Ahead of our Retail Media Impact Summit, taking place on 7th October in Amsterdam, we caught up with Lieke Buisman, Head of Partner Marketing & Retail Media at MediaMarkt Benelux, to hear more about her session, The Next Frontier: Monetising Non-Endemic Demand in Retail Media.
Non-endemic Retail Media is opening up new opportunities for retailers to work with brands beyond their traditional product categories. But sustainable growth depends on more than simply expanding the advertiser base. The strongest opportunities are those that create clear value for the brand, remain relevant to the shopper and support the retailer’s wider commercial objectives.
As we continue our work to define the near-endemic and non-endemic Retail Media opportunity, this session will bring the topic to life through a real-world example: Opel’s campaign with MediaMarkt Saturn. Lieke will explore what made the partnership work, what retailers need to consider when opening their media proposition to non-endemic brands, and where the next growth opportunities could come from.
“As Retail Media continues to mature as a marketing discipline, many endemic advertisers have already established their presence, meaning growth increasingly comes from optimising the media mix rather than simply expanding investment. For non-endemic advertisers, Retail Media has traditionally been outside their usual media strategy and, at times, perceived as a risk due to uncertainty around the return on investment.
However, as more measurement frameworks and independent studies, such as cross-media effectiveness research, demonstrate the impact of Retail Media on both brand and business outcomes, non-endemic advertisers are becoming more confident. This evidence is encouraging a test-and-learn mindset and opening the door to new categories and budgets.”
“Retail Media initially developed as a highly effective conversion channel, particularly for endemic advertisers. In many cases, Retail Media investments were funded through trade marketing budgets, making sales and conversion metrics the primary focus.
As Retail Media has evolved, it has become increasingly clear that it also drives broader brand objectives, including awareness, consideration, and purchase intent. This naturally attracts stakeholders beyond purely commercial teams, many of whom are focused on sales targets and short-term results.
To create alignment across the organisation, Retail Media teams should measure both brand and commercial outcomes. Alongside traditional media metrics, it is important to track indicators such as brand uplift, consideration, purchase intent, incremental sales, and return on investment. Connecting media performance to business outcomes helps create a common language between marketing and commercial teams.”
“Our session will showcase independent research conducted by Kantar, highlighting the role Retail Media can play alongside traditional above-the-line (ATL) media. Using our Opel case study, we will demonstrate how Retail Media delivered a significant contribution to both brand and sales objectives, while also proving highly effective from a cost-per-impact perspective.
What makes this case particularly interesting is the insight that traditional car dealership showroom traffic was declining. Rather than waiting for consumers to come to the showroom, we brought the showroom experience closer to where the target audience already was.
I hope attendees leave with a broader understanding of Retail Media's ability to drive both brand building and commercial performance, and how innovative partnerships can unlock new opportunities for growth.”
“My advice is to always look at both brand and sales outcomes and to build an integrated media strategy. Retail Media should not be viewed in isolation but as part of a broader marketing mix.
When retailers and brands focus on shared business objectives and measure success across the full customer journey, collaboration becomes much stronger. This approach is especially valuable for smaller advertisers, as it allows them to understand the total impact of their investment rather than evaluating channels separately. Ultimately, integrated planning and measurement lead to better decision-making and stronger results for everyone involved.”
“To me, this theme reflects the transition of Retail Media from a fast-growing opportunity into a mature and strategically important part of the marketing ecosystem. The industry is moving beyond the initial excitement and focusing more on effectiveness, measurement, standardisation, and long-term value creation.
I am particularly looking forward to seeing case studies and perspectives from across Europe. Every market is evolving in its own way and brings unique insights, challenges, and innovations. Events like this are a great opportunity to learn from one another, exchange ideas, and collectively shape the next phase of Retail Media growth.”
Hear more from Lieke Buisman and other senior leaders at IAB Europe’s Retail Media Impact Summit, taking place on 7th October in Amsterdam.
Under the theme Beyond the Boom: The Next Chapter of Retail Media Growth, the Summit will bring together retailers, brands, agencies, Retail Media Networks, technology partners and industry leaders to explore the priorities defining the next phase of Retail and Commerce Media in Europe.
