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Brands measuring retail media for reach and brand lift, not just conversion, are seeing sustained customer growth — test it with modest spend.
23% growth
in active customers in its first public earnings report
23%
active customer increase suggests that brands using retail media…
$500
to Sponsored Display ads targeting your category
Reformation reported 23% growth in active customers in its first public earnings report, according to Modern Retail, while Kantar research shows brands are now measuring retail media and social commerce channels for brand-building metrics — reach, awareness, and first-party data — not just conversion. The shift signals that physical-product brands are treating these platforms as full-funnel tools, not just checkout lanes.
According to Kantar, brands running campaigns on retail media networks like Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect, and Instacart are tracking impressions, consideration lift, and customer data capture alongside purchase metrics. The research notes that these channels deliver owned retail environments where brands can test creative, measure brand lift, and build audience segments without relying on third-party cookies. Reformation's 23% active customer increase suggests that brands using retail media for audience development — not just performance marketing — are seeing measurable top-line growth.
The mechanism works because retail media platforms sit at the intersection of purchase intent and media inventory. A shopper on Amazon or Instacart is already in-market, but not every session ends in a transaction. Brands that run awareness creative — lifestyle imagery, product education, brand story — capture attention earlier in the journey and build consideration before the shopper reaches a competitor's listing. Kantar's data shows that brands measuring brand lift and reach on these platforms see sustained customer growth, not just one-time conversions. The retail environment provides proof of relevance: if a shopper sees your brand in a curated grocery aisle or a retailer's search results, the association with the platform itself lends credibility.
For a small physical-product brand, the play is to run a modest brand campaign on a retail media network where you already have distribution. If you sell on Amazon, allocate $500 to Sponsored Display ads targeting your category — not your product page, but a lifestyle image with a tagline that communicates your brand's differentiator. Set the campaign objective to impressions, not clicks, and run it for two weeks. Track traffic to your storefront and monitor branded search volume in Amazon's search term report. If you see an uptick in branded queries or storefront visits without a proportional ad spend increase, you have evidence that the brand exposure is working. Repeat the test on a second retail media platform where you have placement — Walmart, Target, or Instacart — and compare cost per impression. The smaller brand advantage is that you can test brand creative in a transactional environment without needing a separate media budget or agency relationship. Your product is already on the platform; the incremental cost is the ad spend, not new distribution.
The broader pattern is that retail media networks are becoming media channels first and transaction engines second. Kantar's research documents what Reformation's growth suggests: brands that invest in brand-building on these platforms — not just performance marketing — are building durable customer bases, not just chasing conversions. The next move is to treat your retail media spend as a brand budget, not just a performance line, and measure reach and consideration alongside conversion. The platform gives you the audience; the creative gives you the durability.
Run a $500 Sponsored Display campaign on Amazon targeting impressions in your category — track branded search lift, not just clicks.
For the operator
Split retail media budget into performance and brand lines — measure storefront traffic and consideration lift alongside conversion to validate full-funnel ROI.
For the house
Require vendors to show retail media reach metrics and customer data capture, not just conversion rates, when evaluating platform partnerships.
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