Retail Media Networks: The Gulf's Next Big Ad Channel

Retail media has become one of the fastest-growing ad categories globally, and the Gulf is no exception. With e-commerce platforms now controlling enormous first-party shopping data, the question is no longer whether retail media networks will matter to regional advertisers — it's how quickly brands need to build the capability to use them.

This episode covers the mechanics of retail media: how sponsored listings, onsite display, and offsite retargeting fit together. We then look at the specific dynamics of the Gulf market — where the platforms are local rather than global, where the consumer data is concentrated, and what that means for brands trying to reach Gulf consumers at the moment of purchase.

Our guests include a retail media lead at a major platform and a CPG brand manager who has been running retail media campaigns for eighteen months.