How to fix a leaky retail media pipeline

Losing pressure

Retailers often begin with an enviable reservoir of customers. But when that audience is passed between multiple partners, each using inconsistent identifiers or partial datasets, the loss is immediate and compounding.

First up is onboarding. A partner might match 7m out of 10m shoppers accurately across devices, which sounds workable. But the next jump – from onboarding to activation – becomes another guessing game as audiences are rebuilt using different IDs or models. Then measurement adds a final round of fragmentation. By the time reporting lands, brands see only a fraction of the real opportunity.

It’s no surprise the pipe feels clogged with waste. Too many connections, too much loss, not enough confidence in who is actually being reached. And crucially, not enough proof of what happens afterwards.

Plug the leak

The fix is more straightforward than most assume. Retailers need a single, persistent profile that flows through onboarding, activation, and measurement. That means identity resolution rooted in stable, person-level signals – name, address, and verified transaction data rather than email addresses, devices, or approximated lookalikes.

With that foundation, retailers can see and reach real shoppers consistently across onsite, offsite, and in-store touchpoints. The pipe stops leaking because each section recognizes the same person, not a different fragment of their digital footprint.

A unified identity spine also unlocks something more valuable: closed-loop outcomes. When you know exactly who appeared in an ad and who later bought the product, you stop debating proxies and start diagnosing growth.

Swap the pump

Many networks still rely on site cohorts or basic retargeting, the marketing equivalent of nursing along a tired old pump that rattles every time you turn it on.

Predictive AI changes that. When AI acts on person-first identity, it can build intelligent audiences based on real shopping intent. Not what someone clicked last week, but what they are genuinely likely to do next. It identifies the best in-market shoppers for each item, or SKU, senses when intent strengthens, and adjusts bids in milliseconds.

When this system is working properly, the pressure lifts. In one program we ran, audiences shaped by predictive AI delivered a purchase rate 22 times higher than the control group. That isn’t magic. It’s simply what happens when decisions are based on reality rather than inference.

Inspect the system

Now take a step back and look at the retail media system as a whole. How many parts are involved? How many handovers are there from one partner to the next?

Most retailers rely on a patchwork of onboarding tools, analytics platforms, activation engines, and separate measurement partners. Each performs a useful task, but every join is another place where signals weaken, and audiences quietly fall away. IDC makes the point clearly: the most successful networks aim for “a seamless holistic service.”

This matters even more as retailers expand into channels such as CTV, audio, and the broader open web. Only 30% of networks currently offer offsite capabilities (IAB Europe) despite rising investment, meaning most are still losing visibility once audiences leave the retailer’s walls. A unified platform prevents that drop-off, preserving accuracy and giving brands confidence in the outcomes they see.

Turn on the faucet

Retailers don’t need a total rebuild. They need cleaner joins, fewer handovers, and a system designed around people rather than proxies. When the pipe is sealed properly, three things happen.

First, more of your audience becomes addressable. Second, activation works harder because AI is acting on real shopper intent. And finally, measurement shifts from directional to definitive, proving outcomes across onsite, offsite, and in-store.

The result is a network that feels less like plumbing held together with tape and more like reliable infrastructure that brands trust. Fix the leaks, and retail media stops being a trickle. It becomes the engine room of loyalty, revenue, and long-term growth.