New Sam’s Club ads shows in-store retail media potential

Best Buy puts more sponsored product listings in top placements compared with other retail sites JULY 29, 2024 [New Scan & Go ad from Sam’s Club MAP shows how in-store retail media ads connect to smartphones]( Sam’s Club Member Access Platform (MAP) is launching display ads within its Scan & Go [mobile checkout]( experience as an expansion of its omnichannel [retail media]( formats. The move puts [smartphones]( at the center of in-store retail media advertising, a move more retailers will likely make. The new format targets Scan & Go users with ads immediately when they scan an item via smartphone in-store. Ads will push to both online and in-store products. One in three members are already regular users of Scan & Go self-checkout, and adoption has grown by 50% in the past three years, Sam’s Club said. Advertisers so far like Scan & Go ads, said Ryan Burns, head of strategy at Sam’s Club MAP. “This was generated out of demand from our suppliers to want that moment of engagement at the digital [and] physical space,” he said. Story continues below. Since Sam’s Club has logged-in data of shoppers via its membership program, the traffic from these ads is [attributable]( which is why Burns said they have received positive reaction. [Costco’s similar model]( attracted retail media buzz following the company’s launch of a [retail media network]( in June. US in-store retail media spend is on the rise and will reach over $500 million next year, per our forecast. Smartphones will play an important role in the evolution of in-store advertising. They don’t require retailer investment in robust hardware. Plus, smartphones are less obtrusive than large in-store ads. “We don’t want to put Times Square in the middle of the store,” said Burns. “For us, smartphones are a deep unlock, because you have more and more members that are digitally engaged,” said Burns. - 50% of Sam’s Club members are “digitally engaged,” per Burns, which means they’re on devices in some way while shopping in-stores. - That figure is even higher at some other retailers. [Target has stated]( that 75% of guests browse via its app or website while shopping in-store. With 83.8% of US [retail sales]( taking place in-store and 91.2% of US mobile phone users on smartphones, expect to see activations similar to Sam’s Club’s Scan & Go one evolve alongside in-store retail media advertising. [Read online]( [Best Buy puts more sponsored product listings in top placements compared with other retail sites]( [Best Buy puts more sponsored product listings in top placements compared with other retail sites ]( Key stat: Best Buy gave its sponsored product listings the most prominent visibility compared with other retail sites, according to a Q3 2023 to Q1 2024 study from Crealytics. Almost half (51%) of its sponsored products were placed at the top of the page and the other half in the shopping grid. Beyond the chart: - [Walmart]( and [Amazon]( have the most varied placements of [retail media]( ads, appearing throughout its shopping pages (top and bottom of pages and in-grid), the same report found. - [Retail media ads receive a 183% higher engagement rate]( than the baseline average across all impressions tracked by DoubleVerify. High engagement comes at the cost of viewability, however, as the ads are not as frequently seen in full. Only 36% of retail media ads placed on retailers’ owned and operated inventory were seen by viewers, compared with 73% for audience extension inventory. - Retailers with media networks face the challenge of achieving ad visibility without compromising a [user experience]( that is conducive to product discovery and searchability. [Read online]( Email sent to: {EMAIL} If you cannot view the HTML newsletter, [please read it in your browser here](. [Become a Premium Subscriber]( | [Advertise with us]( [Manage your email preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Privacy Policy]( ©2024 EMARKETER, One Liberty Plaza 9th Floor, New York, NY 10006 [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo](