Comparing retail media business models on one retailer-advertiser exchange

Retail media business models should be compared on one job: an England retailer makes a defined placement available to one advertiser, approves the communication, records delivery and supplies an agreed report. The comparison below covers operating structures, not market prevalence or a recommendation.

Common comparison fields

For every route, identify the legal contracting parties, inventory owner, advertiser, approving editor, data roles, billable event, currency, VAT basis, reporting population, corrections and exit. Prices and thresholds remain UNKNOWN until a dated contract supplies them.

IAB UK's category definition recognises on-site, off-site and in-store environments. These settings must not be averaged: an on-site sponsored result, an off-site audience activation and a store screen have different delivery records and affected people.

Route	Who performs the work	Commercial unit to define	Buyer evidence	Exit question
Current merchandising baseline	retailer staff	no media charge unless a separate exchange exists	product record and placement decision	can the retailer continue without a media service?
Direct retailer sale	retailer media team	booking, time, delivered event or another contract unit	inventory authority, order and delivery log	can records and live material be withdrawn?
Managed network	supplier acts within retailer authority	media plus separately stated service charges	entity, permissions, actions and reconciliation	what returns to the retailer at termination?
Off-site activation	external media platform uses an approved retailer-data route	compatible media and data events	audience provenance, device operation and platform report	can use stop without losing the evidence trail?
Measurement or data service	analyst or technology provider processes defined records	report, query, event volume or agreed service	population, schema, method and uncertainty	are definitions, outputs and deletion evidenced?

Keep claims and measurement bounded

IAB Europe's Commerce Media Measurement Standards V2.1 includes defined sales measures and incrementality methods. It is a European industry standard, not proof that a supplier implemented the method or that a campaign caused sales.

A delivery event, product view, order, captured payment, return and retained sale are different states. Each model should report the same eligible population and window before a like-for-like comparison is attempted. Advertiser attribution remains separate from a causal estimate.

Keep regulatory gates outside the price score

The CAP Code applies to relevant non-broadcast marketing communications and places duties on advertisers, agencies and media. A managed supplier does not absorb every advertising decision merely by serving the placement.

Where online tracking is used, the ICO's storage and access guidance requires an examination of the actual technology, purpose and route under PECR and, where relevant, UK GDPR. Data access and statistical usefulness are independent questions.

The CMA's unfair commercial practices guidance provides the current consumer-law context for business-to-consumer practices. Product presentation and price gates cannot be offset by cheaper media.

Run one controlled comparison

Give each route the same fictional campaign record: one approved product, one creative, one placement window, a refused tracking choice, a correction, a return and a final export. Record which party can perform each action, what evidence it leaves and whether another reviewer can reproduce the result. Production serving stays disabled.

Keep failures visible. A route that cannot export its definitions is not comparable merely because its dashboard has a total. If the managed route bundles media, labour and technology, request separate units or mark the commercial field UNKNOWN. Do the same when an off-site platform cannot show which retailer permission supports its data use.

No universal winner exists. Choose only after every route has the same case, evidence fields, payable-event definition, internal-labour boundary and exit test. If a proposed model cannot fill them, retain the current route and record the gap.