When it comes to breaking into the retail media space, competing with the likes of Albertsons and Walmart isn’t easy for smaller grocery chains. But regional grocers aren’t backing down.

Retailers like Giant Eagle have been proving this year that the right partnerships can bring in the same advertising partners as their national competitors and also help them tap into the same technology.

Giant Eagle and Wegmans, for example, each announced earlier this month a partnership with Rippl, a data and media network created specifically to bolster regional grocers’ retail media platforms. The partnership made a single access point for each grocer for advertising partners and, in Giant Eagle’s case, allowed its retail media arm, Leap, to remain an in-house operation overseen by the grocer.   

While consolidation of retail media networks is trending amongst regional grocers, it isn’t the only option. When Wakefern Food Corp. launched its retail media network in March, it boasted about the platform’s easy management system with cross-channel optimization and self-service campaign management. Being able to provide real-time standardized measurement as well as personalization tools are key for regional grocers entering the space.

But these partnerships aren’t reserved only for the online side of retail media. 

Nearly a year after launching a retail media network in conjunction with Swiftly, The Save Mart Companies recently tapped Quad/Graphics, Inc., to roll out digital screens, kiosks, end caps, shelf screens and vertical banners throughout 16 locations, allowing CPG partners to showcase promotions, product information and recommendations to shoppers. 

As the growth of retail media shows no sign of slowing down, regional grocers refuse to be left in the dust. Here’s a look at the top retail media moves by these players in the first half of 2024.