Why Retail Media Networks Are the Game-Changer for Tier 2 Retailers, Tier 1 and Challenger Brands

Retail media networks (RMNs) aren’t just the hot topic in retail — they’re quickly becoming the backbone of how retailers and brands connect with customers, drive revenue, and manage in-store and digital marketing more efficiently. For tier 2 retailers, tier 1 brands, and challenger brands alike, RMNs are no longer “nice to have” – they’re essential infrastructure.

The Problems RMNs Fix

1. Wasted Spend and Fragmentation
   Without RMNs, in-store and digital advertising is often fragmented, poorly targeted, and hard to measure. Campaigns get lost in execution gaps, and marketing spend leaks away without accountability.
2. Lack of Transparency
   Brands are frustrated by the lack of visibility into where and how their retail marketing budgets are spent. Retailers struggle to prove ROI, leading to mistrust and underinvestment.
3. Underutilised Assets
   Retailers sit on valuable media real estate – physical stores, apps, e-commerce sites, email lists, and loyalty programmes – but most of it remains under-monetised without a structured RMN.
4. Operational Inefficiency
   Legacy processes for campaign execution — manual approvals, print-based workflows, scattered vendor management – bleed time and money.

The Outcomes RMNs Deliver

1. New Revenue Streams
   According to McKinsey, RMNs can boost retailers’ revenue by 1–2% of total sales. For a retailer with £500m turnover, that’s £5–10m in incremental profit opportunity. For brands, RMNs provide premium access to shoppers at the point of purchase, driving double-digit sales uplifts.
2. Higher Marketing ROI
   Brands running campaigns through RMNs report up to 40% higher ROI compared to traditional retail marketing channels (eMarketer). That’s because targeting is sharper, measurement is clearer, and campaigns reach shoppers when it matters most.
3. Cost Savings and Efficiency
   Digitally managed campaigns reduce operational waste by 20–30%, cutting the dead weight of paper-heavy processes, duplicated work, and missed deadlines. That means both retailers and brands spend less on execution and more on what actually drives sales.
4. Stronger Retailer–Brand Partnerships
   RMNs create a transparent, accountable marketplace where retailers prove the value of their assets and brands get the clarity they crave. It shifts the relationship from “spend and hope” to “invest and know.”

Why Colateral is the Solution of Choice

Colateral was built to solve the problems tier 2 retailers and challenger brands face every day. Unlike legacy systems or costly tier 1 platforms, we:

• Make it easy to stand up an RMN – no endless IT projects, no complex integration nightmares.
• Bridge in-store and digital – managing all retail media in one place, ensuring consistency and measurement across touchpoints.
• Drive measurable outcomes – from campaign efficiency to new revenue streams, we put data behind every pound spent.
• Scale with you – from a handful of stores to a global footprint, our platform adapts to your needs.

Where others deliver complexity, we deliver speed. Where others demand high upfront investment, we’ve built a smarter path.

A Low-Barrier Entry: Revenue Share

Here’s the kicker: with Colateral  you don’t need a seven-figure budget to get started. We offer a low-barrier entry through a revenue share model. That means you can launch, test, and scale an RMN with minimal risk, and start unlocking new revenue and efficiency from day one.

The future belongs to retailers and brands who treat media as a revenue-generating asset, not a cost centre. RMNs are the way forward, and Colateral is how you get there.