Fresh from Cannes Lions, I'm unpacking one of the biggest themes that kept surfacing across analyst discussions: retail media's greatest obstacles aren't external — they're internal. While everyone is focused on AI, tariffs, and the next wave of disruption, the conversations I heard pointed somewhere much closer to home. Misaligned organizations, inconsistent measurement, and teams speaking the same language but meaning completely different things may be holding retail media back more than any emerging technology.

I also share highlights from an analyst panel featuring Sarah Marzano, Andrew Lipsman, Debbie Aho Williamson and myself. We debated "dark search," AI-assisted shopping, attribution, and whether generative AI is fundamentally changing commerce, or simply accelerating trends that were already underway. If you're trying to understand where retail media is headed next, this episode connects the dots.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[01:00] eMarketer's forecast: Retail media surpasses $100 billion, and why slower growth could actually signal maturity.

[02:16] The "same words, different forks" analogy explains why brands, retailers, and media teams keep talking past one another.

[03:49] I share my perspective on "dark search" and how AI assistants are quietly reshaping product discovery before shoppers ever reach a retailer.

[05:25] Andrew Lipsman challenges the "dark search" narrative, arguing the real issue is attribution, not visibility.

[07:09] Our debate turns to agentic commerce: Is AI changing shopping behavior or simply improving search?

[08:30] Debbie Aho Williamson shares real-world ChatGPT shopping examples and early advertising data that could reshape how retailers think about discovery.

Links & Resources

• Thanks to Sensor Tower for inviting me to speak at this event. You can check out their retail media insghts offering here.
• US retail media passes $100 billion by 2029
• eMarketer's survey of RMN leaders, run with Bain
• Reality Check(mate), Andrew Lipsman's most recent volley
• Sensor Tower numbers on early ChatGPT advertising
• Read my related articles:
  • The Demons Inside Retail Media, Part 1: GROWTH
  • Does 'Dark Search' Help or Harm Retail Media?
• I am sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

When I sat down with Harvey Ma at Cannes Lions this week, I wanted to understand what was really happening behind Walmart’s announcement that it was bringing Walmart Connect, Walmart Connect International, and Sam’s Club’s retail media business into closer alignment. On the surface, it looks like a straightforward consolidation storY. But as Harvey explained, the reality is much more nuanced.

In this episode, I unpack what the new Sam’s Club Connect brand means for advertisers, how Walmart and Sam’s Club plan to share technology and measurement capabilities, and why maintaining distinct shopper experiences may be more important than achieving scale. I also explore the surprising differences between Walmart shoppers and Sam’s Club members, and what this tells us about the future of retail media consolidation.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

00:24 – Walmart announces a major restructuring of its global advertising business, bringing Walmart Connect and Sam’s Club closer together.

02:05 – What the launch of Sam’s Club Connect actually means and why “operate separately, increasingly aligned” is the key phrase to understand.

03:31 – Harvey explains how Sam’s Club’s deterministic member data creates a unique measurement advantage that can benefit Walmart.

04:10 – How Sam’s Club’s experiential retail media expertise—from demos to sampling—could influence Walmart’s broader strategy.

06:19 – Harvey shares why the overlap between Walmart shoppers and Sam’s Club members may be much smaller than advertisers assume.

07:57 – The biggest misconception about the announcement: why Walmart isn’t trying to create “one blob” of retail media.

09:05 – What the Sam’s Club Connect rebrand reveals about retail media consolidation, commerce media networks, and the limits of scale.

Links & Resources

• Follow Harvey Ma, VP & GM, Sam’s Club Connect Retail Media, on LinkedIn
• Read my related articles:
  • 'Not A Tax': How Sam's Club Is Fixing Retail Media's Trust Problem (Forbes)
  • Sam's Club Cracked the Code on In-Store Retail Media—Here's How They Did It
  • Sam's Club Bets Big on 'Experiential' Retail Media
  • What if there really are too many commerce media networks?
• I am sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn

I’m coming to you once again from Cannes, this time from the PayPal Ads Café on the Croisette. It’s been a whirlwind few days here, not just in terms of meetings and panels, but also the unexpected number of conversations I’m having about my upcoming move from the U.S. back to Australia. Let’s just say the global retail media community has opinions.

In today’s dispatch, I’m sharing early signals from Cannes around agentic media buying, retail data infrastructure, and the evolving intersection of creators and retail media. From Walmart’s latest moves with Sam’s Club Connect, to how CPGs are thinking about data lakes and in-store stock accuracy, to the rise of hyper-local creative and 3D digital out-of-home, there’s a lot shaping what comes next for retail media.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] Kicking off from Cannes: reflections from the PayPal Ads Café and the unexpected reactions to my move back to Australia.

[00:45] A preview of tomorrow’s conversation with Harvey Ma from Sam’s Club Connect and Walmart’s broader retail media rebrand and strategy shift.

[01:27] Early CPG thinking on agentic media buying, including using data lakes for in-store stock tracking before even applying it to advertising use cases.

[03:15] The rise of creator-led retail media strategies: how major retailers like Walmart, Amazon, Target, and Kroger are building creator networks and evolving affiliate models.

[06:15] Nestlé, Dollar General, and Big Happy showcase how hyper-local creative, dynamic optimization, and 3D digital out-of-home are reshaping retail media execution.

[09:00] Final reflections from Cannes and what I’ll be digging into next, including upcoming interviews and behind-the-scenes conversations.

Links & Resources

• Recent Big Happy announcement on Adweek: Big Happy Launches Dynamic Creative Optimization for 3D DOOH
• Subscribe to The CPG Guys podcast on Apple Podcasts
• Follow Nicole Lesinski, Director, eCommerce Strategy @ Nestlé on LinkedIn
• Follow Tony Rogers, CMO @ Dollar General Media Network, on LinkedIn
• Follow Gabby Stoller, CRO @ Big Happy, on LinkedIn
• Read my related articles:
  • The Last Mile of America: Inside Austin Leonard's Plan For Dollar General Media Network
  • Everyone's Going Gaga Over Creators. I Had Some Questions.
  • Agentic Shopping Might Seem Crazy. So Did Self-Service Supermarkets.
• I am sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Catch me at Cannes 2026, check out all my Events
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn