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To compare retail media networks (RMNs) fairly, score each one on five dimensions: audience fit and reach, inventory and targeting, measurement rigor, reporting transparency and access, and business outcomes and economics. Only compare scores after you have fixed the campaign objective, geography, audience, placement, measurement definitions, attribution window, and reporting period, because otherwise the numbers describe different tests. The five-part structure is an editorial synthesis of published buyer criteria and standards. It is not an official framework from the IAB or the Media Rating Council (MRC).
Where the five dimensions come from
Retail media buying has no single scorecard. Industry bodies publish measurement standards, and buyer surveys show which criteria advertisers weigh. The five dimensions below combine those sources into one checklist you can apply to any set of networks serving the same retail category.
The clearest buyer evidence comes from the IAB Europe Attitudes to Retail Media Report (July 2025). Its survey asked respondents: “Which of the following elements are important when evaluating a retail media network in the same retail category?” The results are useful for deciding what to check, but they describe that survey’s respondents and question. They do not show how every advertiser or market behaves.
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Standardize the comparison before you score anything
Two networks can post very different ROAS or CPM figures for reasons that have nothing to do with quality. Before you compare, lock down the following for every network you test:
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- Campaign objective. Choose one primary goal, such as new-customer acquisition, category sales, or brand awareness, and use it for every network.
- Geography. Use the same country or region, and note whether the retailer’s shopper base in that area matches your target market.
- Audience. Define the audience segment once and request the same segment from each network.
- Placement. Compare like with like: onsite search, offsite display, online video, and in-store formats are different buys.
- Measurement definitions. Agree how impressions, viewability, sales, and new-to-brand customers are counted.
- Attribution window. Use the same look-back period for every network.
- Reporting period. Use the same start and end dates, and the same reporting cadence.
CPM is the most visible number in a proposal, but it is only meaningful after these seven items match.
The five dimensions
1. Audience fit and reach
Ask whether the retailer’s shoppers match your category, target customer, and geography. Request the eligible audience definition, the reach estimates, and the basis and period behind those estimates. A large audience does not establish value on its own; compare reach only within the same category and geography.
In the IAB Europe July 2025 survey, 63% of respondents selected audience reach as an important factor when evaluating an RMN in the same retail category.
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Map the placements the network actually offers and record them in a simple inventory list:
- Onsite placements on the retailer’s own sites and apps
- Offsite placements on third-party sites and apps
- Online formats and any video or display options
- In-store formats and zones
- Targeting controls, buying access, and any eligibility restrictions
IAB and the MRC published retail media measurement guidelines in January 2024 that cover ads onsite, offsite, online, and in-store. IAB and IAB Europe published separate in-store definitions and measurement standards on December 3, 2024. In the IAB Europe survey, 69% of respondents selected targeting options as important.
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Capabilities are not uniform. In a September 2026 UK study, ISBA and mediasense found that self-service access, reporting, and measurement capability vary across networks, so confirm the access level your own account tier and buying model receive.
3. Measurement rigor
Request written definitions and methods for each metric the network reports. At minimum, ask about:
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- How impressions and viewability are defined, and which standards the network follows
- How invalid traffic is filtered
- Which attribution window is used and why it was chosen
- What is included in reported sales, and whether sales are gross or net
- How any new-to-brand claim is determined
IAB Europe’s Commerce (Incl. Retail) Media Measurement Standards V2.1, published January 22, 2026, refine the measurement funnel and add standardized definitions for gross and net sales. The standard covers online measurement; in-store measurement is addressed separately. It replaces the April 2024 IAB Europe retail media measurement standards overview, which remains useful background on the standards’ purpose and coverage.
A network that cannot state its definitions in these terms should be scored low on this dimension, regardless of how polished its dashboard looks.
