Retail media is moving deeper into annual media planning as agencies and brands look for advertising environments that connect consumer discovery with measurable commerce outcomes. Ascendant Network is bringing that shift into focus with SHOWCASE, a new event positioning itself as the first retail and commerce media upfront, where major agency groups and independent buyers will preview network strategies ahead of 2027 planning.

Retail media networks have evolved from an e-commerce advertising channel into a significant component of the broader digital advertising ecosystem. The next challenge is less about proving that retail media works and more about making a fragmented market easier for advertisers and agencies to plan, compare and activate.

That is the market opportunity behind SHOWCASE, an upcoming event from Ascendant Network that will bring retail and commerce media networks together with major buy-side decision-makers.

Scheduled for September 2, 2026, at The Times Center in New York City, the event will feature participation from agency leaders associated with Publicis Commerce, Dentsu, WPP, Omnicom and IPG, alongside independent agencies including PMG and Tinuiti.

The event is being positioned as the world's first retail and commerce media upfront. Its core proposition is straightforward: give media buyers early visibility into retail media network roadmaps, data capabilities and advertising products before agencies begin shaping plans for the 2027 cycle.

That timing matters.

Retail media has become increasingly complex, with networks operated by grocery chains, department stores, pharmacies, delivery companies, financial institutions and other commerce platforms competing for advertiser budgets. Buyers now have more inventory and data sources to evaluate, but also face a greater need for standardization, measurement and transparency.

Retail Media Moves Toward Upfront Planning

Traditional upfronts have historically allowed advertisers and agencies to evaluate future programming and make commitments ahead of a planning cycle.

SHOWCASE applies a similar concept to commerce media.

According to Ascendant Network, more than 200 curated buyers are expected to attend, collectively representing more than $12 billion in annual media spend and organizations responsible for approximately $1 trillion in annual retail sales.

The scale of the audience is notable because retail media decisions increasingly sit at the intersection of brand marketing, performance advertising and commerce.

A retail media campaign can influence discovery, product consideration and conversion within the same ecosystem. That closed-loop potential is one reason the category has attracted investment from major advertisers.

It also explains why agency holding companies are paying closer attention.

For organizations such as Publicis, Dentsu, WPP and Omnicom, retail media represents an opportunity to connect media investment with transaction-level signals. Independent agencies face a similar challenge: determining which networks offer the strongest combination of audience reach, data quality, inventory and measurable outcomes.

The Supply Chain Is Becoming a Buying Decision

One of the themes highlighted by Ascendant Network is the demand for direct relationships between buyers and publishers, greater transparency in programmatic supply chains and cross-channel activation.

Those issues have become increasingly important as retail media expands beyond sponsored product listings.

Retailers are building onsite advertising, offsite media, connected TV, display, video, digital out-of-home and other inventory into broader commerce media propositions. The result is a market that increasingly resembles a full-service advertising ecosystem rather than a narrow retail advertising category.

For advertisers, that creates both opportunity and complexity.

A retailer may possess valuable first-party purchase data, but advertisers still need to understand how that data can be activated, what inventory is available, how audiences are measured and whether campaigns can be compared across different networks.

The emergence of standardized planning environments could help address some of those challenges.

From Retail Data to Cross-Channel Activation

The larger technology story behind SHOWCASE is the convergence of commerce data and advertising infrastructure.

Retail media networks have access to signals that conventional publishers often cannot replicate, including purchase behavior, product interests and transaction history. When responsibly activated, these signals can support more precise audience segmentation and closed-loop measurement.

This is attracting competition from major advertising and technology ecosystems.

Amazon has built one of the largest commerce advertising businesses around its retail data and advertising infrastructure. Google and Microsoft provide advertising, data and measurement technologies that connect commerce signals with broader digital campaigns. Salesforce and Adobe, meanwhile, operate across customer data, commerce, analytics and marketing technology.

Retail media networks are therefore competing not only with one another but also with broader enterprise advertising and MarTech platforms.

The competitive advantage may increasingly come from interoperability.

Advertisers want to use retail signals without rebuilding their entire media infrastructure around every individual network. Agencies need systems that can compare audiences, inventory and outcomes across channels.

What Agencies Want From Retail Media

SHOWCASE's buyer-focused format reflects that changing requirement.

Attendees are expected to receive previews of product roadmaps, data capabilities and campaign-efficiency tools from more than 15 retail and commerce media networks.

The participating networks are expected to span grocery, discount, drugstore, department store, home improvement, specialty retail, delivery, financial services and payments.

That range highlights how broadly the definition of commerce media is expanding.

Financial services and payments companies, for example, increasingly possess valuable transaction data and customer relationships that can potentially support advertising products. Delivery platforms can offer both consumer reach and behavioral signals. Specialty retailers can provide highly specific audiences around categories and purchase intent.

For agencies, the challenge is determining which of these environments provide incremental value rather than simply adding another layer to an already crowded media plan.

A More Structured Retail Media Market

The arrival of an upfront-style marketplace could be a sign that retail media is entering a more mature phase.

Early growth in the sector was driven largely by retailers monetizing their first-party data and digital properties. The next phase is likely to be shaped by measurement standards, cross-network interoperability, supply-chain transparency and more sophisticated planning tools.

That shift will affect both buyers and sellers.

Retail media networks will need to demonstrate not just audience scale but the quality of their data, effectiveness of their measurement and ability to integrate with agency planning and activation systems.

Agencies, meanwhile, will increasingly need retail media expertise alongside traditional programmatic, search, social, connected TV and performance marketing capabilities.

Market Landscape

Retail media remains one of the fastest-changing segments of digital advertising, with networks expanding from onsite sponsored placements into offsite and omnichannel advertising.

The market is also becoming more competitive. Amazon remains a major force, while retailers and commerce platforms are building their own media businesses around first-party data and purchase intent.

For advertisers, the opportunity is attractive because commerce media can potentially connect advertising exposure with downstream sales. The challenge is fragmentation: every network can have different audiences, measurement methodologies, inventory and technology integrations.

Events such as SHOWCASE are therefore becoming relevant not simply as networking opportunities but as potential marketplaces for comparing future media capabilities.

Strategic Outlook

SHOWCASE could become a useful indicator of where retail and commerce media is heading as agencies begin planning for 2027.

The most important development will likely be the movement from individual retail media buys toward integrated commerce media strategies spanning multiple channels and networks.

If retailers can provide stronger interoperability, transparent measurement and scalable audience activation, commerce media could become increasingly embedded within broader enterprise media plans rather than managed as a specialist channel.

Top Insights

• SHOWCASE brings major agency buyers and retail media networks together ahead of 2027 planning, reflecting the growing importance of commerce media in advertising strategies.
• More than 200 buyers representing $12 billion in media spend will evaluate retail network roadmaps, data capabilities and campaign technologies at the event.
• Retail media is expanding beyond sponsored products into cross-channel activation, increasing demand for interoperable data, measurement and programmatic infrastructure.
• Major holding companies and independent agencies are participating as advertisers seek greater transparency and stronger connections between media investment and commerce outcomes.
• Financial services, payments, delivery and specialty retailers are entering commerce media, expanding competition for advertising budgets and valuable first-party consumer signals.

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