The evolution of Retail: from pure product sales to service hubs and finally becoming true "Retail Media Hubs"
- reading time: 2 minutes
by Giacomo Guida - Senior Business Consultant Aviesse
A few days ago, the Digital Innovation Observatory of the Polytechnic University of Milan published an analysis that captures the evolution of the Retail Media sector in Italy. This evolution will lead to a turnover of €640 million by 2025, with a 27% year-over-year growth.
It is no longer a niche phenomenon, but a lever that can weigh from 1–2% up to approximately 3–4% of retail turnover, with a direct impact on margins and EBIT.
Why it is strategic
Retail is a historically poor business model in terms of margins. Product margins are squeezed by online competition, price wars, and rising operating costs.
In this scenario, Retail Media becomes a tangible answer.
In-store spaces: windows, digital screens, back counters, POP materials
Proprietary digital channels: e-commerce, apps, newsletters, brand social media
External campaigns: on Google and Meta based on first-party data
It shouldn't be seen as advanced trade marketing, but as a true high-margin business unit . If developed with vision and method, it generates stable incremental revenue, improving EBIT and accelerating payback.
This is confirmed by international benchmarks: Retail Media campaigns have generated measurable increases in sales, even with double-digit results. A case in point is Maggi/Carrefour in the United Arab Emirates, where activation on in-store digital screens led to an 11% increase in sales ; in another on/off test, the comparison showed a 5% increase in total revenue and a 16% increase in sales attributed to the campaigns.
These are not values that can be replicated in every context, but they show that Retail Media is not just visibility but also a measurable contribution to sales .
McKinsey, for its part, estimates that Retail Media Networks can generate margins of 60 to 85% and impact retailers' revenues by up to several percentage points. This is a clear sign that the model has solid economic foundations and potential to scale in Europe and Italy.
My experience
In my experience as Product, Marketing & Digital Director at GameStop , Retail Media was already an established reality.
Every year, we met with partners and vendors to plan and sell all the physical and digital spaces for the year. For major launches of consoles, software, and telecom companies like Wind or TIM, total domination campaigns were launched in-store and digitally (window displays, direct-to-consumer emails, and so on).
The enabling lever was a database of over 3.5 million profiled customers, perfectly targeted for partners. This made every space, both physical and digital, an asset with clear and measurable economic value.
Added to this was the Manager Conference, which brought together over 500 store managers. It was a unique opportunity for vendors and suppliers to meet those who, two months before Christmas, would be crucial to sales.
The format combined presentations of new products and services with a true internal trade show, complete with booths and hands-on demos. Vendors paid a participation fee to access this stage, transforming the event itself into a monetized media asset, with direct ROI for partners and an immediate impact on sales.
This was, in effect, pioneering Retail Media: monetizing not only spaces and data, but also communities and internal relationships.
My vision
I am convinced that the future of retail lies in a Commerce Media Hub model , where value-added services and Retail Media coexist and strengthen each other.
Services generate recurring revenue and loyalty. Retail Media monetizes audiences and data, turning every touchpoint into profit. The Hub integrates these channels with a dedicated P&L, transparent KPIs, and data-driven governance.
It's not about adding a few banners, but about building a real monetization platform, where digital transformation and economic growth meet .
What to do right away
Map and enhance assets : physical and digital spaces, and key moments such as proprietary events.
Create a modular offering for vendors : packages that integrate spaces and data.
Define incremental KPIs : sales increase, post-campaign conversion, NPS.
Integrate everything into the CRM : data is the currency that makes the model scalable.
The difference will be made by strategic vision and the ability to transform one's assets into virtuous leverage through a cultural shift.
Retail media in Italy can be hype, or a real lever for EBIT.
Personally, I firmly believe in the second: services + media = Commerce Media Hub, the model that can bring retail back to sustainable profitability.
Giacomo Guida - Executive Consultant | C-Level Strategy | Business Growth & Retail Transformation
Sources:
Digital Innovation Observatory – Milan Polytechnic (September 2025)
Engage (September 2025)
Brand News (September 2025)
Promotion Magazine (September 2025)
GS1 Italy – Trends (2025)
Advertima (Maggi/Carrefour case, 2023)
CommerceIQ (incrementality test, 2024)
McKinsey (The evolution of commerce media, 2023; Opportunities for e-commerce success in Europe, 2024)