New Research Shows 82% of US Marketers Agree High-Quality Creative is Essential for KPI Outcomes, Yet Industry Focus Remains on Targeting and Data
TripleLift, the world’s leading Creative SSP, today released “The Creative Edge in Retail Media: A Comprehensive Guide,” revealing a significant disconnect in the rapidly growing retail media industry. While targeting and measurement dominate industry conversations, new research with 200 US marketing professionals 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 the end of 2025, representing 23.2% of the overall advertising market. Despite this growth, the research uncovers an uncomfortable truth: the industry is investing heavily in data and targeting while undervaluing the creative quality that drives results.
The Creative-Performance Gap
The research reveals a striking paradox: 82% of US marketers acknowledge that high-quality creative is essential for stronger KPI outcomes in off-site retail media campaigns, yet significant execution gaps persist. More than one-third (35%) admit a struggle to build creative formats that reflect their branding, while 34% report there are no creative standards across retailers.
“We’re seeing an industry obsessed with the science of retail media while ignoring the art,” said Ed Dinichert, CRO at TripleLift. “Our research shows that creative excellence isn’t just important—it’s the multiplier that makes all other optimizations worthwhile. The brands that recognize this will capture disproportionate value as the market matures.”
Native Advertising Dominates Performance Rankings
The format performance data tells a compelling story. Native ads generate the highest satisfaction among US marketers at 74%, with 0% reporting dissatisfaction. Online video follows at 73%, while display and Connected TV receive mixed reviews, with a little under half of marketers expressing neutral sentiment, indicating untapped innovation potential.
TripleLift is actively addressing this opportunity gap, developing advanced creative technology solutions and AI-driven optimization tools specifically designed to unlock the full potential of these underperforming formats and deliver the high-impact experiences marketers are seeking.
Investment Patterns Reveal Continued Growth in Retail Media
The money trail showcases retail media’s growing influence. More than half (51%) of marketers plan to boost off-site retail media spend by reallocating existing budgets, with another 20% adding new investment. Half of all companies now allocate over 50% of their digital programmatic budget to retail media, a clear signal of the channel’s strategic importance.
However, growth expectations remain aggressive. A majority of respondents anticipate increased off-site retail media spending, and even with most project increases expecting to be capped at 30%, this suggests a continued focus on this strategic approach rather than a big slowdown. Such growth aligns with TripleLift’s positioning as the Creative SSP, where off-site retail media advertising typically receives a mid-level share of programmatic budgets, with almost two-thirds of marketers allocating between 21% and 50% to off-site channels. This represents exactly the type of strategic, balanced investment that TripleLift’s platform is designed to optimize through high-impact creative formats and premium inventory access.
Data Strategy: Quality Over Quantity
The research cuts through data hype to spotlight what actually works – segments rooted in past purchase behavior deliver superior performance: brand buyers (66%), category buyers (62%), and purchase frequency segments (61%) lead the pack. Meanwhile, psychographic segments and non-endemic audiences significantly underperform.
Smart marketers are doubling down on retailer first-party data, prioritizing it for audience targeting—a clear preference for precision over scale. What’s particularly compelling is how this high-quality data performs when combined with premium off-site inventory and advanced creative formats. The research shows that 68% of respondents agree that when they spend on off-site retail media, they can scale in a cost-effective way, demonstrating that the combination of retailer first-party data with quality off-site placements creates a powerful multiplier effect that wasn’t possible with traditional targeting approaches alone.
AI and Connected TV Lead Innovation Pipeline
Forward-looking marketers are already preparing for the next wave. Audience measurement (31%) and AI-driven creative optimization (26%) top the innovation wishlist for the next 12 months, followed by Connected TV as the strongest growth trajectory.
Performance Metrics Validate the Approach
Despite industry challenges, the fundamentals are solid. ROAS performs strongly, with 45% of marketers saying it meets expectations and 39% reporting it exceeds them. The top KPIs proving retail media value are ROAS (33%), conversion rate, and incremental return on ad spend.
The Path Forward: Elevating Creative to Match Data’s Dominance
The research unveils a clear imbalance. While retail media has mastered targeting and data optimization, creative excellence has been left behind.
Marketers have built sophisticated strategies, with 44% prioritizing retailer first-party data and 50% dedicating over half of their programmatic spend to retail media. Yet, despite 82% acknowledging that creative drives KPI outcomes, 35% struggle with brand-compliant formats, and 34% operate without creative standards.
Native ads achieve 74% satisfaction with zero dissatisfaction, proving that creative excellence paired with strategic targeting delivers results.
The path forward requires elevating creative strategy to match data sophistication. In a $179.5 billion market, creative differentiation will separate winners from followers.
As the leading Creative SSP, TripleLift is uniquely positioned to help brands bridge this gap.
Research Methodology
The study was conducted in partnership with Advanis, surveying 200 US marketing professionals from April 28 to May 14, 2025. The complete report is available for download here.
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 cohesive programmatic solution.
Through its focus on creative excellence, TripleLift empowers publishers, drives better outcomes for advertisers, and builds superior 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.