2023 Commerce Media Market-Altering Trends

From ChatGPT and Gen Z to retail media offsite, budget migration and more, learn the hottest commerce trends impacting digital advertising.
Updated on September 26, 2023

Here at Criteo, we couldn’t be more energized about the commerce media opportunity unfolding.The inspiration behind our latest report, 2023 Commerce Media Market-Altering Trends is simple: our clients. We have more than 22,000 of them — including 1800 brands. Their challenges and opportunities inform what’s inside.

Our unique position at the center of commerce means that we’ve got intel no one else does, with insights from ~750 million daily active users, 4 billion product SKUs, and 3,500 product categories. We’re thrilled to be reporting on what’s really going on everywhere shoppable moments happen. 

Here’s a peek at what’s inside the report: 

Trend #1: Omnichannel Becomes Essential 

The blurring intersection of online and offline will require retailers and brands to step on the gas toward a fully integrated commerce future. From the impact of ROPO (research online, purchase offline) to the need for better cross-channel attribution, retailers and brands will need to partner closer together to achieve seamless consumer experiences that boost engagement and drive customer loyalty. 

Trend #2: Data Monetization Redefined 

As retailers and marketers begin to innovate together, retail media networks will compete against Amazon beyond digital by contributing to in-store sales. First-party attributes, as well as the promise of programmatic retail (closed-loop campaigns run outside of retailer environments), make the power of retailer data undeniable in moving forward. 

Learn more about taking your retail media business to the next level.

Trend #3: Brand Budget Goldrush 

Marketers will shift focus from standard KPIs (ROAS, incrementality) to more decision-oriented, forward-looking metrics (Profitability by SKU, Forecast of Demand) in order to optimize every outcome toward sales. The reorganization of CPG companies (like Unilever), such that marketing teams increasingly report into sales teams, is a key driver of the movement to bring brand and performance closer together. 

Stay ahead of the commerce media curve

1,000+ commerce leaders on why 2024 is the year to go big on commerce media

 

Trend #4: Agencies Retool to Become Masters of Commerce 

In 2023, agencies will go beyond platform reliance and help clients bridge retail and media with bilingual commerce specialists (a.k.a. media and ecommerce experts). Media planning is increasingly complex. Add to that the rise of non-creative stakeholders (commercial and shopper marketing leads), and agencies are deploying teams who know how to navigate the landscape toward quantifiable outcomes. 

 

Trend #5: Massive Media Budget Migration Continues 

Driving revenue this year will require shifting funds out of lower performing and/or less measurable channels to ones where positive impact can be directly reported up the chain. Budgets aren’t getting any bigger, so while testing new channels is still possible, every dollar must count. Retail media marks the emergences of the next essential channel for advertising. 

Explore the remaining 5 trends in the full report, available here. 

See a video preview below:

Michelle Pruett

As Global Head of Content at Criteo, Michelle leads a high-performing, multi-disciplinary team of marketers packaging insights, copy, design, and video into integrated campaigns. Her own writing has been featured in Entrepreneur, Business Insider, AdWeek, eMarketer, and more. Before joining the ...

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