Unlocking Retail Media Networks: Leveraging Unified Audience Accelerator for Retailers in a Cookieless World

As the digital landscape rapidly evolves, retailers are facing a pivotal moment. The deprecation of third-party cookies and the rise of privacy-first regulations have fundamentally changed how brands engage, target, and measure audiences. In this new era, retail media networks (RMNs) have emerged as a powerful opportunity for retailers to monetize their data assets, drive new revenue streams, and deliver more relevant customer experiences. At the heart of this transformation is Publicis Sapient’s Unified Audience Accelerator—developed in partnership with AWS and Salesforce—which empowers retailers to build, scale, and monetize RMNs in a secure, privacy-compliant environment.

The Retail Media Network Opportunity

Retail media networks allow retailers to leverage their rich first-party data to offer targeted advertising opportunities to brands and suppliers. As third-party cookies disappear, the value of authenticated, consented customer data has never been higher. Retailers who can unify and activate this data across digital and physical channels are uniquely positioned to:

Unlock new revenue streams through on-site, off-site, and in-store advertising
Enhance customer engagement with personalized, relevant experiences
Strengthen partnerships with brands and advertisers through secure data collaboration
Future-proof their marketing and measurement strategies in a privacy-first world

Introducing the Unified Audience Accelerator

Publicis Sapient’s Unified Audience Accelerator (UAA), now available on AWS Marketplace, is a breakthrough solution designed to help retailers seamlessly integrate and activate first-, second-, and third-party data. By connecting Salesforce Data Cloud’s robust customer data capabilities with AWS Clean Rooms, UAA enables secure, privacy-enhanced collaboration with partners—without exposing raw customer data.

Key Features and Benefits

Unified Customer Insights: Combine Salesforce Data Cloud’s first-party data with AWS Clean Rooms’ ability to enrich and analyze data from multiple sources, creating a 360-degree view of each customer.
Data-Driven Decision Making: Empower marketing and merchandising teams to make informed decisions based on enriched, governed data.
Targeted Advertising & Accurate Attribution: Leverage CRM and transactional data for precise audience targeting and campaign measurement, driving higher ROI for both retailers and their brand partners.
Privacy-First Collaboration: Enable secure data sharing and analysis with advertisers, ensuring compliance with evolving privacy regulations and consumer expectations.

Building and Monetizing Retail Media Networks: A Practical Framework

Retailers looking to launch or scale their RMNs can follow a proven, outcome-driven approach:

Establish a North Star: Define clear business objectives—such as incremental revenue, improved customer engagement, or enhanced partner value.
Unify and Enrich Data: Integrate data from all sources (online, offline, loyalty, POS, ecommerce) into a single platform, leveraging identity resolution to connect disparate touchpoints.
Enable Secure Collaboration: Use AWS Clean Rooms and UAA to collaborate with brand partners, allowing for joint audience insights and campaign planning without sharing raw data.
Activate and Measure: Deploy targeted campaigns across owned and paid channels, using unified data for precise segmentation and real-time personalization. Measure performance with robust attribution models.
Iterate and Scale: Continuously refine audience strategies, leveraging analytics and AI to uncover new insights and optimize results.

Real-World Impact: How Leading Retailers Are Succeeding

Retailers across the globe are already realizing the benefits of this unified, privacy-first approach. For example, by integrating loyalty, in-store, and online data, retailers are delivering seamless omnichannel experiences and targeted offers that drive both sales and customer loyalty. Through secure data collaboration, they are enabling brand partners to reach high-value audiences with relevant messaging—while maintaining strict privacy controls.

One top grocer, for instance, harnessed unified data to transform into a shopper-first organization, increasing conversion rates and customer satisfaction. Another global retailer leveraged advanced identity solutions to orchestrate real-time, cross-channel personalization, resulting in higher engagement and measurable revenue uplift.

The Business Case for Secure Data Collaboration

Transitioning to a first-party data strategy and enabling secure data collaboration is not just about compliance—it’s a business imperative. Retailers who embrace this approach can expect:

New Revenue Streams: Monetize data assets by offering premium advertising opportunities to brands and suppliers
Higher Customer Retention: Deliver relevant, privacy-respecting experiences that build trust and loyalty
Optimized Media Spend: Enable brands to target and measure campaigns more effectively, increasing the value of retail media inventory
Future-Proofed Marketing: Insulate your business from ongoing changes in the digital advertising ecosystem by owning and activating your own data

Why Publicis Sapient?

As a recognized leader in digital business transformation, Publicis Sapient brings together deep retail expertise, proven frameworks, and a robust partnership ecosystem—including AWS and Salesforce—to help retailers unlock the full potential of their data. Our Unified Audience Accelerator is purpose-built to address the challenges of the cookieless world, enabling retailers to:

Accelerate time-to-value with pre-built integrations and best practices
Ensure privacy, compliance, and trust through secure data collaboration
Deliver measurable business outcomes—driving growth, efficiency, and customer satisfaction

Ready to Unlock Your Retail Media Network?

The future of retail media is here. By leveraging Publicis Sapient’s Unified Audience Accelerator, retailers can build and monetize powerful media networks, deliver superior customer experiences, and create sustainable competitive advantage in a privacy-first, data-driven world.

Connect with Publicis Sapient today to start your journey toward unified, privacy-first retail media innovation.