Retail media is no longer an emerging channel. It is more integrated into the shopping cycle than ever and will continue to evolve as the potential of retail media is more full realised.

Our findings show that shoppers experience retail media as part of the overall retail journey - and increasingly expect it to be personalised and consistently relevant, from purchase through to the retail media they see next. They value experiences that feel useful, connected and genuinely additive.

To meet these expectations, retailers and brands must move beyond fragmented execution and align around shared shopper insight. The most effective retail media is collaborative and trusted, working as part of a connected ecosystem that brings together loyalty, personalisation and category strategy to deliver better outcomes for shoppers, retailers and brands alike.

For retailers and brands, the implication is distinct: the next step on the retail media journey is one of refinement. It's about aligning efforts to achieve a level of engagement, relevance and timing that creates a seamless decision-making process while being mindful not to introduce new methods too quickly where shoppers may question the benefits. Achieving a level of relevance that makes media feel like a seamless part of the decision-making process.

For shoppers today, retail media is no longer just about who they trust – it’s about which brands can keep and build on this trust to secure loyalty into the future.