Dive Brief:
- Sam’s Club’s retail media network announced Wednesday the launch of display ads in its app’s Scan & Go feature, integrating physical and digital retail media capabilities.
- The display ads will appear on the cart page of the club retailer’s app. The placement for these relevant pop-up ads aims to help shoppers more easily discover products and is a new way for Sam’s Club to measure member shopping behavior and ad performance in-store.
- Sam’s Club’s latest retail media move is the latest industry example of connecting digital retail media capabilities with the in-store experience.
Dive Insight:
The Walmart-owned club retailer's retail media network, Sam’s Club Member Access Platform (MAP), will display ads on the in-app cart page for members who opt into the service, according to the announcement. The ad then refreshes after each new product scan.
The new tool allows advertisers to connect with shoppers at the “point of conversion” and provides members with a more convenient shopping and product discovery experience, the press release noted.
“This new capability reflects our member obsession and commitment to ensuring ads reach the right members at the right time in their shopping journeys,” Diana Marshall, Sam’s Club’s executive vice president and chief growth officer, said in a statement.
The Scan & Go ad feature will also give Sam’s Club new insights into shopper behavior as well as the effectiveness of ads it pushes out. The ads will provide measurable results to the retailer’s ad and CPG partners, tracking metrics like return on ad spend, click-through rate, incremental sales and conversion rate, according to the press release.
The new Scan & Go display ads are currently available in all clubs for select members, and Sam’s Club plans to roll it out to all of its in-club shoppers over the next few weeks.
While scan-and-go app features have had a touch-and-go relationship with other grocers, the payment method has been a success in Sam’s Club stores. In March, the retailer shared that it has seen a 50% uptick in Scan & Go adoption over the past three years.
Expanding in-store retail media has been a defining advancement throughout the first half of 2024 as grocers push to bring digital personalization into store aisles.
Aisle screens, digital kiosks and end-cap displays have grown in popularity over the past six months and, like Sam’s Club’s new Scan & Go ads, they aim to promote product discovery while consumers are actively shopping and serve up new ad placements. Industry experts are also pushing for grocers to continue finding avenues for syncing in-store retail media with app features.
Earlier this year, Save A Lot expanded its partnership with Swiftly, allowing its technology partner to update its website and power its first-ever mobile app. The app will give Save A Lot customers the ability to clip and redeem coupons and offers from their phones.
