THE AGE OF ALCOHOL RETAIL MEDIA AOR
DIGITS recaps its Live Insider Session on alcohol retail media: new first-party access at Albertsons and Sam’s Club, Snag, convenience, and what an Alcohol Retail Media AOR delivers for 2027.
Alcohol retail media is moving faster than most brand teams are tracking. In our latest DIGITS Live Insider Session, Dave Glaza and Mallory Becker covered what’s changed as alcohol brands move from treating retail media as a side project to a real discipline: new first-party access at Albertsons and Sam’s Club, a fast-growing campus activator called Snag, momentum in convenience, and the case for an annual Alcohol Retail Media Agency of Record. Here’s what to take away, plus where to watch the full recording.
Alcohol retail media has trailed mainstream CPG for years, slowed by three-tier distribution, compliance restrictions, and inconsistent retailer support. That’s shifting. Nearly every major retailer now has a solution built for alcohol, and brands are showing up with committed budget instead of test dollars.
As 2027 planning begins, knowing where the category is moving determines whether a brand’s retail media investment compounds or falls behind.
Key Takeaways at a Glance
- Albertsons opened first-party data across all its banners, and Sam’s Club added closed-loop measurement for alcohol, both new this year.
- A DIGITS client that paused Snag investment saw sales drop 35% while the category grew 22%.
- DIGITS’ convenience network now reaches 35,000+ C-stores, with a new sponsored delivery fee tool for alcohol and other protected categories available in approx 3,000 stores.
- One brand that turned off marketplace search saw weekly sales drop 20% and year-over-year comp drop 34%.
- DIGITS launched a three-tier annual partnership framework, built around its CHEERS Network, starting at a $250,000 committed media budget.
Request Access to the entire Live Session Recording:
What’s New in First-Party Alcohol Retail Media at Albertsons and Sam’s Club?
Albertsons opened first-party data across all its banners this year, and Sam’s Club added closed-loop measurement for alcohol after DIGITS pushed the retailer to close that gap.
Albertsons’ opening covers every banner, including Safeway. DIGITS ran a dynamic ad solution using shopper location to surface the nearest store, with strong early results. Sam’s Club had self-serve alcohol advertising but no measurement attached; DIGITS is now testing Q4 campaigns there with both first-party data and closed-loop reporting live.
Club channels overall are outperforming expectations. A live DIGITS Costco campaign is seeing engagement roughly two times the display benchmark. First-party access matters because it unlocks known-buyer targeting, lapsed-buyer re-engagement (6 to 12 months), lookalike audiences, and true closed-loop measurement instead of estimated impact.
A Walmart case study shows the ceiling: a trial-focused campaign with enough budget to unlock Walmart’s sales lift measurement delivered a 7% sales lift and $9 ROAS across 40 million-plus impressions. Smaller budgets still typically return $6 to $10.
First-party access is quickly becoming the baseline. Brands without it are missing the lapsed-buyer and lookalike targeting competitors are already using.
Why Is Snag Becoming a Bigger Part of Alcohol Retail Media Strategy?
Snag is a fast-growing delivery network built for college campuses, and DIGITS data shows real, measurable downside for brands that pause investment there.
Snag works like a campus-focused DoorDash or Gopuff, but it owns its physical stores and inventory, priced like a nearby convenience store. Brands can buy homepage, category, and search keyword placements, plus conquesting. Current campuses include Ohio State, UT Austin, Tennessee, and Florida, with SMU added this year and Indiana pending licensing.
The clearest proof point: a brand invested in Snag in spring 2025, skipped spring 2026, and saw sales drop 35% even as the category grew 22%. Sitting out meant losing share while the category grew around it.
Snag reaches newly legal-age shoppers forming first brand preferences, the “age of imprint.” It’s still unique enough for meaningful, custom placements, and most brands haven’t tested it yet.
What’s Driving Growth in Alcohol Convenience Retail Media?
Convenience is climbing brand priority lists, and DIGITS’ C-store network, plus a new sponsored delivery fee tool, gives alcohol brands new ways to show up there with measurement attached.
DIGITS launched its own C-store network in early 2025, reaching 35,000-plus stores with first-party data and closed-loop measurement, largely unavailable to alcohol brands until recently. DIGITS also partners with Vroom across nearly 3,000 stores for sponsored takeovers, search, and homepage placements, all open to alcohol.
The newest tool is a transaction-level sponsored delivery fee: when a qualifying item is in the basket, the brand sponsors the delivery fee. It’s approved for protected categories like alcohol and tobacco, and DIGITS has seen it perform well at driving trial.
Convenience now has real infrastructure behind it, and a measurable way to buy trial for brands targeting 2027.
Do Alcohol Brands Need to Run Marketplace Search Advertising?
Yes. DIGITS data shows marketplace search functions closer to digital shelf space than discretionary spend, and turning it off has an immediate, measurable cost.
A DIGITS beer brand case study makes the point: after DIGITS took over search from the brand’s internal team, Instacart sales grew 107% from Q1 to Q2, while new-to-brand held at 60 to 70% and lifetime value grew alongside it. DIGITS also runs the brand’s DoorDash program and recently added Gopuff as a test, with strong early results.
The inverse case is just as telling. A separate brand turned off search to test necessity: average weekly sales dropped 20%, year-over-year comp dropped 34%. Without paid search, brands lose visibility on a shelf competitors are actively bidding to control.
Within our personal experience, there’s also open space for brands. Dave recently searched Instacart for local craft beer while traveling and saw ads almost exclusively from the largest national CPGs. Barriers to entry are lower than most assume, often a few thousand dollars a month to get live.
For brands not yet active on marketplace search, 2027 is the year to treat it as shelf space that needs defending.
What Does an Alcohol Retail Media Agency of Record Actually Include?
A DIGITS annual partnership combines a committed media budget (minimum $250,000) with co-built strategy, dedicated planning, shared data access, and multi-channel activation, replacing campaign-by-campaign approval with a single annual plan.
DIGITS’ new framework adds budget discounts and access to tools like Nielsen and RMN intelligence dashboards at higher commitment levels. Once a brand commits, DIGITS builds an annual or quarterly calendar by retailer and platform, mapping seasonal moments to the right tactics and scaling search budgets ahead of key selling windows.
The real shift is the conversation itself: instead of approving campaigns one at a time, brands work from a fixed annual budget and decide how to allocate it for the best return. DIGITS’ strongest partners typically activate five or more channels per season.
This runs on DIGITS’ CHEERS Network, a single-agency structure spanning marketplaces, first-party retailers, DIGITS-exclusive networks like Snag, Target (where DIGITS supports $6 billion-plus in annual sales), other third-party retailers, and paid social via Cheers.trip.
That’s the idea behind the Age of Alcohol Retail Media AOR: retail media as a function with its own budget, calendar, and owner, not a series of one-off approvals.
What You Can Do Next
- Confirm first-party access and closed-loop measurement are live on Albertsons and Sam’s Club before Q4 campaigns lock in.
- If your audience skews younger legal-age or you run campus marketing, evaluate a Snag pilot now.
- Test a convenience pilot, starting with the C-store network or a Vroom sponsored delivery fee, if trial is a 2027 goal.
- Audit whether search is live and funded across Instacart, DoorDash, and Gopuff.
- Model what an annual partnership would unlock versus campaign-by-campaign spend in 2027.
FAQs
What is the DIGITS CHEERS Network? DIGITS’ framework for managing alcohol retail media through one agency contact, covering marketplaces, first-party retailers, DIGITS-exclusive networks, Target and other third-party retailers, and paid social.
What is the minimum budget for a DIGITS annual alcohol retail media partnership? Annual partnerships start at a $250,000 committed media budget, Target-only or national. Higher tiers unlock discounts and tools like Nielsen and RMN intelligence dashboards.
Is Sam’s Club a viable retail media channel for alcohol brands? Yes. Sam’s Club added closed-loop measurement for alcohol after DIGITS requested it, and DIGITS is now testing Q4 campaigns with first-party data and measurement in place.
What is Snag, and is it worth testing? A delivery network built for college campuses. A DIGITS client that paused Snag investment saw sales drop 35% while the category grew 22%, a clear signal of downside to sitting out.
Where can I watch the full Live Insider Session? The complete recording, including case study walkthroughs and Q&A, is available on the DIGITS site. [Insert link to recording]
Conclusion
Alcohol retail media spent years being harder to run than it needed to be. That’s losing ground fast: first-party access is opening up, campus and convenience networks are proving themselves, and marketplace search has moved from test budget to table stakes. Brands treating 2027 like an annual program, not a string of one-off campaigns, are the ones set up to compound.
Which piece of your alcohol retail media program is still running campaign by campaign instead of as a plan?
Ready to Talk 2027 Planning?
If your alcohol retail media program is still running campaign by campaign, let’s talk about what an Alcohol Retail Media Agency of Record would look like for your brand. Contact DIGITS Agency
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, Roundel Media Studio Certified agency, and Walmart Connect Partner, 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.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidglaza/
Follow DIGITS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digits-agency/
