What would you wish for if the retail media fairy paid you a visit?
As it turns out, there seems to be one overwhelming wish shared across the industry: data standardization. In a landscape fragmented by walled gardens, disconnected interfaces, and varying attribution models, brands are desperately seeking a way to make sense of it all. I recently asked three brand-side ecomm leaders what they would change about retail media if they had a magic wand, and their answers paint a vivid picture of both frustration and hope.
The Quest for Data Standards
Brian Dudzinski, independent Amazon consultant and previously Senior Director of Ecomm at Kind Snacks, cuts straight to the heart of the matter. "I would love to see some standard data across all these platforms," he explains. "When you go into all these platforms, there are different quirks, different attribution models, different reporting types, the catalog's different." His vision? A world where data comes "completely clean," enabling brands to "make the best decisions for what's best use of these dollars."
Breaking Down the Walled Gardens
"Retail media networks are those walled gardens," notes Alicia Ponzani, E-commerce Manager at Premier Nutrition. While platforms like Amazon allow brands to follow the consumer journey within their ecosystem, the challenge lies in cross-network comparison. "It's hard to give a clear answer" when executives ask about ROI comparisons between platforms like Amazon and Walmart.com. The dream of standardization, she suggests, would "empower brands to make more well-informed decisions around campaign effectiveness."
The Data Team Dilemma
Brea Keating, Director of E-Commerce at Wilton, highlights a growing operational challenge: the disconnect between media attributable sales and actual e-commerce sales. "Most brands are negotiating access to this data separately. The data lives in separate interfaces, and we're all having to stand up these data teams to combine it all," she explains. This creates a situation where "each e-commerce leader has to be their own data and dashboard strategist" – a role not everyone is equipped to handle.
PS: You can also listen to this episode on your favorite podcast platform – search "Retail Media Breakfast Club" or watch it on YouTube
Looking Ahead
While the industry's wish for standardization might seem like a distant dream, these leaders' insights reveal a crucial truth: the future of retail media success lies in solving the data complexity challenge. Until that magic wand moment arrives, brands must continue building robust data strategies and teams capable of connecting these disparate dots. The question isn't if standardization will come, but who will lead the charge in making it happen.
