The IAB Australia Retail and Commerce Media State of the Nation 2026 report provides an analysis of the retail and commerce media landscape, highlighting continued growth, evolving measurement challenges, and emerging opportunities across the market. The study offers a timely pulse check on investment trends, advertising products, measurement and the impact of AI, and assists in setting the direction of future Council initiatives.
The Retail Media Council are proud to launch this report presenting the results of the fourth wave of the annual state of the nation retail and commerce media survey to provide deeper insight into retail media investment.
92
Advertising decision makers surveyed in June 2026
87%
Say retail media is a significant or regular part of their activity
66%
Rate their experience with retail media partners as good, up from 44% in 2025
Key findings
Retail and commerce media is now an established part of the media mix, with investment increasingly reallocated from other channels as it competes for mainstream marketing budgets.
Measurement remains the industry’s defining challenge, with inconsistent metrics across networks, limited incrementality capabilities and difficulty measuring omnichannel outcomes continuing to constrain investment confidence.
Advertiser experience with retail media partners has improved even as buyers work with a growing number of networks, reflecting a more mature market.
Display and search remain the most used advertising products, with usage of most formats increasing year on year and strong intent to grow investment in sampling, in-store digital signage, retail out-of-home and video on Connected TV.
Driving sales and conversions has strengthened as the dominant objective of retail media activity, making incremental sales and return on ad spend the most sought-after performance metrics.
Artificial intelligence is expected to play a transformative role, with retailers seeing strong opportunities to enhance audience targeting, campaign planning and measurement.
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