Retail Media and Creator Content: How Brands Use Creators in Retailer Ads Heading Into 2027

Written by Jacob Boe with the help of AI

Retail media is advertising that retailers sell on their own websites, apps and stores – and on other channels using their shopper data – and creator content is one of the most effective ways to bring those ads to life. A creator video turns a product listing into a recommendation, right where people are about to buy. Heading into 2027, the brands that plan creators, usage rights and retail media together get far more out of every production.

What is retail media, and why is it growing?

IAB Europe describes retail media networks as part of commerce media: they let brands reach shoppers throughout the buying journey, on and off the retailer’s own platforms, using retail data for planning, execution and measurement. IAB Europe splits retail media into three parts:

On-site: ads on the retailer’s own websites and apps, such as sponsored products, display, brand pages and video.
Off-site: the retailer’s data used to target ads on other channels, including social media, online video, connected TV and digital out-of-home.
In-store: screens, audio and other inventory in physical stores, planned and measured with retail data.

The channel is growing fast. According to IAB Europe’s AdEx Benchmark, on-site retail media in Europe grew by 16.7 percent to €13.3 billion in 2025 and has now passed 10 percent of all digital ad spend. IAB Europe also says that more than 90 percent of advertisers now partner with retailers.

Which retail media options are there in the Nordics?

Retail media is already part of the Nordic market. IAB Europe names ICA among its examples of retailers whose websites and apps carry on-site retail media. In Norway, Coop Norge started a partnership with ZetaDisplay in June 2025 to build a national in-store retail media network: 128 screens were installed in Coop’s hypermarkets in 2025, and the rollout is now being extended to Coop Extra stores, according to the trade publication invidis. Coop has around 1,200 stores and is Norway’s second-largest retail chain.

Marketplaces are part of the picture too: Amazon says its Influencer Program is available in more than 20 countries, including Sweden. Ask each retailer which formats and data they offer before you brief the creators.

Why does creator content work in retail media?

Retail media has traditionally been product-first: a packshot, a price and a sponsored label. Creator content adds what a packshot cannot – a real person, a use case and a reason to choose this product over the one next to it.

The platforms are building for this. Amazon Ads writes that short-form video made for social does not have to live in a silo, and that brands can extend the life and reach of vertical creator content across several Amazon formats. Amazon’s Creator Connections is a marketplace that connects creators with brands sold on Amazon, and one of its payment models is a flat fee for sponsored social content that brands can license for advertising. Amazon also reports that adding Amazon Ads to social strategies was linked to a 10 percent increase in search volume, a 62 percent increase in product page views and a 4 percent increase in add-to-carts. These are Amazon’s own figures from the US, so test them against your own results.

Where does creator content fit in a retail media plan?

On-site video and brand pages: a short creator clip that shows the product in use, next to the buy button.
Off-site social: the retailer’s audience data combined with creator ads on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube, so the ad reaches people who actually shop in that category.
In-store screens: a well-known face or a recognisable creator at the shelf, reinforcing what shoppers saw in their feed.

Organic, paid or retail media – what is the difference?

They do different jobs. With big names, an organic post on Instagram or TikTok can travel far on its own and build trust. Paid social, through whitelisting and partnership ads, takes the best content further and deeper into the target group. Retail media is the last stretch: the same content in front of people who are shopping. The strongest plans use all three.

What rights do you need to use creator content in retail media?

A typical creator agreement covers posting on the creator’s own channels and perhaps a period of paid social. Retail media adds new channels, new owners of the ad space and sometimes physical stores. In Sweden, the Act on Names and Images in Advertising (1978:800) says that a trader may not use another person’s name or image in marketing without consent – and that also applies to anyone acting on the trader’s behalf. Konsumentverket also stresses that the company behind the marketing has the main responsibility and cannot contract it away. And creator content in a retailer ad must be just as easy to recognise as advertising as it is on social media.

