In the evolving world of digital marketing, one phrase is taking center stage for brands and retailers alike: offsite retail media. As traditional advertising continues to face headwinds, especially with the limbo of third-party cookies, retail media has stepped in as a powerful alternative. But its true potential? It's unlocked when brands think beyond the retailer's website.

What Is Offsite Retail Media?

Let’s start simple. Retail Media traditionally referred to ads on the retailer’s site (think: sponsored products or display ads on the retailer’s website). Offsite retail media goes beyond the retailer’s own properties and allows their vendors to leverage the retailer’s first-party data to target shoppers outside the retailer’s ecosystem. That includes placements on publishers, social media, video platforms, and more.

It’s like unlocking the precision of retail targeting across the open web. A whole new opportunity for retailers and vendors alike!

Why Is Offsite Retail Media So Important Right Now?

Offsite retail media is uniquely positioned to solve two of the biggest challenges in digital advertising:

1. Signal loss

With the fate of third-party cookies is still up in the air, advertisers are scrambling for reliable data. Retailers hold gold mines of authenticated first-party shopper data that can be used for precise targeting across the open web.

2. Measurement

Brands can not only reach users across digital environments but also tie those interactions back to actual sales, both online and increasingly in-store. The closed-loop measurement offered by retail media networks is a dream come true for marketers obsessed with ROAS and incrementality.

Why Should Retailers Care about Offsite Retail Media?

Retailers often view retail media as a monetization play, but offsite opens the door to something bigger: becoming a full-funnel media powerhouse.

Here’s why retailers should lean into offsite retail media:

· New Revenue Streams: Offsite campaigns allow retailers to monetize audiences beyond their own platforms. That means incremental media revenue with little added infrastructure.

· Stronger Brand Partnerships: Retailers who offer robust, offsite solutions become more strategic partners to brands, attracting bigger budgets and longer-term commitments.

· Enhanced Shopper Experience: By using retailer data to deliver more relevant ads across the web, shoppers enjoy a more personalized journey, which can ultimately increase loyalty and lifetime value.

· Competitive Differentiation: As the retail media race heats up, those who expand beyond onsite will position themselves as more sophisticated, omnichannel players, especially in categories where brand loyalty and margin matter.

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Simply put: offsite retail media lets retailers act more like media companies, without losing their retail edge.

Why Should Brands Care about Offsite Retail Media?

For brands that primarily sell through retail partners rather than their own DTC sites, offsite retail media is a uniquely powerful lever. It gives them access to performance marketing capabilities traditionally reserved for direct-to-consumer players, but with one major difference: the traffic lands on the retailer’s site.

Here’s why that matters:

· Drive sales where they actually happen: The ad doesn’t take users to the brand’s own shop - it sends them directly to the product page on the retailer’s site. This is a game-changer for CPGs, beauty, fashion, electronics, and other verticals where brand.com is secondary to retail partnerships.

· Re-engage lapsed or high-intent shoppers: With access to retailer-level insights, brands can re-target customers who previously viewed or added their products to cart, even if they didn’t buy.

· Capture the upper funnel without sacrificing conversion: Unlike traditional awareness channels, offsite retail media combines reach with performance. Brands get full-funnel exposure and measurable outcomes from the retailer’s marketing activities, from impression to sale.

The Collaboration Factor between Retailers & Brands

Retailers and brands have a rare opportunity to build a mutually beneficial performance loop. Retailers provide the data and access. Brands bring investment and creativity. The result? Personalized, measurable campaigns that drive results for both the retailer and the brand.

But collaboration is key. Retailers need to open access, provide transparent measurement, and ensure brand safety. Brands, on the other hand, need to lean into test-and-learn models and commit budgets to fuel this fast-growing channel.

The Future Is Bright (and Performance-Led)

Offsite retail media isn’t just an add-on to your existing retail strategy – it’s the new frontier of performance marketing. As the post-cookie era approaches, brands who harness the power of retailer data across the broader digital ecosystem will have a major competitive advantage.

Offsite retail media is more than just a trend – it’s an opportunity smart brands can’t afford to ignore.

Enno Krey, Chief Commercial Officer, Crealytics

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Interested in learning how offsite retail media can work for your retail business or how we can support you as a brand? Reach out to us for an initial consultation – we’ll help you get started and unlock the full potential of retail data across the open web.

About Crealytics

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Crealytics is an award-winning full-funnel digital marketing agency fueling the profitable growth of over 100 well-known B2C and B2B businesses, including ASOS, The Hut Group, Staples and Urban Outfitters. A global company with an inclusive team of 100+ international employees, we operate from our hubs in Berlin, New York, Chicago, London, and Mumbai.