IGA co-creates retail media platform for independent retailers

Dive Brief:

Through a new partnership, the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) and Ideal by Design House have curated an on- and off-platform retail media network for independent retailers, according to a Tuesday press release.
The free-to-use, CPG-funded network combines thousands of independent retailers on one platform and aims to provide measurable feedback while improving the customer experience.
As larger grocery companies expand in-house retail media networks, IGA and Ideal’s own network allows independents to tap into the trend and leverage customer and CPG data.

Dive Insight:

The Ideal Retail Media Network offers on- and off-platform ad placements giving co-branded promotions to retailers and CPGs, the announcement said. CPG manufacturers will then receive data about in-store traffic, return on ad spend, basket size and category growth from the retail media platform.

As well as ad offers, the platform’s omnichannel technology aims to boost grocery shopper engagement with videos, sweepstakes, recipes, nutritional tips and more, per the press release.

“Ideal helps CPGs focus on their target retail audiences with off-site, co-branded programmatic display campaigns, while driving traffic to rich on-platform content within branded local digital circulars,” Adam Zimmerman, partner and senior vice president at Ideal, said in the announcement.

IGA is made up of over 6,000 supermarkets across 43 states and 30 countries, commonwealths and territories around the world, but this new retail media network is available to all independent retailers, not just IGA stores, the press release notes.

As retail media continues to advance across the grocery industry, more retailers are creating in-house retail media networks. However, this comes at a high cost that larger grocers can more easily afford, as they enlist third-party companies to help bring in new technology and process data measuring consumer behavior, buying habits and in-store versus online purchasing.

“When brands go to invest their media dollars, there is no reason for independent retailers to be left out,” IGA President and CEO John Ross said in the announcement. “Already IGA and Ideal have one of the largest media properties in the United States, and we have proven that brand and shopper marketing teams at big brands want to invest in our stores."