Uniting Social and Retail Media for Real Growth

When we look at how consumers discover and purchase products today, it’s becoming increasingly clear that social and retail media aren’t separate disciplines at all – they are effectively two parts of the same strategy. Social platforms, like TikTok, spark curiosity and invite consumers to browse, stumble upon and engage with products in a natural and entertaining way. Meanwhile, retail media picks up that intent and converts it, delivering the right message at the right moment when someone is ready to buy.  

In one example, a CPG brand that paired TikTok social-commerce activity, with Amazon retail-media say a meaningful uplift of 10% ROAS when Amazon, and almost 9% increase in conversion ates demonstrating how powerful this combination can be. Results like these reinforce a simple truth; consumers don’t think in terms of “Brand Awareness” versus “Retail Activation”, and so marketing structures shouldn’t either.  

To align with this shift, we need to break down the historic silos, and plan holistically, with shared metrics and integrated strategies which reflect real shopper behaviour.  

What this means for us 

For brands, the merging of social and retail media means planning full discovery to purchase journey as one connected strategy. Social platforms drive real buying intent and retail channels convert it – so creative targeting and budgets must work together and not in silos. Flexible spending, integrated measurement and closer alignment with retailed like Tesco and Amazon will be essential. Brands that unify these efforts will achieve stronger ROI, better shopper visibility and a more competitive position in an increasingly commerce-driven media landscape. 

Source: WARC