The Retail Media landscape is evolving at warp speed. What started as an exciting new revenue stream has matured into a strategic imperative for brands and a critical profit driver for retailers.
As we look ahead to 2026, the conversation has moved from mere “growth” to orchestration, intelligence, and radical transparency.
At GoWit, we aren’t just observing these changes and trends, we are building the ad infrastructure that makes them possible. Our mission is to connect the dots for retailers, agencies, and brands, ensuring you aren’t just keeping pace, but leading the charge.
Here are the top trends that will shape Retail Media in 2026:
Agentic AdOps: Go Beyond Automation
Remember when “AI in AdOps” meant automating repetitive tasks?
In 2026, we’ve moved lightyears beyond that. We’re now in the era of Agentic AdOps, where AI acts as a true co-pilot.
Think of it as your entire campaign lifecycle managed by an intelligent operating system. GoWit One is at the forefront of this revolution, providing the AI-powered intelligence that transforms complex campaigns into streamlined, high-performing engines.
Our AI-powered operating system doesn’t just optimize bids, it autonomously creates multi-network campaigns, crafts multi-retailer strategies and tailor creative variations, all in minutes.
As Retail Media expert Colin Lewis emphasizes, “AI is now both a ‘layer’ of capability being added to Retail Media and a ‘lens’ through which propositions are being developed and sold — and agentic commerce is promising to be the biggest layer.”
The Great Unification: Solving the Fragmentation Crisis
For too long, navigating the Retail Media landscape has felt like managing a hundred separate walled gardens.
In 2026, this fragmentation is finally being dismantled. The industry now demands Unified Commerce Media Networks.
GoWit’s connected Commerce and Retail Media network brings retailers, agencies, and brands together, providing a single entry point to manage fragmented environments through one intuitive interface.
By connecting leading retailers with global and local brands, we build the bridges that eliminate the “headache” of fragmentation!
For agencies, GoWit One provides cross-retailer and multi-market control. While agencies typically navigate over 200 Retail Media networks (each with its own workflow and dashboard) GoWit One offers a single, centralized flow for creation, scheduling, and reporting. Scale campaigns confidently across markets and RMNs without duplicating effort.
The Incrementality Mandate: Proving True Value
In 2026, showing a high ROAS isn’t enough. CFOs are asking: “Did this ad drive a new sale, or would the customer have bought it anyway?” This is the Incrementality Mandate.
To meet this, GoWit One provides deep, transparent analytics that go beyond basic clicks!
Agencies can now peer into the “black box” of retail data, accessing granular insights that tie every dollar spent to a clear business outcome. Transparency is no longer a perk; it’s the new baseline for credibility.
Native Utility: Ads as a Helpful Service
Personalization has evolved into Predictive Commerce. Ads are no longer interruptions; they are data-driven “service nudges.” Imagine an ad suggesting a specific ingredient for a recipe you are browsing or a timely reminder for a product you viewed earlier in-store.
By leveraging deep first-party data, these ads provide genuine utility, making the advertising experience feel organic and non-intrusive.
Total Commerce: From Meta Feeds to the Physical Aisle
The lines between online and physical aisles have officially vanished. In 2026, Total Commerce means a shopper’s journey is tracked across every touchpoint, especially this year off-site is expected to grow significantly.
“Off-site is becoming key to grow beyond the main point of purchase. It can expand faster with simpler tech and data activation. With AI coming into the market and the impact it may have on on-site traffic, off-site becomes an even stronger opportunity. It lets retailers reach their audiences everywhere and prepare for new behaviours,” says Lucie Laurendon, Product Marketing Director — Equativ.
Off-site Retail Media ad spend will grow at twice the rate of on-site through 2026, eventually representing $1 in every $4 spent on Retail Media by 2027!
Imagine a shopper scrolling through Instagram or Facebook. Because of GoWit’s off-site capabilities, they see a personalized Meta ad for a product they recently viewed on a retailer’s site, powered by real-time inventory data. When that shopper eventually walks into the physical store, GoWit bridges the gap, connecting that social media impression to an in-store conversion. It enables a truly omnichannel, unified, closed-loop view of the entire customer journey across channels.
