GrowthLoop Reveals Key Factors Driving Commerce Media Spending

NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- GrowthLoop, a pioneer in agentic AI-powered marketing solutions, has released its 2026 Commerce Media Investment Index, revealing that activation speed and audience options have become crucial factors in where advertisers allocate their retail and commerce media budgets. The study, conducted in partnership with Ascend2 and surveying nearly 300 U.S. and Canadian marketing professionals involved in retail media network (RMN) or commerce media network (CMN) advertising decisions, highlights the challenges and opportunities facing advertisers in the current market landscape.

According to the findings, 86% of advertisers believe that slow audience fulfillment could cause them to reduce their spending or leave a network partner. This underscores the critical role that timely and efficient audience delivery plays in maintaining and growing advertising budgets. Additionally, 85% of respondents indicated they would pay a premium for same-day fulfillment, emphasizing the value of speed in the competitive media environment.

The report also reveals that access to more audience segments significantly influences spending decisions. Only 38% of advertisers are extremely satisfied with the number of audiences available through their partners, while 95% say they would be more likely to increase their spend if given access to more segments. This suggests a strong demand for greater flexibility and customization in targeting audiences.

Speed and efficiency are not the only priorities for advertisers. The study also found that 92% would be more likely to increase their spend with faster audience fulfillment, and 94% would likely spend more with partners offering self-service audience-building tools. Advertisers reporting the strongest return on investment (ROI) are five times more likely than others to receive custom audiences the same day, highlighting the importance of real-time data and immediate insights.

Confidence in the measurement of incrementality, or the ability to prove the impact of advertising, is another key factor. Only 40% of advertisers are very confident in their partners' incrementality measurement. Those with high confidence in their partners' measurement spend a larger share of their digital budget on RMN/CMN and are more than twice as likely to significantly exceed their ROI targets. This indicates that advertisers are increasingly seeking transparent and verifiable metrics to justify their spending.

The findings also show that campaign results often arrive too late to guide the next decision. Nearly half of advertisers wait at least one week for post-campaign performance data, while only 8% receive it the same day. This delay can hinder the ability of advertisers to optimize future campaigns effectively. Just 32% say they can consistently use campaign results to optimize future audience targeting, underscoring the need for more timely and actionable insights.

To address these challenges, Gopuff, a leading instant commerce platform, has demonstrated how media networks can successfully provide better audiences, faster activation, and more comprehensive visibility into campaign metrics. By leveraging a composable commerce media solution, Gopuff has expanded its audience segments from 100 to more than 600 and increased the audience segments for its subsidiary, BevMo!, from 75 to 400. These expanded audience catalogs have given Gopuff's internal teams and brand partners a broader range of ready-to-use targeting options and created the groundwork for more customized segment offerings.

The report further reveals that advertisers spread significant budget across a crowded commerce media market. The majority of advertisers allocate at least 15% of their digital advertising budgets to these networks, and 90% work with two or more RMN or CMN partners. No respondents plan to decrease commerce media spend in the next year, and a full 85% plan to increase their spend. This indicates a growing commitment to commerce media as a key component of their overall marketing strategies.

In conclusion, the 2026 Commerce Media Investment Index provides valuable insights into the evolving priorities of advertisers in the retail and commerce media space. As media networks continue to face increasing pressure to deliver faster and more flexible audience options, those that can meet these demands are likely to see a significant boost in advertiser engagement and spending.