The retail media guide for off-site growth

Retail media has become a core part of modern advertising strategies, helping brands connect media investment more directly to commerce outcomes. Much of that growth has been driven by on-site retail media — ads that run within retailer-owned environments. 

At the same time, off-site retail media has steadily expanded alongside it. By applying retail data across the open internet, advertisers can extend campaigns into channels like connected TV (CTV), online video, display, audio, and digital out-of-home (DOOH). 

As retail media budgets grow, advertisers are placing greater emphasis on scale, flexibility, and cross-channel activation. That means exploring how retail data can be the building blocks of robust audiences. For a closer look at how U.S. marketers and agency decision-makers are navigating the retail media landscape, The Trade Desk Intelligence partnered with market research firm NewtonX to understand how off-site activation is helping advertisers expand reach and power retail data across premium media environments. 

Why retail media growth is expanding beyond on-site 

Retail media is projected to grow continuously over the next several years. In fact, it is estimated to account for 20% of total digital ad spend by 2030, with ad spend projected to grow 57% between 2026 and 2030.¹ 

That momentum reflects how valuable retail media has become for advertisers looking to connect media exposure with commerce outcomes. As the channel matures, advertisers are also recognizing that future growth will require more than retailer-owned inventory alone. 

Retail data is increasingly being activated across the open internet, helping advertisers: 

• Extend audience reach beyond retailer-owned properties 

• Apply retail insights across more channels and formats 

• Build full-funnel campaigns with greater flexibility 

• Create more consistent consumer experiences across touchpoints 

This evolution is expanding what retail media can deliver, transforming it from a primarily on-site tactic into a broader omnichannel opportunity. 

Why advertisers are looking beyond on-site alone 

On-site retail media continues to play a critical role in advertisers’ strategies. Roughly 76% of retail media dollars are still activated on-site today.¹ For many advertisers, on-site activation delivers direct access to moments of consumer consideration and purchase intent. 

However, according to the research, advertisers are also managing increasingly fragmented workflows across RMNs, from negotiations and buying processes to measurement and reporting. As retail media claims a larger share of media investment, there is growing demand for approaches that simplify activation and create more unified cross-channel visibility. 

Advertisers surveyed in our study say they are navigating new pressures as budgets scale; for instance: 

As more advertisers compete for finite on-site inventory, teams agree they are looking for ways to maintain performance while expanding reach and improving operational efficiency. 

According to the research, advertisers are also managing increasingly fragmented workflows across retail media networks (RMNs), from negotiations and buying processes to measurement and reporting. As retail media claims a larger share of media investment, there is growing demand for approaches that simplify activation and create more unified cross-channel visibility. 

How advertisers are scaling retail media across networks 

The scale of retail media has outgrown single-network strategies. Today, 84% of retail media users activate across multiple RMNs,³ and as that number grows, so does demand for more connected approaches. Advertisers want consistent workflows, unified measurement, and the ability to activate audiences seamlessly across their broader media mix. 

Additionally, 7 in 10 buyers cite buying complexity, standardization, and cost as important considerations when scaling retail media efforts.⁴ In response, advertisers and agency respondents say they are looking to prioritize solutions that improve interoperability, simplify activation, and create more unified cross-channel visibility. 

As retail media continues to evolve, the opportunity is shifting from simply accessing inventory to building more connected strategies across retailers and media environments. 

Why off-site is the growth engine 

Retail media investment is entering a new phase of growth, with advertisers placing greater focus on where retail data can travel beyond retailer-owned environments. Off-site activation is helping brands extend retail insights into premium media experiences across the open internet, creating more opportunities to engage audiences throughout the consumer journey. 

That reach spans channels where consumers are highly engaged, including: 

• CTV 

• Online video 

• Display 

• Audio 

• DOOH 

The shift is already underway. Two-thirds of off-site retail media dollars are predicted to be allocated across these channels,² reflecting growing demand for scalable, cross-channel strategies that connect commerce data with premium media environments. 

Meanwhile, the momentum behind off-site activation continues to accelerate, with 2026 off-site retail media spend projected to grow at twice the rate of on-site activation (+30% vs. +16%).¹  

According to the study, advertisers surveyed are increasingly recognizing the broader strategic advantages of off-site activation²: 

For advertisers, off-site activation can help unlock new possibilities for applying retail data across the full consumer journey. That includes: 

• Extending campaigns beyond lower-funnel environments 

• Managing frequency more consistently across channels 

• Unifying budgets and activation strategies 

• Improving transparency and cross-retailer measurement 

It also allows brands to bring retail-informed messaging into the premium content environments where consumers spend time throughout the day, creating more connected omnichannel experiences. 

What makes off-site retail media a premium strategy 

As advertisers expand retail media strategies beyond on-site placements, premium media environments are becoming an increasingly important part of the equation. 

Off-site retail activation gives advertisers the ability to combine retail data with more trusted, high-quality content across the open internet, which creates opportunities to deliver more relevant advertising experiences while maintaining greater transparency and control. 

Several characteristics make off-site activation well-suited for premium media strategies across the open internet. 

Quality environments: Advertisers can align campaigns with trusted media experiences and extend audience reach beyond retailer-owned properties. 

Seamless consumer experiences: Brands are able to create more cohesive experiences across channels and formats with reduced disruption and better ad relevance. 

Greater control and transparency: Advertisers gain more visibility into where ads appear, how often audiences are reached, and how performance is measured across channels. 

Together, these advantages are helping advertisers view off-site retail media not simply as an extension of on-site activation, but as a premium omnichannel strategy in its own right. 

A more open, connected retail media 

Retail media’s next era of growth will be shaped by how effectively advertisers can scale retail data activation beyond on-site environments. As budgets grow and strategies become more sophisticated, advertisers are increasingly prioritizing more connected consumer experiences. 

Off-site activation can answer that demand by bringing retail data into premium media across the open internet, creating greater cohesion across the full media investment. 

For advertisers, that means more seamless collaboration across retail media networks, with better visibility and control over how campaigns perform. Retail data is more powerful when it travels. Off-site activation is how it gets there. 

Unless otherwise specified, all results reflect the proprietary research conducted by The Trade Desk and NewtonX. This information is provided solely for background and is not a representation or guarantee of any future performance.  

Sources:

1. EMarketer, December 2025, USA: https://​fore​casts​-na1​.emar​keter​.com/​6​1​8​c​3​8​9​c​2​0​0​d​b​d​0​e​3​c​d​d​c​b​6​f​/​6​8​e​5​3​e​a​a​2​b​3​6​d​f​7​d​a​4​f​00f80

2. The Trade Desk Intelligence and NewtonX, Retail Media Research, U.S., October 2025. 

3. EMarketer, July 2024, USA: https://​chart​-na1​.emar​keter​.com/​2​6​8​0​4​2​/​n​u​m​b​e​r​-​o​f​-​r​e​t​a​i​l​-​m​e​d​i​a​-​n​e​t​w​o​r​k​s​-​r​m​n​s​-​c​u​r​r​e​n​t​l​y​-​u​s​e​d​-​b​y​-​u​s​-​m​a​r​k​e​t​e​r​s​-​j​a​n​-​2​0​2​4​-​o​f​-​r​e​s​p​o​n​dents 

4. IAB, September 2023, USA: https://​www​.iab​.com/​n​e​w​s​/​i​a​b​-​a​n​d​-​m​r​c​-​r​e​l​e​a​s​e​s​-​r​e​t​a​i​l​-​m​e​d​i​a​-​m​e​a​s​u​r​e​m​e​n​t​-​g​u​i​d​e​l​ines/