Retail Media and Data in Omnichannel Retail: Impact, Attribution, and Conversion

The retail market is experiencing one of its most profound transformations since the consolidation of e-commerce. If in the past the great obsession of marketing professionals was simply to establish a presence in digital channels, the contemporary challenge revolves around a discipline that unites technology,first-party, and sales channels: Retail Media.

To demystify this scenario and understand how major brands structure their data strategies to drive business results, the Trend Off — focused on Marketing, Technology and Trends — hosted Mônica Fukumoto, Head of Insights and Data at Impulso (a company that is part of the RD Saúde ecosystem, responsible for leading brands such as Raia and Drogasil).

In this comprehensive article, we will analyze the key insights discussed in the episode, exploring the challenges of data structuring, the nuances of shopper , and attribution methodologies beyond the traditional last click.

The challenge of structuring: between the sound and the noise of the data

We live in a time marked by information overload. As highlighted in the podcast discussion, the biggest challenge for marketing and technology leaders is no longer the scarcity of data, but rather the ability to filter out the "noise" to extract the "sound," that is, insights that generate real value and guide decision-making.

The technological evolution of the last 14 years has radically transformed not only the technical infrastructure, but also the skills required of professionals in the field. Mônica Fukumoto emphasizes that, although knowing how to choose the correct statistical methodology remains relevant, the competitive advantage lies in the analytical ability to translate business objectives into structured technical solutions

A common mistake in market research and business data collection is the excessive inclusion of questions in the pursuit of the "perfect data." Practical experience shows that formulating lengthy questionnaires often has the opposite effect: response rates plummet and the quality of the database decreases. True analytical power lies in collecting the essentials and knowing how to cross-reference this data with spontaneous consumer behavior.

The RD Saúde ecosystem and omnichannel fluidity

The pharmaceutical retail sector in Brazil has unique characteristics of capillarity and constant expansion. In the case of Grupo RD Saúde, the digitization process has structured a scenario where online sales already represent about 30% of the company's total revenue.

This impressive number is the result of consistent work focused on eliminating friction in the consumer's purchasing journey

• Hybrid journey: the modern shopper can start browsing or complete the purchase in the app and pick up the item immediately at a nearby physical store.
• Behavior by category: there is a clear distinction in purchasing behavior within the same basket. Over-the-counter medications (such as analgesics) and perfumery or cosmetic items easily migrate to digital, while certain health products still carry psychological triggers that drive the consumer to the physical counter.
• The role of the sales assistant: when an item is not physically available in stock, the store team acts as a facilitator, consulting other branches or assisting the customer in completing the order via e-commerce for home delivery.

Retail Media: Connecting Impact Directly to Sales

The key differentiator that positions Retail Media as the leading marketing trend today is its native ability to close the attribution loop: directly linking advertising impact to the final conversion.

In traditional marketing, industries and agencies often faced difficulties correlating branding with actual increases in shelf sales (sell-out). Retail Media solves this problem by using anonymizedfirst-partyin compliance with privacy regulations.

Partner brands can work with different media formats within this ecosystem:

1. On-Site Campaigns (Digital Properties)

Advertising through banners, sponsored searches, and customized storefronts within the retailer's own website or official app (which, in RD's case, accounts for the largest share of mobile access).

2. Off-Site Strategies

Activating qualified audiences based on the retailer's purchase history to target highly precise ads on external platforms such as Google Shopping, Meta (Instagram/Facebook), TikTok, or programmatic media.

3. Digital Out of Home (DOOH) at the Point of Sale

Displaying communications on strategically positioned digital screens within the physical environment of pharmacies. Since physical retail still accounts for the largest share of total purchase volume in the Brazilian market, impacting the consumer with dynamic content at the exact moment they are in front of the shelf significantly increases conversion rates.

Going beyond the Last Click

One of the main debates raised in the podcast addresses the strong dependence of the digital marketing market on the last-click . By giving all the credit for conversion to the final point of contact, the strategy ignores brand building and the intermediary channels that sparked the consumer's initial interest.

To overcome this limited view, mature brands are beginning to apply multi-touch attribution models or incremental analytics. This involves comparing the sales performance of groups exposed to retail media against control groups without exposure, discounting seasonality and other external factors.

In this way, the ROI is proven and the real repurchase window for each category is understood, whether in performance campaigns with an immediate focus on sell-out or in support actions aimed at preventing drops in market shareinthe face of aggressive competitor moves.

Conclusion: Human intelligence guiding technology

Automation, artificial intelligence, and algorithms are fundamental to ensuring scale, agility, and depth in processing massive volumes of corporate data. However, none of these tools replaces the analytical and strategic perspective on human behavior.

Success in Retail Media lies not in the obsessive pursuit of a single metric or the perfect data point, but rather in the intelligence of connecting the integrated consumer journey with the real business objectives of brands.

Want to see the full debate?

This article covered the technical and analytical pillars of the discussion, but you can check out all the behind-the-scenes details, practical examples, and shared stories in this unmissable episode.

Written by Skyone