Nicole LalevaPentaleap, a leading retail media technology provider, proudly announces the release of the 4th edition of its report: H1 2025 Sponsored Product Benchmarks Report. The report, released today, reveals how sponsored products have rapidly expanded across major retail media networks (RMNs), with ad coverage growing over the past 18 months.
Based on retailer and advertiser data from Q3 2023 through Q1 2025, the report analyzes trends across 12 of the largest U.S. RMNs to explore how inventory strategies, category focus, and brand investment are evolving in real time.
"What was formerly a pure advertising game has now become a holistic optimization of retail sales and media revenue,” said Andreas Reiffen, Founder & CEO, Pentaleap. “This report offers the most comprehensive view yet of how sponsored products are evolving, tracking placements and brand investment across major RMNs over the past 18 months."
Sarah Marzano, Principal Analyst - Retail, Ecommerce and Retail Media, eMarketer and an early reviewer of the report agrees: “We’re at a point in the retail media maturity curve where most networks have captured the lowest-hanging fruit of on-site monetization. The next phase will require more strategic thinking - particularly when it comes to how ad slots are positioned.”
“Retailers are still experimenting with the depth and breadth of on-site advertising inventory, trying to strike a balance between monetization and customer experience.” said Kiri Masters, Retail Media Industry Analyst & Commentator, Forbes. “Most retailers are edging toward Amazon and Walmart’s likely saturation point, showing there’s still considerable opportunity for more sponsored products inventory and coverage."
Key Findings from the Report
The biggest players are holding strong:
Amazon, Walmart, and The Home Depot continue to lead in sponsored products coverage, operating at a scale that sets them apart. While overall coverage growth has stabilized at around three percentage points year-over-year, these dominant players maintain a significant lead in both inventory and reach.
Fluid, dynamic placements are reshaping execution:
Staples, CVS, and The Home Depot are leading the way in experimenting with fluid, dynamic sponsored product placements. These strategies are becoming key levers for driving relevance, flexibility, and efficiency at scale.
Retail media is becoming more democratized:
The percentage of small and emerging brands participating in retail media is increasing. Since Q3 2024, we see a gradual expansion of long-tail advertisers, signaling reduced retailer reliance on a handful of major spenders.
Monetization is up:
Between Q3 2023 and Q1 2025, most retailers increased their sponsored product coverage. Ad load per page remained relatively stable, suggesting more efficient monetization strategies.
