ASCENDANT RMN BOOT CAMP 2026 RECAP
DIGITS recaps the April 2026 Ascendant RMN Boot Camp, including the launch of Ascendant SHOWCASE, the return of merchant-led retail media, and what AI means for commerce media in 2026.
The Ascendant RMN Boot Camp Showed a Retail Media Industry Growing Up
The April 2026 Ascendant RMN Americas Boot Camp gathered roughly 130 senior leaders from brands, agencies, and retail media networks for a candid 1.5-day working session on where commerce media goes next. The tone this year was noticeably different. Less rocket-ship growth talk. More discipline. More focus on merchants, measurement, and the operational realities of running retail media as a real business. For DIGITS, the conversations reinforced a retail media strategy thesis we have been operating against for years.
Why It Matters
Retail media has entered its maturation phase. Growth rates are normalizing from triple-digit to 5 to 20 percent in many pockets, and the brands that win in this new environment will look different from the ones that won the land grab. Ascendant brought together the CMOs, retail media network leaders, and senior operators actually making these decisions, along with a growing number of merchants whose influence is quietly returning to the center.
Key Takeaways at a Glance
Ascendant announced SHOWCASE, the first retail media upfront built for brand media buyers, taking place September 2, 2026 in New York City
The industry is shifting from chasing hypergrowth to managing durable 5 to 20 percent growth
Merchants are moving back toward the center of retail media strategy
AI is already generating up to 25 percent of retailer-associated traffic
70 percent of brands say Marketing Mix Modeling does not work correctly for retail media, yet most still rely on it to plan investments
Experience marketing is emerging as a retail media frontier, with early examples from Sam’s Club, Dollar General with Recess, and Kraft Heinz with Live Nation
What Is Ascendant SHOWCASE and Why Should Brands Care?
Ascendant SHOWCASE is the first retail media upfront designed specifically for brand media buyers, launching September 2, 2026 in New York City.
This is a meaningful shift in how retail media networks go to market. Traditional upfronts belong to broadcast and streaming, where brand budgets get committed well in advance of the buying year. By creating an upfront moment for retail media, Ascendant is signaling that commerce media is ready to compete for brand dollars, not just trade budgets. The event will feature retailers presenting annual roadmaps so brands can understand what capabilities are coming and plan retail media alongside other media channels.
Planning cycles for 2027 will begin immediately after SHOWCASE. The brands showing up with a clear retail media strategy will be the ones that get prioritized.
Is the Industry Shifting Back Toward Merchants?
Merchant conversations dominated Ascendant in a way we have not seen, suggesting a meaningful shift in where retail media influence now sits.
For most of the retail media growth curve, media teams inside retailers drove the narrative. They built the networks and set the rules. At Ascendant, the language changed. Senior leaders kept returning to the idea that retailers need a good core business and a culturally relevant brand before they can have a meaningful retail media network. One speaker framed it bluntly: you cannot have a great retail media network inside a struggling retailer. Retailers should think like publishers, with engaged audiences and programming brands actually want to be part of.
Brands should stop evaluating retail media networks purely on inventory and targeting. Evaluate them on merchant strength, cultural relevance, and whether the underlying retailer is a business you actually want to be associated with.
How Should Brands Think About AI in Commerce Media?
AI is already shaping commerce media at the infrastructure level, with up to 25 percent of retailer-associated traffic now coming from AI sources, and brands need a practical point of view rather than a binary one.
Much of the Ascendant AI discussion fell into two extremes. Either AI is going to kill retail media as shoppers buy through AI agents, or AI is overhyped and will not change anything. The reality is in the middle. Commerce media, sales, and growth marketing sit closest to transaction data and the messy operational work that AI actually improves. Sessions highlighted the emerging need for what one speaker called the AI plumber, the operator who connects product data, retail media platforms, measurement tools, and brand workflows into something coherent.
The practical move is to audit how AI-associated traffic is already influencing your retail media campaigns, and to invest in the operational plumbing that makes AI-driven commerce media work at scale.
Why Do 70 Percent of Brands Say MMM Does Not Work for Retail Media?
According to data shared at Ascendant, 70 percent of brands believe Marketing Mix Modeling does not accurately measure retail media, yet most continue to rely on it.
MMM was built for a world of broadcast and linear channels where exposure and frequency could be modeled against aggregated sales. Retail media operates differently. It is closer to the conversion, more granular, and often runs on closed-loop attribution that MMM does not handle well. The result is a structural undervaluation of retail media inside brand measurement frameworks, which creates budget pressure even when retail media is driving incremental results. Retailer leaders noted that sponsored search and display still have significant monetization headroom, with retailers estimated to be only 38 percent monetized against their potential.
Brands making progress are investing in retail media-specific measurement, including incrementality testing and closed-loop attribution that sit alongside MMM rather than replacing it.
What Is Experience Marketing and Why Is It the Next Retail Media Frontier?
Experience marketing combines retail media placement with live events, entertainment, and physical activations. Ascendant highlighted several early examples that point to where the category is heading.
Sam’s Club was cited for its experience media approach, integrating member events with commerce media activation. Dollar General’s partnership with Recess blends beverage discovery with in-store experience. Kraft Heinz’s partnership with Live Nation connects CPG brands to live music environments in ways traditional retail media cannot replicate. These partnerships solve a problem brand marketers have been raising for two years. Retail media is effective at lower-funnel conversion, but marketers have struggled to find upper-funnel retail media experiences that actually build brand preference. Experience marketing is the bridge.
Brands in discovery-driven categories should start asking their retail media partners about experience marketing roadmaps. Early movers will build advantages that compound.
Action Steps for Brand Marketers After Ascendant
Evaluate whether SHOWCASE on September 2, 2026 should be on your calendar, and frame your 2027 retail media strategy in advance of that date
Audit your retail media network portfolio through a merchant-strength lens, not just inventory or targeting
Build an AI readiness assessment for your commerce media operations, including product data quality, platform integrations, and measurement infrastructure
Pressure-test your Marketing Mix Modeling approach against retail media performance, and layer in incrementality testing where MMM falls short
Ask your retail media partners about experience marketing opportunities, particularly in discovery-driven categories
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ascendant RMN Boot Camp?
The Ascendant RMN Americas Boot Camp is a twice-yearly invite-only gathering of approximately 120 to 130 senior leaders from brands, agencies, and retail media networks. The 1.5-day format focuses on candid, closed-door sessions covering retail media strategy, execution, and measurement, typically hosted in New York City.
When is Ascendant SHOWCASE and who should attend?
Ascendant SHOWCASE takes place September 2, 2026 in New York City. It is positioned as the first retail media upfront for brand media buyers, with retailers presenting annual roadmaps alongside brands and agencies evaluating where to commit retail media budgets. It is most relevant for senior media, marketing, and commerce leaders at CPG brands.
Why are merchants becoming more important in retail media?
Merchant influence is returning because retail media network performance depends on the underlying retailer’s core business health, cultural relevance, and audience engagement. Networks inside struggling retailers underperform regardless of targeting sophistication. Merchants drive assortment, pricing, and promotional strategy, the levers that make retail media actually convert.
How is AI affecting retail media in 2026?
AI is influencing retail media in two ways. An estimated 25 percent of retailer-associated traffic now comes from AI sources, changing how shoppers discover and purchase. AI is also reshaping how brands and retailers operate retail media programs, from campaign optimization to measurement to content production.
What does DIGITS do with insights from events like Ascendant?
DIGITS translates Ascendant insights into client strategy across Target, regional grocers, and beverage alcohol retail media. We use these signals to update planning frameworks, refine measurement approaches, and help brands prioritize investment across the networks that will deliver durable, merchant-backed results.
Conclusion
Ascendant 2026 marked a genuine shift in the retail media conversation. The industry is growing up, merchants are returning to the center, AI is moving from debate to infrastructure, and measurement remains the unsolved problem that will determine who captures the next wave of brand budget. Brands that treat this maturation as an opportunity will build durable advantages while competitors chase a rocket ship that already landed.
Which of these signals will most change how your brand plans retail media for 2027?
Resources:
- Target Managed Services
- Roundel Media Strategy
- Regional Grocer Retail Media
- Ascendant Network
- Ascendant SHOWCASE Announcement
Ready to translate the 2026 retail media shift into a plan your team can execute? Schedule a consultation with DIGITS to pressure-test your retail media strategy, measurement framework, and AI readiness.
About DIGITS Agency
DIGITS is an omnichannel retail media agency specializing in Target, regional grocers, and alcohol retail media. As a Target Managed Services partner and Roundel Media Studio Certified agency, DIGITS helps CPG brands navigate retail media with strategic planning, hands-on campaign management, and proprietary analytics. Learn more at www.digitsagency.com.
Dave Glaza, Founder & CEO of DIGITS, remains committed to bringing digital capabilities to physical stores!
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