IGA launches retail media network, seeks to rival national chains

The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) is partnering with Ideal by Design House to launch a retail media network for independent grocers that the companies say will be the first of its kind.

The Ideal RMN aims to combine thousands of stores on a single retail media platform in order to rival the networks of larger, national retailers.

“When brands go to invest their media dollars, there is no reason for independent retailers to be left out,” said John Ross, president and CEO of IGA, in a statement. “Already IGA and Ideal have one of the largest media properties in the United States, and we have proven that brand and shopper marketing teams at big brands want to invest in our stores.”

The Ideal RMN offers both on-platform and off-platform ad placements. CPG advertisers on the network will receive advanced measurement capabilities and reporting on in-store traffic, return on ad spend, basket size, category growth and other metrics.

Ideal’s omnichannel RMN platform includes opportunities for offers, informational videos, sweepstakes, recipes, nutritional tips, and other content.

“Ideal helps CPGs focus on their target retail audiences with off-site, co-branded programmatic display campaigns, while driving traffic to rich on-platform content within branded local digital circulars,” said Adam Zimmerman, partner and senior VP at Ideal.

CPGs also have the ability choose a target audience across multiple retailers.

Co-branded ads will seek to drive shoppers to the media-rich digital circulars, and Ideal can measure traffic from first impression through to the in-store purchase, giving CPGs visibility of the entire ecosystem, the companies said.

Ideal, which offers both digital circulars and RMN capabilities, currently works with several regional grocery retailers, including ShopRite and its wholesaler Wakefern Food Corp., Coborn’s, Woodman’s Markets, Homeland, Gelson’s, Northgate Markets, Foodtown, and Marc’s, as well as other large wholesalers serving independents across the country.

The IGA-Ideal partnership comes as supermarket retailers have increasingly invested in their omnichannel capabilities, creating opportunities to drive advertising revenues from suppliers seeking to reach shoppers both online and in-store. National retailers including Kroger, Albertsons, and Walmart, as well as other regional players such as Ahold Delhaize and The Fresh Market, have been growing their retail media networks with increased functionality and expanded advertising opportunities across an increasing array of digital media platforms.