Retail Media Roadmap: 6 Steps to Boost Ecommerce Revenue This Holiday Season

The countdown to the 2024 holiday season is on, and with ecommerce sales predicted to grow 9.5% YoY, reaching a staggering $271.58 billion, now is the time to get a head start on your ecommerce holiday planning.

Retail media offers a great way to capitalize on the holiday shopping rush with solutions that integrate seamlessly into your existing ecommerce platforms and unwrap new revenue streams.

Ready to get started? We have the intel to ensure your ecommerce site is retail media-ready this holiday season! Jump to each step using the menu below, or scroll for our full retail media roadmap.

1. Unwrap the Perfect Match: Finding Your Ideal Retail Media Partner
2. Beat the Holiday Hustle: Setting a Timeline for Your Retail Media Rollout
3. The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Selecting a Sustainable Revenue Model
4. Festive Finishes: Reviewing Integration Specs and Ad Design
5. Naughty or Nice List? Curating Your Advertiser Lineup
6. Check it Twice: Putting Your Retail Media Integration to the Test

Deck Your Website for Retail Media Success This Holiday Season

Tis' the season for ecommerce holiday planning! Looking to sleigh your revenue goals in Q4? Here are six essential steps to form valuable partnerships and deliver a merry (and profitable!) shopping experience for your customers.

1. Unwrap the Perfect Match: Finding Your Ideal Retail Media Partner

Launching a retail media network requires time and investment-both of which are often scarce resources in the lead-up to the holiday shopping season. But don't worry, you're not alone! Ad networks and adtech partners provide the infrastructure and expertise needed to launch and manage a retail media offering, with minimal effort from your team.

Top partners like Epsilon, CitrusAd, and Fluent offer streamlined processes for integrating ads directly into your digital platforms. They handle logistics like ad placements, targeting, revenue generation, and reporting, allowing you to focus on your core business. When vetting potential retail media partners, we recommend you follow our checklist below.

2. Beat the Holiday Hustle: Setting a Timeline for Your Retail Media Rollout

Timing is critical if you're looking to launch your ad offering ahead of the 2024 holiday shopping season. According to Salsify, this year, 27% of shoppers plan to start buying holiday gifts as early as October, with another 26% planning to begin their shopping in November before Thanksgiving (and the Cyber 5 weekend).

While October may seem like a world away, starting your ecommerce holiday planning now can ensure you're ready to capture the attention of early bird shoppers, as well as the 45% of consumers planning to make purchases on Cyber Monday. To that end, be sure to give yourself a runway for testing and refinement ahead of the holiday shopping rush.

3. The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Selecting a Sustainable Revenue Model for Your Ad Business

Once you've selected a partner to help launch your retail media business, it's important to negotiate a fair revenue model that incentivizes both parties for success. Common models include: cost-per-click (CPC), cost-per-impression (CPM), revenue share arrangement

Work with your internal team to select a model that aligns with your financial goals and can generate incremental revenue on top of your holiday sales performance.

4.Festive Finishes: Reviewing Integration Specs and Ad Design

With 57% of consumers doing all or most of their holiday shopping online last year, you'll want to ensure your web experience is wrapped up in a shiny bow. As you review integration specs, collaborate with your adtech partner to select placements that align with high-traffic areas on your site without disrupting the UX or interfering with sales.

Popular on-site ad placement options like display ads, sponsored product ads, and post-purchase ads are a good place to start. Ideally, you'll also have the creative flexibility and control to match the ad module to the look and feel of your website. Consistency across key design elements helps create a seamless experience that meets customers' expectations.

5. Naughty or Nice List? Curating Your Advertiser Lineup

According to Vericast, 38% of consumers are interested in receiving deals that will make holiday shopping more affordable. On-site ads offer retailers the perfect opportunity to satisfy this need, so long as deals are tailored to each customer and delivered at key touchpoints throughout their holiday journey.

Work with your adtech partner to onboard a curated list of premium advertisers offering products relevant to your target audience. Develop clear guidelines on acceptable ad types, ensuring they align with your brand values, provide a positive user experience, and do not compete with existing products or offers on your site.

6. Check it Twice: Putting Your Retail Media Integration to the Test

Before your retail media offering is ready for prime time, work with your adtech partner to run a test campaign with a limited group of advertisers. This will allow you to identify and address any technical issues with ad display, targeting, and reporting functionalities.

During the test campaign, monitor the user experience on your website. Ensure that ad placements don't negatively impact website loading speed or functionality. Gather feedback from a small group of customers to identify and resolve any issues ahead of your official launch.

Get Ready for a Profitable Holiday Season

Proactive ecommerce holiday planning will be key to a successful retail media launch. With a strong adtech partnership in place, you'll strategically position your ecommerce website to capitalize on the holiday rush, while laying the the foundation for a lucrative revenue stream that benefits both you and your advertising partners.

Want to learn how Fluent can help you launch a post-purchase ad strategy in time for the holidays? Get in touch with us here.

Check out more resources to get fluent in:

Commerce Media | Retail Media | Post-Transaction Advertising

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