Agree in writing, before production:

Channels: social ads, retailer websites and apps, off-site retail media and in-store screens.
Retailers and markets: which retailers and which countries the content may run with.
Period: how long the content may be used, and what an extension costs.
Edits: cut-downs, subtitles, different lengths and combining footage with product information.
Exclusivity: which competing brands the creator may not work with during the period.

How do you measure creator content in retail media?

Retail media’s big advantage is closed-loop measurement: according to IAB Europe, most retail media solutions can attribute sales directly to advertising in their reporting. IAB Europe’s Retail Media Measurement Standards cover basic media metrics such as viewability and invalid traffic, attribution metrics with a standard lookback window and a common definition of incremental return on ad spend (iROAS), and additional insights such as new-to-brand customers. Standards matter: in IAB Europe’s guide, more than half of buyers (53 percent) named the lack of standards as a barrier to investing.

In practice: run creator content and standard creative in the same placements, ask the retailer for iROAS and new-to-brand figures, and compare with your social metrics.

How does Collabri work with creator content for the whole media mix?

Collabri handles the whole chain: strategy, talent, contracts and rights, production, whitelisting and paid media, and reporting. For Protein.com, we produced content optimised for both organic and paid distribution, and the best collaborations became long-term ambassadorships. When retail media is part of the plan, we agree the rights for retailer channels from the start, so one production can work in the feed, in the retailer’s app and at the shelf.

Key takeaways

Retail media covers ads on retailers’ sites and apps, off-site ads using retail data, and in-store screens.
On-site retail media in Europe grew to €13.3 billion in 2025, according to IAB Europe.
Creator content adds a person and a use case to formats that are traditionally product-first.
Retail media needs broader rights than a normal creator deal – agree channels, retailers, period and edits in writing.
Measure with retailer data such as iROAS and new-to-brand, and compare creator content with standard creative.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between retail media and social commerce?

Retail media is ad space sold by a retailer or marketplace, on its own platforms, in its stores or using its data elsewhere. Social commerce is shopping inside the social platforms themselves. Creator content can be used in both.

Can we reuse creator content from Instagram or TikTok in retail media?

Often, yes – but only if the agreement covers retail media channels, the relevant retailers and the period. Check the rights before the content is sent to the retailer.

Is retail media only for grocery brands?

No. IAB Europe lists retail media networks in grocery, beauty, fashion, DIY and home, and commerce media extends to travel, payments and food delivery.

How do we get started?

Start with the retailers where you already sell, ask which formats and data they offer, and plan the creators, rights and media together. Collabri can help with the whole chain.

Want help making creator content work in retail media and the rest of the media mix? Contact Collabri at info@collabri.se. You can also browse our talents and client projects.

Sources

IAB Europe – IAB Europe’s 101 Guide to Retail & Commerce Media (2025): https://iabeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/IAB-Europe-101-Guide-to-Retail-Commerce-Media-July-2025.pdf
IAB Europe – IAB Europe’s AdEx Benchmark 2025 Report Records 10.5% Growth to Reach €131bn (2026): https://iabeurope.eu/iab-europes-adex-benchmark-2025-report/
invidis – Retail Media: Zetadisplay Expands Coop Network (2026): https://invidis.com/news/2026/05/retail-media-zetadisplay-expands-coop-network/
Amazon – What is the Amazon Influencer Program? Your questions answered: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/how-amazon-influencer-program-works
Amazon Ads – Three ways to scale your social strategies with Amazon Ads: https://advertising.amazon.com/library/guides/scale-social-strategies-with-amazon-ads
Konsumentverket – Influencers reklaminlägg – regler för företag: https://www.konsumentverket.se/marknadsratt-foretag/influencers-reklaminlagg-regler-for-foretag/
Sveriges riksdag – Lag (1978:800) om namn och bild i reklam (1978): https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/lag-1978800-om-namn-och-bild-i-reklam_sfs-1978-800/

This article was written with the help of AI and reviewed by Collabri.