Exploring the Future of Commerce Media: Key Takeaways from Our Cannes Lions Roundtable with PubMatic

In this post, our Industry Development & Insights Director, Marie-Clare Puffett, explores the key findings of our Commerce Media Roundtable with PubMatic.

I attended Cannes Lions for the second year in a row and once again, Commerce Media took centre stage on the French Riviera.  Once considered a fringe presence, Commerce Media is now firmly in the spotlight. Despite Amazon’s Andy Jassy being named Media Person of the Year, a perceived divide remains between traditional creatives and retail networks. Yet, major players used the event to unveil new capabilities and partnerships as summarised in this article from Retail Touchpoints. Some of note:

• DoorDash acquisition of Symbiosis
• Launch of Marriott Media Network
• Target’s Roundel integration of sales data into Google’s Performance Max campaigns

To explore the topic in more detail, together with PubMatic, we hosted an exclusive breakfast and roundtable event set against the backdrop of the hustle and bustle of the Boulevard de la Croisette, which was not short of media beaches, cabanas and cafe takeovers, many by commerce media players. The session brought more than 20 industry leaders together to unpack the latest findings from our Attitudes to Retail Media survey. The session included experts from Tesco Media, Ahold Delhaize, CVS, Wolt Ads, Albertson’s, REWE and PayPal and spotlighted how stakeholders across the advertising ecosystem are navigating investment, innovation, and the growing role of Retail Media Networks (RMNs) in Europe.

Key themes emerged from the discussion:

• First-party data is the fuel for growth. Retailers are looking beyond traditional media activations, aiming to equip agencies with tools that narrate the full shopper journey. One major retailer is even launching a dedicated programme to support this shift.
• Fragmentation of RMNs remains a budgetary roadblock. While some see programmatic infrastructure as a path to greater efficiency, concerns over data leakage, reduced transparency, and diminished margins complicate adoption.
• AI is already reshaping Retail Media. Its application is gaining traction, especially for creative development and campaign optimisation, hinting at a future driven by intelligent automation.
• Incrementality is both a metric and a mindset. As advertisers look to prove campaign value, incrementality is surfacing not just as a measurement standard, but as a potential lever for real-time optimisation. Read our blog on Incrementality Measurement here for more on our work in this space. 

Together, these insights reflect a sector that’s innovating rapidly, but still reckoning with foundational challenges. As collaboration grows between buy- and sell-side players, opportunities to streamline standards, safeguard data, and unlock scalable impact are coming into sharper focus.

You can discover more about our Retail & Commerce Media initiatives here, and explore our integral work on measurement standards here. We’re also excited to share that our latest Attitudes to Retail Media report will be available in July. Stay tuned for its release to gain fresh insights into how buyers and sellers across Europe are engaging with this space. 

To learn more about membership opportunities and how you can get involved, connect with me (Marie-Clare) at puffett [at] iabeurope.eu.