2026 Retail Media Report

The 2026 Retail Media Report provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolving retail media landscape, focusing on advertising trends, channel allocation, and strategic shifts among major retail media networks (RMNs). Utilizing exclusive data from Pathmatics, the analysis examines the U.S. market during the first half of 2026, offering insights into how both endemic and non-endemic brands are navigating this complex digital advertising environment.

Key findings indicate a contraction in the broader market, with total U.S. retail media impressions declining 17% year-over-year to 223 billion in the first half of 2026. This downturn was largely driven by a 16% decrease in impressions from market leader Amazon, though the report notes that home improvement RMNs experienced growth from smaller baselines. Simultaneously, there is a clear strategic pivot toward offsite advertising, particularly within streaming TV. Amazon leads this transition, with 35% of its offsite impressions now allocated to streaming, followed by significant adoption from Instacart, Target, and DoorDash.

The report also highlights the growing influence of non-endemic advertisers, such as those in the financial services, telecommunications, and travel sectors, which are increasingly utilizing retail media to reach high-intent audiences. Furthermore, the analysis identifies a strong correlation between sports sponsorships and delivery network ad volume. During major events like the World Cup, official partners such as DoorDash successfully captured significant market share, specifically dominating pizza-related ad impressions. These findings illustrate a maturing retail media ecosystem where strategic platform selection and event-based targeting are becoming essential for maintaining competitive visibility.