Omnichannel Only Works When It’s Orchestrated
In 2026, “Omnichannel” has become a requirement. However, omnichannel only works when it’s orchestrated.Shoppers don’t see a difference between online and offline, and your data shouldn’t either.
GoWit ad platform acts as the glue, ensuring that a Meta ad, a web search, and an in-store display all sing from the same sheet of music, moving away from siloed metrics toward a cohesive customer journey.
The In-Store Retail Media Rise: From Shelves to Screens
In-store Retail Media is no longer a “does it work?” question; it’s a “can you operate it?” question. While physical stores drive the majority of sales, they have long been underutilized as media channels. That changes now.
“By the end of 2026, not only will in-store media networks be real and tangible in the US market, but it will quickly turn into a royal rumble for national media budgets,” notes Andrew Lipsman, Retail Media Analyst And Consultant.
Retailers are rapidly installing thousands of digital end-caps, entrance screens, and smart-cart displays, turning physical aisles into high-traffic media surfaces.
- Off-site media primes the shopper.
- In-store screens reinforce the message.
- Shelf placement closes the sale.
- Loyalty and receipt offers seal the deal.
At GoWit, we provide the unified systems that sync data, measurement, and activation across these channels, proving to brands that in-store belongs in the core media mix.
Read our In-Store Retail Media blog article here: https://gowit.com/insights/redefining-in-store-retail-media-gowit-and-kingfisher-koctas-collaboration
Operational Excellence: Real-Time Precision for Agencies
The old way of waiting for a weekly report is dead. The market moves too fast for lagging data. Agencies now demand AI-driven campaign performance that happens in the moment to succeed in Retail Media.
Through GoWit One, agencies gain access to real-time optimization tools. Whether it’s shifting budget to a trending product in seconds or adjusting bids based on live inventory levels, our platform ensures your campaigns are always performing at their peak.
It is a high-performance command center designed for speed and precision.
The Non-Endemic Gold Rush: Retailers as Media Houses
Retail Media is no longer the exclusive playground of CPG brands. We are seeing a surge in Non-Endemic Partnerships, where travel, automotive, and financial services brands leverage retail first-party data to reach high-intent audiences.
Retailers have officially become full-funnel media houses, offering highly granular audiences to a far broader range of advertisers.
Retail Media network strategist Terry Guyton-Bradley indicates, “Retail Media is no longer just a grocery and big-box story. Travel brands are launching RMNs. Hospitality companies are entering the space. Quick-service restaurants, pharmacies, education retailers and even automotive players are recognizing the power of their data. These new entrants bring fresh use cases, and they’re speeding up innovation for everyone.”
Check out our blog article on Endemic and Non-Endemic Retail Media partnership: https://gowit.com/insights/endemic-vs-non-endemic-brands-in-commerce-and-retail-media
Become the one who leads the Commerce & Retail Media trends, not follows.
The future of Retail Media is intelligent, integrated, and incredibly fast.
At GoWit, we’re committed to providing the AI-first technology that empowers retailers to maximize their media potential and helps brands/agencies achieve unprecedented scale across on-site, off-site, and in-store!
Let’s talk your strategy for 2026 today: Contact GoWit
Sources:
The Drum. (2025). Top 10 retail media predictions for 2026. The Drum. Retrieved January 15, 2026, from https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/andrew-lipsman-top-10-retail-media-predictions-for-2026
Guyton-Bradley, T. (2025, December 15). Retail media in 2026: Why this is the year the channel finally grows up. AdMonsters. https://www.admonsters.com/retail-media-in-2026-why-this-is-the-year-the-channel-finally-grows-up/
IAB Europe. (2026, January 8). What retail and commerce media trends will define 2026? A Q&A with our Retail & Commerce Media Committee. https://iabeurope.eu/what-retail-and-commerce-media-trends-will-define-2026-a-qa-with-our-retail-commerce-media-committee/
InternetRetailing. (2025, December). Retail media in 2026: Nothing changes — it’s all about the human touch. InternetRetailing. Retrieved January 15, 2026, from https://internetretailing.net/retail-media-in-2026-nothing-changes-its-all-about-the-human-touch/
