By Red Shoes | Updated June 2026 | 6 min read
Retail media has gone from an experiment to one of the three biggest forces in digital advertising, sitting alongside search and social. For healthcare brands, that shift matters more than most, because the retailers building these ad platforms are often pharmacies and grocers, the exact places people go when they are already thinking about their health. This guide explains what retail media networks are, why they have become essential for healthcare marketers, which networks matter, and how to use them without crossing a compliance line.
What is a retail media network?
A retail media network (RMN) is an advertising platform run by a retailer that lets brands buy ad placements across the retailer’s own channels: its website, mobile app, loyalty emails, connected TV, and the digital screens inside its physical stores. What makes these placements powerful is the data behind them. Every impression can be informed by the retailer’s first-party purchase data, so a brand can reach real, high-intent shoppers rather than guessing from third-party signals.
For a healthcare brand, the appeal is timing. Someone browsing a pharmacy site for allergy relief or filling a diabetes prescription is already in a health mindset. A relevant, compliant message at that moment does not interrupt the experience, it fits it.
Why retail media matters for healthcare in 2026
Retail media is no longer a side channel. It now accounts for roughly 15 percent of global digital ad spend and grew about 18 percent year over year in 2025, according to eMarketer. In the United States, retail media ad spend reached an estimated 62 billion dollars in 2025 and is forecast to approach 98 billion dollars by 2028, at which point analysts expect it to rival social media in size. Roughly three-quarters of US advertisers plan to increase their retail media budgets this year.
A few forces are driving that money toward healthcare specifically:
- First-party data has staying power. The original case for retail media was the death of the third-party cookie. That story changed when Google reversed its plan to phase out cookies in 2024, but the shift to retailer first-party data has continued anyway, because it is simply more accurate and more durable than cookie-based targeting.
- Point-of-need relevance. Reaching people while they are actively shopping for health solutions drives conversion in a way that broad awareness advertising cannot match.
- Closed-loop measurement. RMNs connect ad exposure to real outcomes, so a marketer can tie a campaign to booked appointments, redemptions, or product sales instead of settling for impressions.
That combination of scale, precision, and accountability is why retail media has become a core budget line rather than a test, and it deserves a defined place in your broader digital advertising mix.
The healthcare players: pharmacy retail media networks
One of the biggest gaps in most “intro to retail media” advice is that it never names the networks healthcare brands can actually use. The pharmacy chains have moved aggressively into this space, and their loyalty programs give them unusually rich health-adjacent data.
| Network | Operator | What makes it notable |
| CVS Media Exchange (CMX) | CVS Health | Uses ExtraCare loyalty data; expanding fast in-store, with plans for roughly 11,000 digital screens nationwide in 2026 and checkout ads in about 7,000 stores |
| Walgreens Advertising Group (WAG) | Walgreens | More than 9,000 stores and a myWalgreens loyalty base exceeding 100 million members |
| Walmart Connect | Walmart | Massive reach and one of the largest RMNs overall, strong for OTC and consumer health products |
| Kroger Precision Marketing | Kroger | Grocery and pharmacy data, strong for wellness and preventive categories |
| Amazon Ads / Amazon Pharmacy | Amazon | Scale leader in retail media, with a growing pharmacy footprint |
Pharmacies are especially compelling because they see high-frequency shoppers, a large share of transactions tied to loyalty accounts, and millions of in-store visits. CVS alone reports around 5 million shoppers moving through its stores, which is why in-store screens, pharmacy waiting-area displays, and checkout ads have become such a focus.
Where healthcare brands win with retail media
Based on the way these networks are built, several use cases stand out for healthcare and wellness marketers:
- Over-the-counter products. Vitamins, sleep aids, allergy relief, and first-aid essentials benefit from sponsored listings and digital shelf placement, with direct insight into what shoppers actually buy.
- Preventive and local care. Clinics, urgent care, and primary-care practices can reach nearby shoppers with timely prompts for flu shots, screenings, or checkups.
- Education and adherence. For prescription and condition-focused brands, where direct sales attribution is harder, RMNs still shine at patient education, medication adherence reminders, and driving traffic to telehealth resources.
The common thread is intent. You are meeting people who have already raised their hand, which is what makes retail media such a natural extension of a modern healthcare digital marketing strategy.
The advantages that set retail media apart
Precise targeting without touching protected health data. Done correctly, retail media relies on anonymized purchase and shopping signals, not sensitive personal health information. A brand can reach shoppers browsing the allergy or immune-support aisle without ever targeting someone by diagnosis.
True omnichannel presence. A shopper might see a cold-remedy message on a retailer’s website, then a reminder in the app, then a screen at the in-store pharmacy. That repetition across touchpoints builds the familiarity that supports real behavior change.
Measurable business impact. Because RMNs tie spend to outcomes, you can answer the questions that matter. Did the flu-shot campaign lift urgent-care bookings? Did the wellness push move supplement sales? That closed-loop attribution lets you optimize with confidence instead of guessing.
The compliance reality: HIPAA, privacy, and the FTC
Healthcare marketing does not get a free pass, and this is where the original playbook needs the most care. HIPAA limits how patient health information can be combined with marketing, so most compliant retail media targeting is built on shopping behavior rather than clinical data. On top of that, regulators including the Federal Trade Commission have sharpened their scrutiny of how health-related data is collected and shared, which raises the stakes for getting this right.
A few principles keep campaigns on the safe side:
- Lead with education, not diagnosis-based targeting. Use the anonymized interest segments a retailer provides, such as shoppers in the allergy or diabetes aisle, rather than anything resembling explicit health-status targeting.
- Protect trust at every touchpoint. Healthcare brands carry real weight with consumers. Reinforce credibility with accreditations, clear information, and easy next steps rather than aggressive conversion tactics.
- Vet every campaign in advance. Run pilots with clear metrics and bring compliance and legal review in before launch, not after. Managing brand trust and accuracy over time is the heart of online search and reputation management, and it applies directly here.
How to build a healthcare retail media plan
You do not need a national budget to start, but you do need a clear sequence. This is the approach we would walk a healthcare client through.
1. Audit your product and service fit
Review which offerings map naturally to a retail environment. A practice might promote checkups, screenings, and telehealth, while a manufacturer focuses on consumer med devices and healthy-living products. A structured review of where retail media fits your goals is exactly what a set of marketing audits and plans is built to deliver.
2. Choose networks by relevance, not just reach
The largest platform is not automatically the right one. A regional clinic may get more value from a local grocery or pharmacy network its patients already trust than from chasing national scale. Match the audience to your actual footprint. Keep in mind that the biggest networks often carry meaningful minimum spends, so weigh cost against fit.
3. Build messaging for the moment
Speak to needs, not features. Offer educational guides, seasonal prompts like flu-shot reminders, or screening nudges, always with the sensitivity healthcare communication requires.
4. Measure, then optimize
Use each network’s closed-loop reporting to compare creative, placement, and audience segments. Review on a regular cadence and shift budget toward what actually drives bookings, redemptions, or sales.
5. Connect it to the rest of your marketing
Retail media works best when it is not siloed. Tie it into loyalty emails, your website, and in-store experiences so the patient journey feels seamless. Getting that foundation right is the whole point of foundational marketing, where every channel reinforces the others.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to reach patients at the point of need?
Retail media is no longer optional for healthcare brands that want to grow with accountability. The opportunity is real, but so are the compliance stakes, and the brands that win are the ones that pair creativity with regulatory know-how. If you want to audit where retail media fits your goals, choose the right networks, and launch campaigns that respect both patients and the rules, connect with our team at Red Shoes and let’s build it together.
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