivered by retailers.

Future outlook emphasizes continued expansion

The guide positions retail media as essential future-proofing strategy amid increasing privacy regulations. Its reliance on first-party consented data and direct attribution makes it compelling for advertisers in the evolving digital landscape, according to the analysis.

E-commerce sites increasingly serve as product search engines rather than general search starting points. This presents specific opportunities for brands targeting customers in purchase mindsets via sponsored product advertisements during critical decision moments.

The document emphasizes retailer collaboration and co-innovation potential, noting that retail media drives partnerships uniting brands, agencies, tech providers and retailers around shared data and joint campaigns for unlocking growth and tailored shopper experiences.

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