Marketers are no longer asking if retail media works. The new question is: What exactly is it doing for my brand? The easy answers, like ROAS and sales, no longer satisfy sophisticated marketers keen to prove real business growth beyond the baseline.
Criteo’s extensive retailer data shows that retail media drives powerful incremental outcomes that traditional KPIs often overlook. And those hidden effects are precisely what today’s brands need to quantify to invest smarter, compete harder, and grow faster.
Our latest report, The Retail Media Ripple Effect, breaks down the hidden ways retail media drives incremental growth. Here are just a few examples of the ripple effect in action.
Paid ads unlock invisible organic gains
Marketers often think of paid and organic media as separate channels—but the data tells a different story. Just two weeks after campaign activation, daily organic clicks on retail search pages increased by 56% in AMER and 23% in EMEA. Importantly, the share of total clicks rose by 1.5x in AMER and 1.2x in EMEA, meaning shoppers were increasingly choosing your product detail pages over your competitors’.
These unpaid engagements aren’t happening in a vacuum. They’re triggered by the visibility and brand presence created by your paid campaigns. Retail media helps you show up when shopper intent is at its peak, creating an opportunity to capture high-intent consumers and potentially convert them into loyal, long-term customers.
Expanding across retailers can create measurable share gains
Brands that added two or more retailers to their campaign strategy saw year-over-year organic sales rise by 7.1% in AMER and 9.2% in EMEA. In contrast, brands that consolidated to fewer retailers saw steep declines, as much as -9%.
Increasing cross-retailer visibility leads to greater incremental reach, more chances to engage shoppers, and a higher likelihood of converting those still deciding what to buy.
Multi-format exposure multiplies performance
Campaigns don’t work in silos, and neither should your ad formats. Shoppers exposed to both Display and Sponsored Products generated 3.2x more revenue per user compared to those who only saw Sponsored Products. They also clicked more often and converted at higher rates.
This is format synergy in action. It’s a powerful form of incrementality that’s often missed in siloed reporting. By measuring campaigns holistically, you can see how each format plays a role in driving total performance.
Spend decisions have a direct impact on organic sales
Brands that increased retail media spend by more than 10% saw meaningful organic sales growth: +4.7% in AMER and +3.4% in EMEA. In contrast, brands that reduced spend saw sharp declines, with losses reaching -19% in EMEA.
Pulling back gives competitors the space they need to move in, gaining share, clicks, and visibility at your expense. Strategic, sustained investment in retail media is critical to protecting those gains.
Want to measure retail media like a pro?
True incrementality means measuring more than what’s obvious. It means capturing every lift to tell a full-funnel story of impact. Read the full report, The Retail Media Ripple Effect, to see how smarter measurement can unlock growth and validate every dollar spent.