4. Reporting transparency and access
Ask for a sample report before you commit budget, and check that it lets you see the following:
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- Spend and delivery by campaign, placement, and date
- Audience information for the campaign
- Placement-level results
- Sales definitions and the attribution window applied
- Downloadable or exportable data, not only charts
Also ask how often reports update, and whether reporting access differs by buying model or advertiser tier. In the IAB Europe July 2025 survey, 82% of respondents selected reporting and transparency as an important evaluation factor, the highest share of any option in that question. The ISBA study also found reporting transparency varies across networks and arrangements.
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Judge results against your stated business objective, and separate three different measures:
- Attributed sales and ROAS, which credit sales to ads within a defined window
- Incremental impact, which estimates how many sales would not have happened without the ads
- Cost efficiency, such as CPM, which is meaningful only after alignment
Attributed results can overstate impact because they include purchases that would have happened anyway. IAB’s Guidelines for Incremental Measurement in Commerce Media, published November 3, 2025, describe several methods: experiments, model-based counterfactuals, econometric models, and hybrid proxies. The guidance calls for a credible counterfactual, bias control, and a clear separation of signal from noise. For any lift claim, ask which counterfactual was used, whether an experiment was run, and how bias and noise were handled.
On cost, 43% of IAB Europe survey respondents selected CPMs as an important factor, behind reporting, performance, and measurement options. That is a survey finding, not a rule that CPM should be your main metric.
Scoring networks side by side
Use one scale for every dimension, and record the evidence beside each score so the ranking does not hide gaps. The table below lists what to request for each dimension and what to record.
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| Dimension | Request from the network | Record alongside the score |
|---|---|---|
| Audience fit and reach | Eligible audience definition, reach estimates | Basis, measurement period, category and geography |
| Inventory and targeting | Placement list, format list, targeting controls | Buying access level, eligibility restrictions |
| Measurement rigor | Written metric definitions, standards followed | Attribution window, gross or net sales treatment |
| Reporting transparency and access | Sample report, export options, update schedule | Access differences by buying model or tier |
| Business outcomes and economics | Attributed and incremental results, counterfactual method | Experiment design, bias and noise handling, CPM after alignment |
If a network does not provide a comparable measure, mark it as unavailable. Do not score it as zero, and do not estimate the missing value. A network that cannot supply an export or a sales definition has an information gap, which is itself a finding.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Using the sources with the right scope
Each source applies to a different part of the problem, so match each one to the claim it supports:
- IAB and MRC retail media measurement guidelines (January 2024): broad measurement guidance for retail media ads onsite, offsite, online, and in-store.
- IAB Europe Commerce (Incl. Retail) Media Measurement Standards V2.1 (January 22, 2026): the current European standard for online measurement, with standardized gross and net sales definitions.
- IAB and IAB Europe in-store definitions (December 3, 2024): definitions and measurement guidance for in-store formats and zones.
- IAB Incremental Measurement guidelines (November 3, 2025): methods for estimating incremental impact in commerce media.
- ISBA and mediasense UK capability study (September 8, 2026): a UK-specific assessment of more than 200 capability data points across five digital retail media networks. It is not a global census.
The ISBA and mediasense report states: “Self-service access, reporting transparency and measurement sophistication vary significantly depending on retailer, buying model and advertiser tier.” The report names the organizations involved rather than individual authors, so attribute the finding to the report itself.
Limits of this framework
The five dimensions are a practical method, not a ranking. This article does not score any named network, and it does not report test results for a specific RMN. The survey percentages describe the IAB Europe July 2025 respondents and question, and they should not be applied to all advertisers or markets. The UK study covers UK digital networks only. Use the framework to structure your own tests and requests, and treat the published standards as the reference for definitions.
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The Bottom Line
Compare retail media networks only on a standardized basis, score each one across audience fit and reach, inventory and targeting, measurement rigor, reporting transparency and access, and business outcomes and economics, and keep the evidence beside every score. A network that cannot document its definitions, attribution window, and sales treatment should be ranked lower than one that can, even if its headline CPM is cheaper.
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