Retail media has been the golden child of digital advertising, but 2025 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year. Brands have been pouring money into retail media networks (RMNs), but now they want proof that these investments are driving real business results. If the numbers don’t add up, budgets will shrink fast.
Ovative Group, an independent media and measurement firm, just laid out the hard truths in its latest report, “Secrets to Scaling: 4 Must-Know RMN Hot Takes for 2025.” The message is clear—retail media networks need to step up or risk losing advertiser dollars.
The Four Big Shifts Coming
According to Ovative’s experts, RMNs will need to adapt in four key ways:
- Trust is everything. Advertisers are done throwing money at networks without proof of real returns. If RMNs can’t show that ad spend leads to actual revenue, brands will take their money elsewhere.
- Easy growth is over. Retailers can’t just slap ads on their websites and expect endless profits. The ones that succeed will find new ways to grow, like expanding into offsite media and building smarter partnerships.
- Collaboration is no longer optional. Retail media and merchandising teams have been working in silos for too long. If they don’t start working together, they’ll miss out on major revenue opportunities.
- Fragmentation is a money pit. Right now, 58% of suppliers say the lack of standardization is making investment in RMNs harder. AI and automation will be key to keeping costs down and making these networks scalable.
The Harsh Reality for Retail Media
“RMNs can’t just be a high-margin revenue stream for retailers anymore,” said Steve Baxter, EVP of Strategic Initiatives at Ovative Group. In other words, retailers can no longer rely on easy ad revenue while ignoring whether those ads actually work.
Advertisers are demanding more. They want accountability, transparency, and—most importantly—proof that their money is driving results beyond superficial return on ad spend (ROAS) metrics. Derek Nelson, Sr. Director of Retail Media at Ovative Group, put it bluntly: “The only way forward is proving incremental value, not just delivering impressions and superficial ROAS numbers.”
A New Standard for Measuring Success
To help brands track real impact, Ovative Group is pushing its Enterprise Marketing Return (EMR) framework. This approach looks beyond traditional ad metrics and focuses on total business impact.
Their proprietary EMRge™ platform is built to track this kind of data, showing brands where their media investments are actually making a difference. In an industry that’s been obsessed with vanity metrics, this could be a major shift.
Where Retail Media Goes From Here
For RMNs, the honeymoon phase is over. Brands are no longer willing to invest in platforms that can’t prove their worth. Networks that adapt—by focusing on real results, smarter partnerships, and stronger collaboration—will be the ones that thrive.
Retailers that keep treating RMNs like a quick cash grab? They might not make it through 2025.
Read the full report here.