Retail Media: the king of advertising in 2026

This historic shift, driven by growth of 8.8% in 2025 and 7% expected in 2026, marks a profound recomposition of the media mix.

Proof of this is that Lidl France has announced the end of its investments in linear television. While the brand now represents the second largest national advertiser, it will now shift its budgets (among others) to online video. This decision opens up new discussions on the subject of the future of television advertising.

Optimized costs in an inflationary context

In times of inflation, brands rearbitrate their budgets towards more accessible channels. While the prices of retail media advertising space increase with the success of the channel, they remain significantly more affordable than television prime time.

“Last mile” performance

Retail media intervenes in the immediate vicinity of the conversion, with shoppers who are already in the process of buying. Thanks to retailer first-party data, brands can target precisely based on purchase history or product affinities. Where television broadcasts widely in the hope of reaching a relevant audience, retail media surgically activates individuals with high potential value.

Unprecedented measurability

Intrinsically linked to data, retail media offers complete traceability of performance with a granularity that can go as far as the analysis of sales by EAN. This ability to directly attribute investment and commercial results is a decisive advantage in the face of the historical limitations of television. While CTV tends to correct these shortcomings, it does not yet fully compensate for the television medium's measurement weaknesses.

Unparalleled operational flexibility

Personalization, A/B testing, real-time tracking, adjustments during the campaign: retail media offers agility that is impossible to replicate on television. Campaigns adapt dynamically to hot data (browsing behavior, product interactions), creating contextual and relevant advertising experiences. Moreover, although retail must comply with current legal obligations in terms of advertising, it is still subject to fewer regulatory constraints than traditional television.

A field of multiple opportunities

Far from being purely transactional, retail media is active throughout the buying process: reputation, brand building, customer experience, recruitment, loyalty. The digital environment makes it possible to integrate interactive and gamified experiences, emotion, storytelling. This young channel offers a unique field of innovation where performance and creativity combine. More than just a question of channel, it is the creative dimension that will allow advertisers to emerge. As such, Intermarch' advertising, which made an impression during the holiday season, did not draw its success from its distribution channel, but from its history and the production associated with it. In addition, the buzz was mainly driven by digital technology.

The overtaking of television by retail media in 2026 is not cyclical: it is the result of a structural transformation of retail marketing. Brands that master this channel will benefit from a sustainable competitive advantage.