New Research Shows 70% of UK 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 201 UK 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 actually drives results.
The Creative-Performance Gap
The research reveals a striking paradox: 70% of UK marketers acknowledge that high-quality creative is essential for stronger KPI outcomes in off-site retail media campaigns, yet significant execution gaps persist. One-third (33%) admit they struggle to evaluate the performance of the creative, while nearly 3 in 10 cite the lack of common creative standards across retailers as a key challenge.
“Retail media’s proven ability to drive measurable outcomes is what makes it an incredibly compelling tool for advertisers and publishers alike,” said Frazer Locke, SVP International Sales at TripleLift. “However, creative excellence shouldn’t be overlooked. Our research proves that it is the true differentiator that drives performance, empowering brands with the capability to reach audiences off-site and capture a significant value market share.”
Creative Formats Dominate Performance Rankings
The format performance data tells a compelling story. Online video (68%) and display ads (66%) generate the highest satisfaction among UK marketers, followed by native (59%) and Connected TV (55%) – with 44% of marketers expressing neutral sentiment for CTV, indicating untapped potential for innovation. Dissatisfaction across all formats remains minimal (1%), indicating broad acceptance and positive performance across the board.
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.
The report features candid insights from senior executives who see the creative gap firsthand. Jason Wescott, Global Head of Commerce Solutions at WPP Media, said: “Creative is often the overlooked hero of retail media. In crowded trading periods—whether it’s Christmas, summer sales, or major shopping events like les soldes—it’s your creative that cuts through the noise.”
“You can have pinpoint targeting, but if your advert looks uninspiring or says nothing new, it simply won’t perform. Strong creative captures attention, builds emotional connection, and influences purchase decisions,” Wescott added.
Investment Patterns Reveal Continued Growth in Retail Media
The money trail reveals retail media’s growing influence. Four in 10 marketers (40%) plan to boost off-site retail media spend by reallocating existing budgets, with another 20% adding new investment. In addition, the same number of respondents now allocate over half of their digital programmatic budget to retail media, a clear signal of the channel’s strategic importance.
However, growth expectations remain aggressive. 82% 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 to this strategic approach rather than a big slow down. 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 & Performance Metrics: Quality Over Quantity
Smart marketers are doubling down on retailer first-party data, with 41% 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 two-thirds of respondents (66%) 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.
Despite industry challenges, the fundamentals are solid. ROAS performs strongly, with 46% of marketers saying it meets expectations and 35% reporting it exceeds them. The top KPIs proving retail media value are ROAS , conversion rate , and new customer acquisition.
AI and Connected TV Lead Innovation Pipeline
Forward-looking marketers are already preparing for the next wave. Audience measurement (29%), AI-driven creative optimization (22%) and dynamic ad format innovation (19%) top the innovation wishlist for the next 12 months. Connected TV shows the strongest growth trajectory, signaling its emergence as a key experimentation and expansion area.
The research makes one thing clear: Retail media’s next phase belongs to those who can master both the science of targeting and the art of creative excellence. As the only Creative SSP in the market, TripleLift is uniquely positioned to help brands bridge this gap.
Research Methodology
The study was conducted in partnership with Advanis, surveying 201 UK 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.