Grocery retail media is moving beyond simple attribution.
Retailers and FMCG brands increasingly want to know whether an advert generated a genuinely new purchase, rather than simply receiving credit for a sale that would have happened anyway.
That shift is putting incrementality measurement, controlled testing and first-party transaction data at the centre of the next phase of retail-media investment.
Koddi’s latest industry recognition provides a useful example of where commerce-media technology is heading. Four senior team members have been recognised in AdExchanger’s 2026 Top Women in Media & Ad Tech Awards across measurement, commerce media, product innovation and mentorship.
The more important development for grocery buyers, however, is the technology behind that recognition.
Why last-click attribution is no longer enough
Traditional retail-media reporting often connects an advert with a later purchase and attributes the sale to the campaign.
That can overstate performance.
A loyal shopper may have bought the product regardless of whether they saw the advert, while a campaign that genuinely persuaded a new shopper to purchase may create considerably more commercial value.
Incrementality attempts to measure that difference.
For grocery retailers, this matters because retail-media income is increasingly competing for FMCG budgets with search, social media, connected television and other commerce channels.
Brands need evidence that retailer advertising is creating additional sales rather than simply identifying existing demand.
Tech spotlight: Gopuff tests incremental sales
Koddi’s work with instant-commerce platform Gopuff provides a practical example.
Gopuff wanted to understand whether advertising was generating genuinely additional purchases.
Koddi and Gopuff developed a measurement framework using controlled audience groups to compare shopper behaviour and isolate the incremental effect of advertising.
The pilot reported more than a 40% increase in incremental purchases per user.
The importance for FMCG advertisers is not the headline percentage alone. It is the ability to separate genuine advertising lift from purchases likely to have occurred without paid media.
What grocery retailers need from retail-media platforms
A supermarket evaluating retail-media technology should increasingly ask whether the platform can provide:
- Incremental sales measurement rather than attribution alone.
- Controlled test and comparison groups.
- Product and category-level performance.
- First-party transaction measurement.
- New-to-brand customer analysis.
- Transparent attribution windows.
- Consistent measurement across sponsored products, display and off-site campaigns.
- Reporting that FMCG advertisers can compare with other media channels.
Without that evidence, strong ROAS figures can provide an incomplete picture of campaign performance.
First-party grocery data creates an advantage
Supermarkets have something many traditional advertising platforms do not: direct transaction data.
That creates the opportunity to link advertising exposure with actual baskets, products and repeat purchasing.
Used correctly, the data can help retailers measure whether a campaign changed shopper behaviour, increased category spend or attracted a customer who had not previously bought the brand.
That makes measurement capability increasingly important when retailers select the technology supporting their media networks.
Koddi is included in Grocery Trade News’ guide to the top retail media platforms for grocery retailers, alongside Epsilon Retail Media, dunnhumby, Criteo, Zitcha, Topsort, Kevel and Mirakl Ads.
Measurement could become the real competitive battleground
Retail-media networks were initially differentiated by audience size and advertising inventory.
The next competitive stage is likely to place greater weight on evidence.
FMCG suppliers will increasingly want to know which retailer can demonstrate real incremental revenue, not simply produce a favourable attribution report.
Koddi co-founder and president Nicholas Ward has highlighted measurement as an increasingly important differentiator across commerce media.
The company’s recent personnel recognition therefore sits within a wider shift: measurement, product development and commerce infrastructure are becoming strategic capabilities rather than supporting functions.
For grocery retailers, the question is becoming less about whether to build a retail-media network and more about whether that network can prove the value it creates.
Editor’s Note: This article was prompted by Koddi’s 18 September 2026 announcement recognising four senior team members in AdExchanger’s Top Women in Media & Ad Tech Awards. Grocery Trade News also reviewed Koddi’s published work with Gopuff and added supermarket-focused analysis around incrementality, first-party transaction data and retail-media measurement.
