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Poppi's Walmart Connect win shows retail media turns shelf space into targeted ad reach with closed-loop attribution — accessible at $500/month for small brands.
$60 billion
in 2024
4,600+
US stores
$500–$2,000
per month
$10
click yields a
Poppi, the prebiotic soda brand, won a 2026 Digiday Award alongside Walmart Connect for a retail media partnership that delivered what judges called measurable business impact, according to Digiday. The recognition places Poppi among winners including Adidas and GameFam in a year where cultural relevance, audience participation, and documented results converged as evaluation criteria.
The partnership used Walmart Connect — the retailer's media network — to reach shoppers at multiple touchpoints across Walmart's digital and physical ecosystem. Retail media networks like Walmart Connect allow brands to buy display ads, sponsored search placements, and video inventory that appears on walmart.com, in the Walmart app, and on in-store screens. For a beverage brand with limited media budgets competing against legacy soda incumbents, the play converts retail shelf presence into targeted advertising reach using the retailer's first-party shopper data.
The mechanism works because retail media collapses the gap between impression and purchase. A shopper searching for "low-sugar soda" on walmart.com sees a Poppi sponsored result, clicks through to the product page, and adds to cart without leaving the platform. Walmart Connect provides closed-loop attribution: the brand knows which ad dollars drove which transactions, down to the SKU. That precision — impossible with traditional broadcast or even most digital channels — makes retail media the fastest-growing ad segment in CPG. eMarketer projects US retail media spend will exceed $60 billion in 2024, with Walmart Connect second only to Amazon in scale.
For Poppi, the value compounds. Walmart carries the brand in 4,600+ US stores. Every retail media impression reinforces on-shelf visibility. A customer who clicks a Walmart Connect ad but doesn't buy online may still remember the brand when walking the beverage aisle. The retailer benefits by monetizing its traffic and data; the brand benefits by accessing high-intent shoppers already in purchase mode.
A small physical-product brand runs this play with $500–$2,000 per month. Start with sponsored search on the retailer's platform — Walmart, Target, Amazon, or a regional grocer with a media network. Bid on category terms ("energy drink," "protein bar") and competitor brand names where allowed. Set a daily budget cap. Use the retailer's dashboard to track click-through rate, conversion rate, and return on ad spend. If a $10 click yields a $40 basket, scale the spend. If not, rotate creative or adjust keyword targeting weekly. Run the campaign for 90 days, then evaluate total incremental revenue against ad cost. Retail media works best for brands already on shelf; if you're still pitching buyers, delay this until distribution is live in at least 50 doors.
The Digiday recognition signals a broader shift: awards that once celebrated creative campaigns now reward commerce outcomes. The judges didn't cite clever copy or viral reach — they cited business impact. For emerging brands, that's the path: measurable, attributable, repeatable plays that move product off the shelf and into the cart.
Start with $500/month in retailer-sponsored search once you're live in 50+ doors; track ROAS weekly and scale only what converts.
For the operator
Allocate 10–15% of trade spend to the retailer's media network and negotiate co-op dollars to offset the buy; demand weekly attribution reports.
For the house
Ask finalists if they run retail media with your preferred retailer; brands with active campaigns deliver better on-shelf velocity and data transparency.
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