Albertsons Media Collective launched incrementality measurement for in-store retail media campaigns, and Mondelēz used the system to document real sales lift from shelf placements, according to Grocery Dive. The test compares sales in stores running the media campaign against matched control stores where the campaign does not run, isolating the sales effect of the in-store display or endcap from baseline performance.

Mondelēz deployed the measurement across its shelf campaigns at Albertsons locations, tracking incremental units moved specifically attributable to the retail media placement. The system measures true lift rather than correlation, answering whether the endcap or display caused additional sales or simply captured sales that would have occurred anyway. Albertsons reported the test proved media impact for Mondelēz, giving the brand documented evidence to justify continued investment in in-store placements and negotiate future shelf programs with retailer confidence.

The mechanism works because retail media spending has grown faster than measurement infrastructure. Brands pay retailers for endcaps, shelf talkers, and display placements but often lack clean proof that those placements drove incremental revenue beyond what the product would have sold from its regular shelf position. Without incrementality measurement, a brand sees total sales in promoted stores but cannot separate the display effect from seasonal demand, competitor outages, or regional preference. The Albertsons system runs a controlled experiment: matched stores, same time period, one variable. The difference in sales between test and control stores is the incremental lift, and that number becomes the ROI denominator for the placement cost.

A small brand can run the same play without a retailer's measurement platform by building a simple matched-market test. Identify two similar retail accounts—same region, similar demographics, comparable historical sales velocity for your product. Run your proposed shelf display or endcap program in one account for four weeks. Leave the other account on regular shelf placement with no additional support. Track weekly unit sales in both stores using your distributor's sell-through data or the retailer's buyer portal. Calculate the difference in total units sold over the test period. Divide your incremental units by the cost of the display program to get cost per incremental unit. If that cost is lower than your profit per unit, the program works. Document the result in a one-page PDF with store names, dates, unit counts, and the lift percentage. Use that PDF in your next retailer meeting to justify expanded placement or secure an endcap trial in additional doors. The test costs only the display materials and potential opportunity cost if the program fails, typically under $500 for a four-week run in two independent stores.

The broader pattern is that shelf placement has shifted from negotiation to evidence. Retailers now expect brands to prove incrementality before committing valuable endcap space or promotional windows. Brands that can show documented lift in controlled tests win the placement. Brands that rely on anecdote or total sales figures lose the slot to a competitor with numbers.