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Retail media is a necessity, but which option is cheaper, easier, and more profitable?

Retail media can unlock a new revenue stream, but many retailers and wholesalers jump straight to expensive offsite ads, leaving easy money on the table. 

The real question is, “Do you start with onsite or offsite media?”

When you start offsite, you're paying third parties first, cutting into your margins and losing control over your shopper journey.

The not-so-secret to success is in your own channels: websites, apps, digital circulars, emails. They offer the fastest, simplest path to revenue. By starting onsite, you leverage assets you already own, tap into rich shopper data, and deliver higher-impact, lower-cost advertising that brands will pay for.

Let’s break down the differences and why smart retailers start onsite.

‍What’s Offsite Retail Media?

Offsite retail media acts as the replacement for printed media that was distributed via newspapers and direct mail, reaching potential shoppers outside your website or app. It refers to digital ads that run on channels outside of your owned ecosystem, like Facebook ads or Google Performance Max campaigns. These ads promote brands and products but direct shoppers back to your website or app.

It sounds simple, and from a third-party provider’s standpoint, it is. They run ads, choose where to send traffic, and charge you or the brand for access. But that simplicity comes at a cost: you’re paying for reach on someone else’s platform, and you lose visibility into the shopper journey once they leave those offsite channels.

That doesn’t mean offsite media isn’t valuable. It absolutely is when done right. It extends your reach, builds awareness, and brings new shoppers into your funnel. 

But it shouldn’t be step one. Without a strong onsite foundation, offsite ads can become expensive and inefficient.

‍What’s Onsite Retail Media?

Think of onsite retail media as your digital end cap. These are the ads that live on your own real estate like your website, app, digital circular, loyalty emails, or even in-store screens. Onsite ads use first party data to reach shoppers who visit, browse, or search on a specific retailer. 

The two most common types of onsite campaigns are:

‍Onsite Display

• These campaign types aim to reach, influence, and engage shoppers at the point-of-purchase with custom display ad formats. Retailers can choose which shoppers to target based on real-time browsing and searching behavior, and analyze engagement and conversions via enhanced reporting capabilities. 

Onsite Sponsored Product

• This campaign type strives to boost ecommerce sales and increase your category share and visibility with native product ads. Onsite sponsored product campaigns deliver the right product to the right shopper at the right time on relevant search, category, and product detail pages. This gives advertisers the opportunity to increase their share of the digital shelf and sales.

When you place CPG ads in these spaces, you’re not just selling ad inventory, you’re delivering value to your shoppers at the exact moment they’re ready to buy.

For all retailers, onsite media is the easiest way to monetize your digital presence. You already own the channels. You already have the shopper data. Now it’s about activating it. 

With lower execution costs (no third-party platforms taking a cut) and higher conversion potential, onsite media is the most logical and profitable starting point for retailers looking to get into retail media advertising.

‍Should You Start with Onsite?

We’ve seen it time and again: Retailers rush to offsite because it’s flashy and feels like modern marketing. 

But onsite is where the margins are better, the data is richer, and the path to purchase is shorter. It’s also where you, as the retailer control the experience from start to finish.

That’s why we recommend starting with a strong onsite program by educating brands on the value of your digital footprint, providing meaningful placements, and building performance metrics that prove impact.

 Once that foundation is in place, offsite becomes an amplifier.

Retailers who get this right early on not only earn more from their retail media programs, but they become more valuable to their CPG partners. 

And with Adsta, you don’t have to do it alone. We help retailers and wholesalers build and manage full-funnel campaigns that blend onsite and offsite media into a single, streamlined system.

Let’s Build a Smarter Retail Media Plan—Together

‍Retail media is a $100 billion market, but only retailers who master the right strategy will turn opportunity into revenue.

If you’re serious about winning in retail media, you need a clear strategy, the right tools, and an experienced partner to help you execute with confidence. Balancing onsite and offsite retail media isn’t just about placing ads. It’s about creating a profitable strategy that benefits your shoppers, attracts brand investment, and grows your bottom line.

Start with the media channels you already own, strengthen your approach, then scale effectively with offsite campaigns designed to amplify your reach without draining your budget.

Ready to activate a retail media strategy that works? Let’s talk.‍