s Club’s Retail Media Network launches new targeting and experience capabilities //

Sam’s Club Member Access Platform, Sam’s Club’s retail network of warehouse clubs that are only open to members and owned by Walmart has new targeting and design capabilities.

Sam’s Club’s Retail Media Network (RMN) has been improved to help advertisers select “hero products” to show to shoppers. It also allows advertisers to target browse page and gives customers the option to add products directly from RMN ads to their carts.

Sam’s Club launched “in-club”, or in-store, sales attribution to RMN advertisers back in March. According to the company, advertisers have seen an average increase of 30% in their return on advertising spend (ROAS), thanks to the ability to link in-network ads with store sales.

Why do we care? Not just the big national chains , but many retailers launch RMNs. Marketers can’t ignore the growing impact of RMNs on retail and online commerce. RMN referrals increased by 70% over the previous summer Prime Day promotions.

RMNs are different in their development, depending on the customer base they serve and what services they offer. All of them are at different stages. When marketers choose an RMN to be part of their omnichannel strategies, they can take advantage of the close relationships with customers and technology that strategic partnerships provide. Retail marketers can also see which direction is most likely to be successful in developing an RMN within their organization, based on the size of their customer base.

Retail media networks: What we need to know

Sam’s Club is located in nearly 600 stores across the U.S.A. and Puerto Rico. The name implies that customers are required to pay for a club membership. This creates a greater commitment from the customer than, say, a free loyalty program.

Walmart owns Sam’s Club, but the Sam’s Club MAP only includes Sam’s Club Members, and it is not connected to Walmart’s RMN or Walmart Connect.

Sam’s Club customers have many options to shop and search for products. Sam’s Club member’s can also buy their products. Shoppers can do their shopping on the web, via the Sam’s Club App and in physical stores. The company refers to this as “in-club” (or club) shopping. Customers can opt for curbside delivery or pickup.

Members can scan products on the shelf at physical locations. This will provide more data about customer behavior and a deeper understanding of the journey. RMN ad views and all shopping activities, both online and in-store, can be tied to sales since all actions are performed by members of the club who have a close relationship with their retailer.

Lex Josephs, VP & GM of Sam’s Club MAP, said that advertisers are interested in MAP because the data we have on our members is rich. Advertisers are interested in the insights that make a member unique.

Danone, a food company, reported a 35% increase in sales following a recent MAP marketing campaign.

Brand Amplifier Features. As search becomes a more mature offering at Sam’s Club we must constantly innovate, said Josephs.

Brand Amplifier is the latest improvement to MAP. It offers an easier-to-use interface for advertisers and more touchpoints to reach members.

Members can now add products straight from an RMN ad into their digital carts. It could make sales easier for advertisers but also provide convenience for customers. Josephs stated that these innovations must be “additive” to the members’ experience.

Advertisers can also sponsor browser pages, such as a “Back to School”, in addition to buying keywords and search ads. Brands can now maintain their presence at a touchpoint between the search and the purchase in the shopper journey.

Brands can use the Brand Amplifier to focus their ads on new products or “hero” products. Brands are likely to have a hero product in mind. The data of Sam’s Club’s members can be used to determine which product is best for a particular campaign.

Partners Club. Sam’s Club built its own member data infrastructure, but has partnered up with tech companies for many of the current and future RMN Services, which are accessible via API. For example, MAP partnered up with Flywheel to manage and measure their search campaigns.

Sam’s Club has also begun to develop off-site campaignmatics. While the focus of MAP is currently on the search campaigns that are conducted on the site, the company is also paving a way for the future. The roadmap also includes creative automation.

The “Partner Club” also includes the performance company Skai and commerce acceleration platform Pacvue, as well as CommerceIQ’s Retail Ecommerce Management Platform.

Retailers can develop RMNs in-house or acquire adtech firms. They can also adopt a partnership approach. Sam’s Club has shown success with the third approach.

The post Sam’s Club’s Retail Media Network rolls out new experience capabilities and targeting capabilities first appeared on MarTech.