Düsseldorf | There's still a clear imbalance in retail media: people still do most of their shopping in physical stores, but little advertising spend goes there. Mediamarkt Saturn is determined to close this gap – guided by a major role model from the U.S.
Retail Media: Mediamarkt Saturn Follows Walmart’s Playbook
The European consumer electronics chain Mediamarkt Saturn is sharpening its ambitions in retail media, positioning itself for a fundamental transformation: from a traditional consumer electronics retailer to a fully integrated retail media ecosystem.
The strategy was presented at the “Retail Media & Marketing Partner Summit” the retailer hosted in Düsseldorf last week, bringing together around 250 participants.
Early on in the Summit, the company outlined its ambitious benchmark: “Walmart is our North Star,” said Torsten Ahlers, Managing Director Retail Media & Partner Marketing. The comparison is deliberate. U.S. retailer Walmart recently reported 41 percent growth in digital advertising in Q4 2025, highlighting retail media as a core strategic business. But this momentum is not limited to Walmart or the U.S. In Europe, retail media ad spend is projected to reach €28 billion by 2028.
Focus remains on upper and mid funnel
Many brands continue to concentrate heavily on online channels. In the consumer electronics sector, this is largely driven by user behavior, as customers typically research products online before making a purchase. As a result, marketing efforts are still focused on the high and mid funnel.
The high funnel builds brand awareness, while the mid funnel drives consideration. The challenge is to convert this interest into the low funnel, where final purchase decisions are made.
According to Ahlers, success depends on aligning all stages effectively: “Full funnel must work.” This applies not only to online channels – where technological developments such as agentic commerce are increasing the importance of the low funnel – but also to physical retail.
However, brick-and-mortar stores remain underrepresented in media planning. While consumers spend around 5.2 percent of their total media time in physical stores, only 0.1 percent of advertising budgets are allocated to this channel. Corinna Hohenleitner, Vice President at the German digital advertising association BVDW, emphasized that the true effectiveness of retail media lies in connecting these channels.
Data push with Retail Connect
To address this gap, Mediamarkt Saturn announced a data initiative aimed at increasing transparency for partners and enabling measurable links between digital touchpoints and in-store purchases. A key component is Retail Connect, a platform set to launch in October 2026.
Retail Connect will give partners access to real-time campaign data as well as first-party data from Mediamarkt Saturn’s loyalty program. This will allow for more precise audience targeting based on actual purchasing behavior. The platform will also support A/B testing, enabling direct comparison of different campaign approaches.
Despite these advances, challenges remain – a point widely acknowledged during the summit. A lack of standardized KPIs, limited comparability, and the complexity of campaign management continue to create obstacles for both planners and retailers.
This uncertainty has a direct impact on the in-store segment. Without clearly defined and standardized KPIs, long-term planning becomes more difficult for manufacturers of in-store screens. The same applies to integrators, who must ensure reliable functionality within increasingly complex system environments.
Retail media still underutilized
Data presented by Corinna Hohenleitner, based on BVDW surveys, shows that retail media’s full potential is far from being realized. More than 90 percent of surveyed members in Europe believe it is still underexploited.
The U.S. market serves as a key point of reference, including for in-store applications. Walmart demonstrates how consistent digitization of retail spaces and audience measurement can turn physical stores into measurable revenue channels – and how a retailer can successfully evolve into a comprehensive advertising platform.
With Retail Connect, Mediamarkt Saturn’s is taking another step in that direction.
