New research outlines a high usage, adoption and future intent for off-site retail media, signalling robust growth and continued investment
TripleLift, the world’s leading Creative SSP, today launched “The Creative Edge in Retail Media,” a definitive guide packed with actionable insights for French advertisers navigating the booming retail media landscape. While targeting and measurement dominate industry conversations, new research shows that creative excellence is the true performance differentiator—yet it remains largely overlooked.
The findings come as retail media reaches new heights, with the global market projected to hit $179.5 billion by 2025, representing 23.2% of the overall advertising market.
Retail media usage, adoption and future intent
Retail media is experiencing remarkable growth, significantly outpacing traditional media channels. An astounding 96% of French programmatic marketers are leveraging on-site advertising when working with a retailer, making it an essential component of digital advertising strategies.
Off-site retail media is also capturing significant budget, with 65% of marketers dedicating up to half their spending to it – indicating that it’s looking to become just as important a component. In addition, 70% of marketers anticipate their off-site spend to increase by 20% from their current investment in the next 12 months, suggesting a strong approach to retail media off-site investment.
“Off-site advertising has the potential to lead retail media’s next big growth phase, and it’s exciting to see that French marketers support this,” said Ed Dinichert, CRO, TripleLift. “What makes off-site formats particularly compelling is the ability to extend reach beyond the retailer’s own properties, while driving measurable outcomes. But creative excellence should not be overlooked. It’s one of the true differentiators that drives performance for advertisers and publishers.”
Quality creative as a key value driver
Most French advertisers (85%) recognize creative as a key driver of off-site retail media performance, highlighting its importance for stronger KPI campaign outcomes. Engagement soars with moving elements in ads, as 68% confirm higher interaction with animation and video. Advanced creative tech, like high-impact formats, also drives superior engagement, affirmed by 70% of respondents.
Conversion rate (75%) and return on ad spend (70%) are the most commonly optimized KPIs in off-site programmatic retail media advertising, reflecting a strong focus on measurable performance. Advertisers also prioritize new customer acquisition (58%), cost per click (57%), and engagement rate (55%), highlighting a focus on both efficiency and reach.
Measurement and attribution challenges
While retail media’s closed-loop measurement offers remarkable visibility into customer actions within the retailer ecosystem, limitations still exist. Over half of respondents (61%) say that there is a lack of transparency in audience targeting for off-site retail media advertising, while 21% say that retailers are unable to close the attribution loop, indicating a need for more sophisticated tools and practices in this area.
“Measurement is difficult across markets, and France is no exception,” commented Frazer Locke, SVP International Sales at TripleLift. “The solution lies in clean room environments that allow brands to blend campaign data with their first-party data while respecting privacy regulations. More sophisticated French advertisers are beginning to understand that it’s not just about ROAS – you have to look at incrementality, new customer acquisition, and lifetime value across retail networks.”
Research Methodology
The study was conducted in partnership with Advanis, surveying 200 French marketing professionals from April 28 to May 14, 2025. The complete report, including expert insights from Amazon Ads and Retail4brands, is available for download at triplelift.com.
TripleLift is also going to be at Cannes Lions 2025 – for more information about our presence at the festival or to schedule a meeting with the team, visit tripleliftevents.com/cannes-2025.
About TripleLift
TripleLift is the world’s leading Creative SSP, transforming standard ad placements into high-performing, scalable experiences across desktop, mobile, CTV, and Retail Media. The company’s integrated platform seamlessly unites premium supply, creative technology, and data into one seamless, integrated programmatic platform.
Through its focus on creative, TripleLift empowers publishers, drives better outcomes for advertisers, and builds better experiences for consumers, delivering value across the entire digital advertising ecosystem.
As part of the Vista Equity Partners portfolio, TripleLift is NMSDC certified, qualifies for diverse spending goals, and remains deeply committed to people, culture, and community. The company is headquartered in New York, with offices worldwide. Learn more at triplelift.com.