Sensor Tower’s Retail Media Report 2026 unpacks the trends you need to know to understand a complex and evolving ad channel. Using exclusive data straight from Pathmatics, we’ll walk through the state of the landscape in minute detail — including analyses of ad impressions, top networks, category focus, onsite versus offsite share, and more. 

Retail Media Advertising Overview 

While total retail media impressions in the US declined 17% in H1 ‘26, home retailers shone as a bright spot. Outlets like Lowe’s and Home Depot were able to raise their year-over-year impressions 151% and 43%, respectively — while Amazon, which accounts for 60% of the domestic retail media market, saw a 16% shrinkage in impressions. Heavy hitters like Walmart and Target also saw ad impressions sink, reflecting shifting priorities for general merchandisers in the retail media network space. It seems that specialized networks are benefiting from this reshuffling: aside from the aforementioned home improvement outlets, networks specializing in areas like pharmacy, pet, and beauty also saw gains. 

Channel Allocation: Onsite Monetization and Offsite

Offsite ads continue to be the channel of choice for major networks, with vertical-specific RMNs like Pet Smart, Instacart, and Sephora receiving 100% of their impressions from offsite campaigns. While still maintaining majority offsite share, general merchandisers like Walmart and Target showed interest in onsite ads as well, anchoring bottom-of-funnel conversions on owned digital real estate to capture more high-intent shoppers. Amazon, for its part, boosted its share of onsite ads in H1 ‘26, with the ad type now accounting for a majority (56%) of the network’s impressions. 

Category Shifts & Advertiser Strategy 

Both retail media networks themselves as well as the advertisers they host are diversifying. On the network side, major players like Amazon and Doordash have begun expanding beyond core categories, with the former capturing substantial media spend across verticals like Health, Finance, and Telecom. On the advertiser side, CPG brands have the most diversified strategy, with over 80% of top advertisers in the space utilizing at least two different RMNs for their campaigns. 

Want more insights where these came from? Download the report to gain access to more than 30 pages of exclusive reports, including a deep dive into delivery networks and game day demand.