Criteo (NASDAQ: CRTO), the commerce media company, today announced the findings from its The ROAS Trap report, shedding light on retail media’s comprehensive impact and how brands and retailers can uncover the full opportunity within the commerce ecosystem. This report highlights how retail media can deliver far more than Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) by utilizing a range of metrics and KPIs to understand how much the spend is paying off throughout the funnel.
Retail Media Boosts Shopper Loyalty and Strengthens Partnerships
Criteo’s global data reveals that over one year, brands that advertised with retail media experienced consistently high ROAS, with notable spikes during peak shopping seasons. An impressive 51% of brands globally reported improved shopper loyalty. Advertisers that collaborate with retailers and publishers understand that stronger collaboration helps all ecosystem players benefit. Globally, 70% of brands view forming new partnerships as key to their 2024 objectives, and 77% have already increased collaborations to expand their reach and capabilities. Notably, half of brands report that their retail media investment has positively impacted their relationships with retailer partners.
Driving Incremental Returns and Sales Growth
Retail media, when planned and executed properly, consistently delivers strong incrementality results, reaching new consumers at a crucial consideration point in their shopping journey with a seamless path to conversion. In incrementality tests, US brands that ran sponsored product ads saw an astounding +428% incremental return on investment. Similarly, EMEA brands that utilized onsite display ads experienced a +160% in sales per user, +140% conversion rate, and +152% units per user. Furthermore, retail media proves to be a potent acquisition tool. According to Criteo’s analysis, it consistently converts new-to-brand shoppers. Specifically, for categories such as Apparel & Accessories, Arts & Entertainment, and Health & Beauty, Criteo’s data indicates that 3 in 5 people who clicked and purchased from a retail media campaign were new-to-brand shoppers.
Shoppers who actively click on ads exhibit a higher average order value and average unit price, showcasing that enhanced visibility on the digital shelf allows brands to expand their sales and rise above market competition. Within just 14 days of advertising on top retailers, thousands of brands saw a significant impact on their share of total sales within the category—known as share of sales. On average, they earned a 59% change in organic share of sales within this period, a feat that would require far more time and investment to achieve in-store.
Amplifying Sales with Omnichannel Retail Advertising
Creating the right mix of onsite and offsite retail media touchpoints is key to unlocking enhanced sales opportunities for a brand. Criteo’s global retailer data shows that the more brands increase their online investment, the more their offline sales rise. Campaigns including offline attribution saw a 42% higher ROAS than campaigns considering online attributed sales only.
Moreover, retail media has the power to shape positive conversations online through targeted messaging, real-time engagement, loyalty programs, and more. These strategies motivate shoppers to organically share their positive experiences through product reviews and social media, reinforcing a brand’s social proof and influencing other shoppers’ purchasing decisions. Notably, 52% of brands globally reported improved consumer product reviews from their retail media spend.
The findings from Criteo’s ROAS Trap Report underscore the transformative potential of retail media far more than ROAS. By broadening measurement to full-funnel opportunities, optimized customer experiences, comprehensive insights, and sustainable growth, retail media further offers brands a powerful tool to navigate and thrive in the competitive commerce landscape. As retail media continues to evolve, its impact on customer engagement, sales performance, and cost efficiency becomes increasingly evident, reinforcing its value as a cornerstone of modern advertising strategies.
To download the full report, please visit Criteo.com.
Methodology
Criteo analyzed its exclusive data from over 44,000 campaigns and 66,000 brands across 132 retailers in the AMER, EMEA, and APAC regions from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024. Additionally, a survey was conducted among 1,004 users in the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Singapore, and India from 282 brands and 116 agencies. The analysis focused on Q4 2023.
