The news: Retailers are diverging on how best to grow in an increasingly competitive retail media landscape. Macy’s and Iceland Foods illustrate how those choices reflect different market realities and advertiser expectations.

In the US, Macy’s Media Network is prioritizing ease of buying and advertiser familiarity by leaning on Amazon’s ad-tech infrastructure.

• Macy’s partnered with Amazon’s Retail Ad Service to power sponsored product ads, reducing buying friction and attracting brands already operating within the Amazon Ads ecosystem.
• Macy’s has added more than 175 new advertisers since joining the pilot ahead of the 2025 holiday season, notes Marketing Dive.
• Macy’s added Pentaleap as an ad server and mediation layer on top of its existing Criteo setup, allowing Amazon Ads to compete in real time for sponsored product placements on Macy’s sites alongside other demand sources.

In the UK, Iceland Foods is taking the opposite approach, building a largely bespoke in-store retail media platform and capitalizing on Europe’s embrace of in-store retail media.