Brands want proof of extra sales before spending more on commerce media.
A survey by SMG, the IAB and IAB UK finds that brands will raise commerce media budgets mainly when retailers can prove their ads create sales that wouldn't have happened anyway. Reporting was named the least joined-up part of the channel.
The 36-page report, "The Commerce Media Connection Gap", surveyed 281 people in the UK, US, France, Germany, Spain and Australia in July and August 2026: 168 brands, 52 agencies and 61 retail and commerce media networks. Asked an open question about what would get them to invest more, 46% of the brands who answered named proven ROI and incremental sales. No other answer passed 8%. Reporting was picked as the least connected area by 34% of all respondents, ahead of creative (30%), consumer insights (29%) and planning and measurement (28%). Only 14% said multichannel campaigns are always planned from one brief, and the same share said they always get unified reporting.
The groups disagree on where the value is. Among brands, 58% chose an in-store environment as the place that adds most when connected, while networks leaned to onsite media. Across the sample, 41% called in-store the hardest to connect. AI split opinion too: 44% see it as the biggest advantage over the next three years and 39% call it the most overhyped capability today.
Read the numbers with care. The report gives no country breakdown, margin of error or recruitment method, the bases change from chart to chart, and SMG sells consultancy and technology to several of the retail networks quoted in it. PPC Land, which covered it on 24 October, found no publication date beyond 2026.
Gulf retailers are building their own networks, from Majid Al Futtaim's Precision Media to Panda Retail's, and buyers here face the same problem of a separate brief and report for each one. Ask each network how it measures incremental sales before adding budget.
Why it matters
Retail media networks will win budget by proving incremental sales and fitting into one plan, not by adding more placements.
Related trends.
McDonald's ends its 32-year FIFA World Cup sponsorship
McDonald's is ending its FIFA World Cup sponsorship after 32 years, Adweek reported on 23 October. The move follows a 2026 World Cup campaign that the company's own finance chief said fell short of expectations.
Why it mattersOne of sport's longest sponsorships is ending because the brand thinks its own assets now work harder than a borrowed tournament.
Dubai advertising school RAY graduates its first 25 students
RAY, which bills itself as Dubai's first dedicated advertising school, has graduated its first cohort of 25 students. Their final brief was Coca-Cola's global "The World Will Wait" platform, Communicate reported on 23 October.
Why it mattersPractitioner-led courses with real briefs are becoming a talent pipeline for Gulf agencies, taught by creative leaders from the big networks.
Omnicom says IPG integration is almost done, $900m savings on track
Omnicom says its integration of IPG is substantially complete, nearly a year after the deal closed, and that it is on track for $900m in cost savings this year. Third-quarter revenue grew 7.2% organically to $6bn, excluding businesses held for sale.
Why it mattersThe merged group says the disruption is mostly behind it, with media driving growth while creative revenue slips.
