Retail media networks (RMNs) are using APIs to give advertisers more control over the management, measurement, and optimization of their campaigns.

• Walmart Connect's Display Advertising API enables advertisers to use their own platforms to activate and measure their display campaigns and develop customized reporting dashboards or automated optimization tools.
• Albertsons Media Collective’s API enables marketers to integrate retail media campaign data into their own measurement models.

Why it matters: By using APIs, advertisers can leverage their own tech stack and measurement tools to evaluate their retail media performance.

• APIs can also enhance cross-platform measurement, which 64% of US ad buyers plan to focus on at least somewhat more in 2025, according to December 2024 data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).
• “One-off RMN solutions make it hard for clients to scale strategy and determine the efficacy of their media,” said Liz Roche, vice president of measurement and media at Albertsons Media Collective. “Standardization will allow RMNs to maintain and capture the current sizable growth trajectory of retail media ad spend. Essentially, all boats will rise with the tide.”

State of play: With over 80 RMNs in the US alone, it’s difficult for advertisers to manage campaigns across multiple platforms, especially as retail media continues to move off-site.

• Over half (55.4%) of advertisers cite lack of interoperability as a common challenge for their organization’s retail media efforts, while nearly as many (51.2%) say the same about scalability, according to Digiday’s State of the Industry report, created in partnership with Vantage.

46% of US brands and agencies say fragmented data systems are an obstacle to integrating off-site media into their core retail media strategy, according to December 2024 data from Skai and Path to Purchase Institute.

Between the lines: As tariffs threaten ad budgets, it’s crucial for advertisers to prove the worth of their retail media campaigns.

• 94% of advertisers are concerned about the impact of tariffs on ad spending, according to a recent survey from the IAB.
• To address financial constraints, 45% of advertisers are reducing overall ad spend, 35% are increasing their focus on performance-based campaigns, and 29% are shifting to digital channels with better digital measurement.

The bottom line: With ad budgets under pressure, RMNs need to address advertisers’ most pressing pain points and streamline the campaign process.

“Making retail media easier to buy and report on is becoming non-negotiable for retailers looking to sustain momentum as we move into the next era of retail media,” said our analyst Sarah Marzano. “API solutions that integrate with the systems and technologies already familiar to advertisers is a strategic step in that direction."

This was originally featured in the Retail Media Weekly newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.