Why Top Brands Are Building Their Own Retail Media Operating Systems (And Winning in 2026)

Here’s a riddle for you: what’s ugly, chaotic, color-coded, constantly changing but absolutely essential? If you guessed the family calendar, you’re correct. But I’m also talking about how brands are managing retail media in 2026.Today I unpack why the best-performing brands have stopped waiting for retailers to hand them a clean, unified dashboard, and are instead building their own operating systems on top of retail media networks. Drawing on fresh data from the fifth annual Stratably × Skai State of Retail Media report, I break down the widening gap between brands that are designing systems versus those still juggling platforms. I discuss measurement, incrementality, closed-loop attribution, retail media DSPs, and why only 12% of brands have truly integrated media and commerce data. If you’re still logging into eight dashboards and hoping your spreadsheet holds, this one’s for you!This episode is sponsored by Mirakl AdsTimeline[00:00] – The 'family calendar' riddle and why it perfectly describes retail media management today[01:15] – Inside the State of Retail Media report: 166 marketers, 40 interviews, and a growing systems gap[02:12] – The big numbers: 77% want better cross-network measurement, 68% want operational efficiency, and 52% are shifting budgets to retail media DSPs[03:16] – The 12% stat that should make you uncomfortable: integrating media spend with commerce data[04:00] – Why retail media measurement standards exist (but infrastructure fragmentation is still the real blocker)[06:30] – Retailers’ scaling problem, long-tail advertisers, and why brands are building self-serve control layers[08:00] – My spicy take: stop asking “Which retail media network should I add next?” and start asking “What system am I building?”Links & ResourcesDownload the fifth annual Stratably × Skai State of Retail Media report from Skai’s website here.Read my related articles:The Case for the ‘Long Tail’ of Retail Media NetworksRetail Media's Measurement Problem: It's Not Just the RetailersHow Can RMNs Tap Upper-Funnel Brand BudgetsJoin me and Jordan Witmer from Salt XC at 10am ET Thursday Feb 19, for our next LinkedIn Live on When RMNs Come Calling for Your Brand Marketing Budget. We'll be answering questions LIVE -- join us!Atlanta-based retail media professionals: Wednesday, February 25 is the next In-Person Atlanta Happy Hour! RSVP here.Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletterFollow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn