H2 2025 Sponsored Products Benchmarks Report by Pentaleap

Pentaleap's recent H2 2025 Sponsored Product Benchmarks Report reveals how the world’s largest retail media networks (RMNs) are moving toward more fluid, relevance-driven sponsored products strategies. Based on retailer and advertiser data from Q2 2025 through Q3 2025, with year-over year comparisons to Q2 2024–Q3 2024, the report tracks sponsored products, analyzing how inventory strategy, ad placement, and search visibility have evolved over the past year.

“The biggest shift we’re seeing isn’t about who has the most coverage—it’s about how retailers are using it,” said Andreas Reiffen, Co-founder and CEO, Pentaleap. “Many major U.S. retailers tracked in this report are adding inventory. But beyond simply adding more slots, a growing number are placing ads dynamically or using a Fluid strategy, harmonizing ads and organic to maximize both relevance and performance.”

Key Findings from the Report

Fluid sponsored product strategies are gaining momentum:

A growing number of retailers are adopting fluid ad grids, distributing sponsored products more evenly across results instead of locking them into fixed top slots. Retailers like The Home Depot, CVS, Staples and Macy's are leading this shift, testing how fluid layouts affect both visibility and shopper engagement.

The Home Depot leads in fluid adoption:

Year-over-year, The Home Depot increased sponsored product coverage to 94%, a 20%bumpfrom an already high base of 78%. This retailer has also expanded ad visibility across a broader range of search terms—especially two-keyword queries— reflecting its move toward dynamic, relevance-first placements.

Albertsons’ strategy is evolving fast:

Albertsons recorded headline coverage growth of 81% and a 30+ percentage-point increase in one-word query coverage, signaling a more sophisticated approach driven by tech innovation and new format testing.

Amazon and Walmart remain benchmarks—but the narrative is shifting:

While Amazon and Walmart continue to lead in total volume and format breadth, the competitive story is now about how flexibly retailers deploy sponsored products, not simply how many.

Keyword strategies are getting smarter:

Across the board, retailers improved sponsored coverage on both short- and long-tail queries, supported by better ad serving and search algorithms.

The H2 2025 Sponsored Product Benchmarks Report is available now for free download: