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As retail media networks continue to grow, so does the pressure to deliver clear, actionable results. Measurement and attribution are no longer just operational necessities—they’re strategic differentiators.
Yet, many retailers and advertisers still grapple with incomplete data, outdated attribution models and misaligned expectations. For 2025, it’s time to set a new standard: Honest measurement must be the priority for every retailer and advertiser navigating the evolving retail media landscape.
In this blog, we'll define honest measurement and explore why it's so crucial for retail media.
Honest measurement means providing clear, accurate and actionable insights that reflect the true impact of retail media efforts. For brands, it’s about understanding how their campaigns directly influence shopper behavior and drive sales—not just clicks or impressions. For retailers, it’s about delivering transparent reporting that showcases the value of their media networks while fostering trust with their brand partners.
Honest measurement cuts through inflated metrics and unclear attribution models, enabling brands and retailers to work from a shared foundation of truth. By prioritizing this approach, both sides can align on performance goals, optimize media spend and strengthen long-term partnerships.
For advertisers—whether CPGs, brands or agencies—measurement and attribution are critical decision-making factors in retail media investment. Without clear, reliable data that proves campaign impact, advertisers often face hurdles in justifying spend and scaling their efforts.
Consider these statistics:
Unfortunately, many advertisers feel their current solutions fall short. Challenges like double-counting shoppers, inaccurate or inflated attribution and poor identity resolution lead to misleading results that fail to reflect true campaign impact. This isn’t just frustrating—it also undermines confidence in retail media investments.
The best retail media solutions pair relevant and nuanced activation capabilities with advanced attribution and measurement tools. It's important for advertisers to look for platforms that offer:
These features help advertisers optimize campaigns and drive stronger business outcomes on their media investment. The strongest solutions also stay ahead of the curve by offering media measurement that can:
By leveraging platforms with cutting-edge capabilities, advertisers can achieve transparency, precision and performance, avoiding common pitfalls like double-counted or missed conversions. With the right tools, brands can confidently measure the true impact of their campaigns across channels.
For retailers, accurate measurement is equally critical. Your ability to demonstrate campaign success is the foundation for building trust with your brand partners—and securing future investments. But, with fragmented systems and inconsistent reporting, many retail media networks struggle to meet the rising expectations of advertisers.
This isn’t just a theoretical problem. According to eMarketer:
When retailers can’t provide advertisers with the insights they need, brands are forced to look elsewhere. This creates a vicious cycle where trust erodes, investments stagnate and retail media networks fail to reach their full potential.
When evaluating retail media platforms, it's important for retailers to prioritize solutions that offer flexible attribution models and unified reporting capabilities (across tactics and capturing online and in-store transactions). These features help retailers achieve a holistic view of campaign performance and:
By choosing a solution that empowers honest measurement, retailers can stand out in a competitive market and attract the advertisers that fuel growth.
The stakes for accurate measurement have never been higher. With retail media spend projected to grow rapidly, both advertisers and retailers need solutions that deliver clarity and confidence in their results.
For advertisers, honest measurement means knowing exactly how your campaigns drive sales and avoiding common pitfalls like:
For retailers, honest measurement means being able to confidently answer advertisers’ toughest questions, including:
At Epsilon Retail Media, we believe the future of retail media lies in transparency, accountability and innovation. By setting a new standard for honest measurement, our goal is to help both retailers and advertisers achieve their goals.
Honest measurement isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a resolution worth keeping. As you plan for the year ahead, consider how better attribution and reporting can transform your retail media strategy:
Let’s make 2025 the year of accountability, accuracy and growth. With Epsilon Retail Media, you’ll have the tools to achieve your honest measurement resolution through 2025 and beyond.
