In today’s episode I dig into a surprising and quietly powerful engine of growth for retail media networks: long-tail advertisers. While major CPG brands continue to cap their RMN partnerships at around six networks, retailers are pouring investment into Amazon and Walmart-level capabilities, hoping to win those national budgets. But the ceiling isn’t moving… so where’s the growth coming from?

New data from Pentaleap's 2025 Sponsored Products Benchmark Report shows exactly where the action is. Retailers who are activating their long-tail ecosystems — smaller brands and third-party sellers — are seeing significant increases in impressions, revenue, and advertiser participation. I break down the numbers, the retailers leading the charge, and why the ability to scale thousands of smaller advertisers may be the single biggest opportunity for RMNs going into 2026.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:40] – Why major CPG brands are capping their retail media network relationships

[02:00] – The operational challenges that limit RMN expansion for large advertisers

[03:00] – How long-tail advertisers are emerging as a critical growth driver for RMNs

[03:26] – Examples of retailers seeing momentum from activating smaller brands and sellers

[04:19] – The role of third-party marketplaces in expanding advertiser participation

[05:42] – Why RMNs need new infrastructure to effectively support thousands of long-tail advertisers

Links & Resources

• Read my articles:
  • Inside Mars's Retail Media Investment Matrix
  • How Can RMNs Tap Upper-Funnel Brand Budgets
• Download Mirakl's Rakutren France case study
• Read the new Forrester Consulting study commissioned by Mirakl - Combine Retail Media and Marketplaces to Unlock the Next Growth Engine
• Get Pentaleap's H2 2025 Sponsored Products Benchmarks Report
• I'll be diving into the findings of the Pentaleap H2 2025 Sponsored Products Benchmark report with Pentaleap co-founder and CEO Andreas Reiffen on Thursday next week at 11AM ET! Join us LIVE here
• Are you based in Atlanta or plan to be in the ATL area on Weds Dec 3rd? Join me and a couple dozen of your new retail media industry besties for a festive happy hour! Register here
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

In today’s 'Snips' episode, I’m diving into one of the biggest unlocks for retail media networks right now: earning the trust (and the budgets) of media agencies. As retail media growth slows and retailers look beyond performance budgets, everyone suddenly wants a slice of those top-of-funnel brand-building dollars. But as I unpack the insights from Viv Craske and Colin Lewis from the Retail Media Therapy podcast, tapping into those budgets isn’t as simple as showing up with a pitch deck full of demographic reach stats.

I dissect what agencies actually want from RMNs, why most networks get their approach completely backwards, and what it really takes to become the obvious solution when a brief comes through. From identifying gaps in media plans, eliminating data gatekeeping, and building real, long-term agency relationships, this episode lays out a three-step strategy every RMN should be thinking about.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:42] – Why tapping into brand budgets is suddenly top priority for RMNs
[01:53] – The agency perspective: what they really need from retail media networks
[02:59] – The difference between demographic reach and true agency value
[04:12] – Why data access rather than gatekeeping is the make-or-break factor
[06:37] – The three-step, 6–9 month roadmap for building agency relationships
[07:45] – The resource reality: why this can’t be a “side-of-desk” project
[09:15] – The big miss: why most RMNs will fail to win brand budgets next year

Links & Resources

• Listen to the Retail Media Therapy episode in full - The Incrementality Myth and Winning With Media Agencies
• Subscribe to Retail Media Therapy
• Follow Viv Craske on LinkedIn
• Follow Colin Lewis on LinkedIn
• Read my articles:
  • Trade vs. Retail Media: Who's Really Eating Whom?
  • DSPs Wanted: The Retail Media Revolution 96% of Advertisers Crave
• Are you based in Atlanta or be in the ATL area on Weds Dec 3rd? Join me and a couple dozen of your new retail media industry besties for a festive happy hour! Register here
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn

This week, I’m breaking down a fascinating shift I’ve been watching closely: the moment AI-enabled commerce finally tips from novelty to norm, just in time for the holiday shopping rush. After a near-disaster of traveling without my wallet (which somehow wasn’t a disaster at all), I couldn’t help but notice how quickly behavior changes when technology quietly becomes infrastructure. And based on fresh Salesforce data, AI is hitting that same inflection point in retail.

In this episode, I dig into what’s different this year, why AI shopping tools are suddenly actually useful, and how shoppers are blending personalized AI agents with retailer-owned chat experiences. Plus, I share some surprising insights about Gen Z’s in-store resurgence, and why the most AI-proof part of retail media might just be happening in the physical aisle.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – The “forgot my wallet” travel moment and how quickly new behaviors become normal
[01:06] – Why this holiday season marks AI’s first real commerce stress test
[02:24] – The most meaningful new AI shopping tools consumers didn’t have last year
[03:52] – Are shoppers using retailer chatbots, or bringing their own LLM sidekick?
[06:29] – Salesforce data: retailers with AI chatbots are seeing 7× higher growth
[07:28] – The gap between retailer chatbots and personal AI assistants
[08:22] – Gen Z’s unexpected return to in-store shopping (with AI in hand)
[10:12] – What I’m watching as $73B in projected AI-influenced sales plays out this week

Links & Resources

• Read my articles:
  • Maybe Ads in AI Don't Have To Suck?
  • Vibe Marketing in Retail Media
  • Why GEO Isn't Enough: What CPG Brands Actually Control in Agentic Commerce
  • While We Debate What's 'Really' Agentic, Retail Media's Foundation Is Already Shifting
• Are you based in Atlanta or be in the ATL area on Weds Dec 3rd? Join me and a couple dozen of your new retail media industry besties for a festive happy hour! Register here
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn