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SEPTEMBER 21, 2026 |
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Commerce media has ambitions beyond the bottom of the funnel. But expanding into CTV, social, and the open web does not automatically make it a full-funnel channel.
That was one of the central discussion topics at EMARKETER’s Future of Digital summit last week. Commerce signals can help advertisers understand and reach consumers well before they are ready to buy. But brands already have direct relationships with search engines, social platforms, video providers, and publishers. Commerce media networks need to prove what they add to those investments, particularly as they ask advertisers to accept more cost and complexity. |
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Commerce media’s strongest argument for a larger role may be the data behind it. |
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“Historically, it's been this lower of the funnel tactic: have I driven the immediate sale? Now it's an intelligence layer we're able to apply across the full funnel,” said Stephanie Desai, vice president of sales at Verve, a global ad tech company. |
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Walgreens is making a renewed push to attract in-store retail media dollars. The pharmacy chain is partnering with retail media platform Looma to install digital screens in 1,200 stores by early 2027, per a LinkedIn announcement from John Storms, Walgreens’ vice president of digital and retail media. |
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Walgreens appears to have learned from its previous, ill-fated attempt to integrate digital screens into the in-store experience. This time, the displays will be placed adjacent to the products and categories they’re meant to support—rather than obscure them, as its cooler screens did. The retailer will also install two large screens near the front of the store and in pharmacy waiting areas. |
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The screens will display a mix of ads and educational content created by Looma featuring experts and creators.
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Campaign performance will be measured using “full-funnel metrics” to deliver insights beyond how often an ad was played, Walgreens told Modern Retail. |
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The partnership extends Looma’s network, which currently includes more than 7,000 screens across 10 retailers, including Kroger, Harris Teeter, and BJ’s Wholesale. Once the Walgreens displays go live, Looma’s ad partners will be able to extend their campaigns to the retailer’s stores. |
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