Companies seem determined to make everything a retail media network. How did we get here?

It seems businesses are bent on making every surface shoppable, transforming everything that can be an ad network into one. It looks to be a growing trend this year, proven by the growth of the retail media network space, in which even companies beyond traditional retailers like Chase Bank and United Airlines have recently unveiled their own ad offerings to challenge more conventional retail media networks from the likes of Amazon, Walmart and Target.

No surface is safe as retail media moves off-site, into brand awareness channels. This shift is fueled by partnerships like the one between Instacart and YouTube, making YouTube ads shoppable for CPG brands, or Walmart’s acquisition of Vizio, that will add streaming capabilities to the retailer’s ad offering. By the end of this year, U.S. advertisers are expected to shell out $54.48 billion on retail media, according to eMarketer.

All signs point in the direction of everything that can become an ad network will do just that. But why? And how did we get here?

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