Five things commerce media networks need to get right in 2026

Commerce media is entering a moment of profound transformation, one that goes beyond the incremental improvements we’ve seen in the past into true structural reinvention. Across industries, from finance to travel to home services, leaders see the potential to extend monetization and fundamentally reshape how brands grow, how networks compare, and how consumers experience shopping in new ways.

Yet, Forrester Consulting’s study, the “All commerce media playbook” makes the reality clear: while 42% of organizations believe they are operationalized or fully advanced, only 13% actually meet the criteria for true maturity across strategy, technology, measurement, and operations. This confidence-to-capability gap is the defining challenge and opportunity of the next decade.

We know that in 2025, commerce media has clearly moved beyond pilots in industries outside retail, and retail continues to lead the pack with commerce media as a core growth engine that drives more than media impact. But the systems, workflows, governance models, and measurement frameworks needed to deliver on its omnichannel promise are still catching up. For example, only 12% of surveyed organizations can activate and measure seamlessly across on-site, off-site, and in-store environments, underscoring how early the industry still is.

To compete in this environment, commerce media networks (CMNs) must build the connective tissue that unifies data, activates AI, restores transparency, and meets advertisers where they already work. At Koddi, we believe what takes CMNs to the next level will be the following five imperatives, defining how networks can differentiate in 2026 and beyond. 

In 2026, it’s time for commerce media networks to put their aspirations into reality, finally delivering on brands’ expectations and standing out among media offerings.

Deliver on the omnichannel promise

On-site, off-site, and in-store channels must work together, yet Forrester Consulting found that disconnected systems and manual workflows remain some of the biggest barriers to scale. In retail specifically, 48% report disconnected inventory, preventing brands from executing unified campaigns or measuring true cross-channel contribution.

In 2026, the winners will be the platforms that fully operationalize omnichannel planning and measurement. This means:

• Unified data pipelines across e-commerce, loyalty, and stores
• Connected campaign workflows rather than format-by-format management
• Closed-loop attribution that captures both online and offline sales

Simply offering brands the ability to buy all your media in one place is no longer enough: you’ll need sophisticated reporting across all media, as well as incrementality measurement and cross-channel optimization. In 2026, brands will simply state their goals and have your platform auto-optimize spend across every surface. 

Meet media buyers where they are

Media buyers increasingly expect to plan, activate, and measure retail and commerce media the same way they buy the rest of their digital advertising: through flexible, familiar workflows. Research from Koddi’s “State of programmatic retail media” report shows that 96% of agencies and 92% of brands are open to buying retail media through DSPs, and a similar majority say that doing so would make it significantly easier to shift larger budgets into retail media. This reflects a simple truth: CMNs that force buyers into rigid or proprietary paths risk losing share to networks that honor established buying behaviors.

Off-site research reinforces this expectation. In the RetailX data workbench offsite retail media report, created by RetailX and Koddi, 94% of advertisers say they want the ability to buy on-site, off-site, and in-store from a single retailer platform. Whether brands buy through DSP or via self-serve, buyers are rejecting fragmentation.

CMNs that embrace this flexibility will grow faster than those that try to funnel every advertiser into a single experience. Meeting buyers where they already transact, whether in DSPs, social platforms, or retailer-owned tools, ensures CMNs can unlock larger, more diversified budgets while reducing friction across the ecosystem.

Open the door to new advertiser segments

Commerce media’s next wave of growth will come from near-endemic and non-endemic advertisers, yet many networks are not ready to support their needs. Many do not have the maturity required to serve a broad range of advertisers with tailored measurement, automated workflows, and cross-channel activation.

To unlock non-endemic budgets, CMNs must:

• Offer contextual, audience, and outcome-based buying paths
• Build measurement frameworks that prove incremental value
• Replace one-size-fits-all formats with industry-specific solutions

The CMNs that design for diverse advertiser objectives will open the door to entirely new categories of investment.

Raise the bar on trust through transparency

The call for transparent, outcome-based measurement is unanimous amongst brands, agencies, and commerce media networks alike. 86% of CMNs rank strengthening measurement and attribution as a high or critical priority, according to Forrester Consulting’s research, and in many industries it is cited as the single greatest barrier to scale.

Advertisers are increasingly unwilling to accept opaque reporting or last-click metrics. Increasingly, advertisers expect to be able to not just see real-time reporting metrics, but understand the impact of campaigns on their market share and overall performance. Clear visualizations and recommendations will the table stakes for earning long-term budgets.

CMNs that embrace transparency will win spend by elevating trust across their ecosystems.

Redefine commerce media by leading on AI 

AI isn’t going anywhere in 2026; in fact, we’re just getting started. AI is reshaping commerce media from both sides of the equation: advertiser workflows and consumer behavior.

On the shopper side, AI is transforming how people discover, compare, and decide, especially in environments where retailers hold the richest loyalty, product, and behavioral datasets. CMNs are uniquely positioned to deliver AI-driven experiences that connect media, merchandising, and customer journeys into a seamless loop.

The CMNs that build AI-native infrastructure, including predictive targeting, dynamic creative, automated bidding, and real-time optimization, will define the next decade of commerce media.

A roadmap for CMNs poised to lead

Commerce media is no longer a side business. It is one of the most powerful growth engines available to modern brands, commerce companies, and platforms.

The leaders of 2026 will be the CMNs that don’t wait for the market to mature. They will be the ones who build the maturity the market needs. Stay tuned to learn more about what Koddi’s roadmap will be for 2026, and tips on how to structure your AI capabilities to stand out from the competition.