IGA, Ideal Team on 1st Retail Media Network for Indies

Users can gain CPG funding, drive store traffic and improve customer experience

2/21/2023

The new CPG-funded retail media network introduced by IGA and Ideal is available to all independent retailers at no cost.

The Independent Grocers Alliance has joined forces with Ideal by Design House to provide an industry-first on- and off-platform retail media network designed especially for independent retailers. The CPG-funded network isn’t just limited to IGA stores, though – it’s available to all indies at no cost.

With thousands of stores on a single retail media platform, independent grocers’ collected media weight could make the Ideal Retail Media Network one of the most efficient media buys in all of retail, according to IGA and Ideal.

[Read more: "IGA Reveals USA Retailers of The Year"]

“When brands go to invest their media dollars, there is no reason for independent retailers to be left out,” asserted John Ross, president and CEO of Chicago-based IGA. “Already, IGA and Ideal have one of the largest media properties in the United States, and we have proven that brand and shopper marketing teams at big brands want to invest in our stores. The Ideal network takes it to a whole new level, combining the negotiating power of thousands more independents to challenge anything national grocery chains offer.”

Ideal’s retail media network offers on- and off-platform ad placements. CPG manufacturers’ ads are co-branded with consumers’ preferred neighborhood stores, leveraging shoppers’ loyalty across various retailers. CPGs can access advanced measurement capabilities and reporting on in-store traffic, return on ad spend (ROAS), basket size, category growth and other metrics. Further, using digital media tech, Ideal integrates savings, informational videos, sweepstakes, recipes, nutritional tips, and more to lift grocery shopper engagement, store traffic and sales.

“Ideal helps CPGs focus on their target retail audiences with off-site, co-branded programmatic display campaigns while driving traffic to rich on-platform content within branded local digital circulars,” noted Adam Zimmerman, partner and SVP at Solon, Ohio-based Ideal. “Consumers are always looking to be smarter about the food they buy for their family. This technology allows us to serve their needs at all stages of the shopper journey by integrating rich media and promotions into a single mobile platform. And best of all, both CPGs and retailers see the results with detailed analytics, following the customer journey from initial impression through in-store transactions.”

CPGs can choose a target audience across various retailers on the robust advertising platform. Co-branded ads attract shoppers to the media-rich digital circulars, which drive traffic to the stores. Ideal measures traffic from first impression all the way to the in-store purchase, giving CPGs visibility into the entire ecosystem.

IGA is the world’s largest voluntary supermarket network, with aggregate worldwide retail sales of more than $40 billion per year. The alliance includes 6,000-plus Hometown Proud supermarkets worldwide, supported by dozens of distribution centers and major manufacturers, vendors and suppliers. IGA has stores in 43 states and more than 30 countries, commonwealths, and territories.