Retail media is no longer just about ads on retailer websites—in APAC, it is becoming a core profit-driving channel, blending consumer engagement, sales, and loyalty into a single, high-impact ecosystem. In 2025, the real power of retail media will not be in inventory monetization but in how effectively it enhances the consumer experience to drive long-term value.
For CMOs and CEOs, this shift presents an operational challenge and a strategic opportunity. The brands that rethink their retail media approach beyond ad placement—leveraging personalization, omnichannel synergies, and data-driven storytelling—will be the ones that dominate. This article breaks down where APAC is headed in retail media transformation, the strategies driving success, and the competitive levers that will define winners.
Retail Media’s Next Battleground: Experience Over Exposure
Retail media networks (RMNs) have long been a high-margin revenue stream for retailers, but in APAC, their long-term value will be dictated by consumer stickiness, not just ad sales. The next phase of retail media isn’t about brands bidding for space—it’s about retailers creating integrated, experience-led ecosystems that keep shoppers engaged and spending.
How APAC Markets Are Leading This Shift
- Southeast Asia: Retailers like Shopee and Lazada are embedding RMNs into shoppertainment—using AI-driven video commerce, live shopping, and gamification to blend content and transactions seamlessly.
- China: JD.com and Alibaba are moving beyond conventional RMNs, integrating interactive ads within WeChat-like ecosystems, where ads transition into long-form engagement content, increasing retention and brand affinity.
- Australia & Japan: High-margin categories (electronics, luxury, FMCG) are pushing “in-store RMN” strategies, leveraging digital shelf displays and AI-driven in-store personalization to bridge online ad targeting with offline experience.
CMO Play:
Drop “media” from “retail media.” This is a full-funnel engagement channel, not just an ad-buying platform. Position retail media spend as consumer engagement investment, not ad placement cost.
Demand experience-led activations from retailers. In 2025, RMN success isn’t about reach—it’s about how it deepens the consumer-brand connection.
Retailers as Media Companies: The New Publisher Model
The biggest shift in 2025? Retailers are no longer just sales channels—they are media entities in their own right. APAC retailers are now demanding more from brands: not just ad spend but custom, co-created content that fuels their retail media ecosystems.
How This Is Playing Out in APAC
- Tesco Lotus Thailand: Uses brand-funded, AI-personalized video content on RMNs to boost category-level engagement, increasing cart size per transaction by 11%.
- Shopee Malaysia: Shoppable livestreams powered by first-party data now drive up to 35% of weekly RMN transactions—brands investing in co-created video content outperform pure ad placements.
- Woolworths (Australia): Personalized in-app digital coupons tied to RMNs increased repeat purchase rates by 23% by connecting media spend directly to loyalty incentives.
CMO Play:
Co-create, don’t just buy: If retailers are shifting towards content-driven RMNs, brands need to own storytelling and interaction—not just ad bidding.
Tie media spend to loyalty and commerce data: The strongest RMN activations in 2025 will be the ones that link ad spend directly to transaction impact.
The Revenue Game: Why Performance Metrics Will Decide RMN Leadership
APAC retailers are aggressively optimizing performance measurement models for RMNs, and the old CPM/CTR benchmarks are no longer enough. In 2025, RMN performance will be tied to direct revenue attribution, which means brands that treat RMNs like traditional digital ads will lose.
How APAC Retailers Are Redefining Success Metrics
- JD.com & Alibaba: Real-time, SKU-level performance attribution is now a default requirement—meaning brands only win with RMNs if they move the needle on transactions, not impressions.
- Carrefour Asia: New RMN playbooks tie ad success to SKU-margin contributions, forcing brands to prove incremental value beyond just clicks.
- GrabAds & GoTo Group (Indonesia): AI-driven attribution modeling now links ad exposure to in-store purchases, ensuring brands that advertise also get preferential in-store product placements.
CMO Play:
Treat RMNs as commerce-first, not media-first: If your RMN spend isn’t tied to actual transactions, you’re funding exposure, not revenue growth.
Push for real-time performance visibility: The best RMNs will let brands see direct purchase impact live—not post-campaign reports.
The CMO’s 2025 Retail Media Playbook
Retail media in APAC is no longer just about where you advertise—it’s about how your ad spend fuels an immersive, transaction-driven experience. As this shift accelerates in 2025, CMOs and CEOs need a fundamentally different approach to winning in retail media.
Key Strategic Imperatives
1. Stop Thinking in Impressions—Think in Conversions
→ Tie every RMN dollar to bottom-line growth. Move beyond traditional CPM-based ad buys and structure RMN investments around sales and engagement impact.
2. Own Consumer Engagement, Not Just Ad Space
→ Retail media is becoming an extension of your brand’s consumer journey. If your RMN ads aren’t integrated into loyalty, rewards, or experience-based activations, they are underleveraged.
3. Push for Smarter First-Party Data Collaboration
→ RMNs thrive on retailer first-party data—but access is the differentiator. The most successful brands will secure deeper insights and priority placement through long-term data partnerships, not just one-off buys.
4. Turn Retailers Into Brand Partners
→ Retailers are becoming media publishers, and brands that actively contribute content and co-create consumer experiences will gain priority access to premium placements.
5. Measure Smarter, Not Just Bigger
→ APAC RMNs are evolving beyond vanity metrics—success will be measured in direct SKU-level revenue impact, real-time purchase attribution, and engagement depth.
Final Thought: RMNs Will Decide APAC’s Brand Leaders in 2025
By 2025, retail media in APAC will no longer be just a performance channel—it will be a brand growth channel. The brands that invest in experience-first RMN strategies—those that integrate media, content, and commerce into seamless consumer journeys—will define the winners.
The question for CMOs and CEOs is no longer whether to invest in retail media—but how aggressively you will reshape your strategy to ensure your RMN investment translates into actual, measurable brand dominance.
