Albertsons Media Collective™ Launches Incrementality Measurement to Prove True Media Impact of In-Store Campaigns and Plans Expansion

Rhea-AI Impact

(Moderate)

Rhea-AI Sentiment

(Neutral)

Key Terms

incrementality measurement technical

Incrementality measurement is the process of estimating how much additional sales, customers, or other outcomes result directly from a specific action—like an advertising campaign or promotion—versus what would have happened anyway. For investors, it reveals whether spending actually creates new value or just shifts existing demand, similar to checking whether watering one plant produced extra growth rather than just moving water from another pot; that clarity helps assess the efficiency and true return on investment.

counterfactual technical

A counterfactual is an imagined “what if” scenario that describes how outcomes would have been different if a specific action, event or condition had not occurred or had occurred differently. Investors use counterfactuals to estimate the causal effect of decisions, policies, clinical trial results or market events—like asking how revenue, stock price or trial success would change under an alternate history—so they can value risks, judge management choices and make more informed forecasts.

closed-loop measurement technical

A closed-loop measurement is a system that continuously reads a variable, like a blood sugar level or temperature, and automatically uses that information to adjust an action, creating a feedback loop much like a thermostat that senses room temperature and turns heating on or off. For investors, closed-loop capability matters because it can improve product performance, reduce the need for manual intervention, increase regulatory scrutiny and potential market value, and create competitive differentiation or recurring revenue opportunities.

omnichannel technical

A coordinated approach to selling and serving customers across all touchpoints—stores, websites, mobile apps, social media, and call centers—so the experience feels like one continuous conversation no matter where a customer interacts. For investors, omnichannel capability signals how well a company can attract and keep customers, turn interactions into sales, and use shared customer data to cut costs and boost revenue—making it a key driver of growth and competitive strength.

01/06/2026 - 09:00 AM

Solution enables advertisers to optimize in-store media using causal signals

BOISE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Albertsons Media Collective™, the retail media arm for Albertsons® Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI), today announced in-store incrementality measurement that delivers true causal insights into how in-store media drives incremental sales. Since launching its in-store digital display network, Albertsons Media Collective has delivered strong results and attracted more than 50 unique advertising partners eager to tap into the power of retail media, while staying focused on rapid growth and expansion.

Albertsons Media Collective, the retail media arm for Albertsons Companies, announced in-store incrementality measurement that delivers true causal insights into how in-store media drives incremental sales.

Unlike traditional attribution models that assign credit to purchases that may have occurred anyway, Albertsons Media Collective’s matched market framework measures the true incremental impact of in-store media, isolating the effect of advertising as the sole driver of lift. The incrementality solution operates at the store level, comparing sales performance in test stores exposed to ads against a rigorously selected set of control stores with no media exposure. By estimating the counterfactual, what would have happened without advertising, the model delivers a statistically validated measure of true lift.

Albertsons Media Collective’s in-store incrementality measurement addresses one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: accurately measuring in-store media, which operates outside the signal-rich, identity-connected environment of other digital channels. Designed specifically to alleviate this complexity, the matched market framework delivers true incrementality by attributing sales, orders and unit lift solely to media exposure rather than correlation. The solution leverages nearly 60 variables for advanced store-level matching to reduce bias and noise, scales nationally across diverse store formats, and works across both existing and new in-store screens, including deli and pharmacy placements.

“For too long, in-store media has been measured with tools that confuse correlation for impact,” said Liz Roche, Vice President of Media and Measurement at Albertsons Media Collective. “Our matched market incrementality approach cuts through that noise. By isolating causal lift at the store level, we’re showing brands the actual impact of in-store media activation — and giving them confidence that their investment is driving net-new sales. We look forward to advancing the measurement capabilities we offer in the future with closed-loop measurement, while remaining compliant with and closely aligning our measurement roadmap with IAB current and future standards for in-store media.”

A recent campaign for Mondelēz International, Inc. highlights the effectiveness of in-store media when measured through Albertsons Media Collective’s matched market incrementality framework. Designed to promote Sargento® Cheese Bakes, the premium snack cracker from Mondelēz, the campaign aimed to drive household penetration, category growth and incremental sales. Mondelēz integrated in-store digital screens with high-engagement onsite and offsite media to build awareness and drive conversion among Albertsons shoppers. The addition of in-store screens contributed to a significant sales lift, demonstrating the incremental value of in-store activation within an omnichannel strategy.

“In-store is one of the most influential moments in the path to purchase, but historically it’s been difficult to measure with precision,” said Melissa Pitmon, Customer Director, OmniChannel, Mondelēz. “Albertsons Media Collective’s matched market measurement gave us clear, causal insight into how in-store media drove incremental sales, helping us optimize with confidence and validate the true impact of our investment.”

Albertsons Media Collective is a full-funnel media platform that reaches known shoppers across channels, now complete with in-store media which unlocks the full power of the omnichannel experience at the moments closest to the point of purchase. After bringing incrementality onsite and offsite, bringing incremental results to in-store media helps advertising partners truly understand collective growth.

Given the strong in-store results achieved since the launch of the in-store digital display network, Albertsons Media Collective is focused on expansion. In 2026, the in-store fleet will include approximately 800 additional stores, offering scaled coverage and strategic continuity, with presence across 10 divisions.

For more information, visit albertsonsmediacollective.com to learn about in-store incrementality measurement.

About Albertsons Media Collective

Albertsons Media Collective is a next-generation retail media network rooted in connections, technology and innovation. As the retail media arm for Albertsons Companies, one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, we connect with consumers in more than 2,200 locations across 35 states and the District of Columbia. Through a companywide focus on innovation, we partner with leading brands to help them engage shoppers when and where it matters most, with the power of sophisticated first-party data. From innovative delivery platforms to highly targeted marketing solutions, we offer our clients a variety of programs designed to drive retail sales and maximize brand impact to best serve our shoppers.