As brands shift budgets toward commerce media, many are asking: How does it compare to traditional programmatic advertising?
Let’s break it down.
1. Data Quality
- Programmatic: Relies heavily on third-party data, which is becoming less reliable.
- Commerce Media: Uses first-party data from retailers—accurate, consented, and tied to real transactions.
2. Targeting Precision
- Programmatic: Broad targeting based on inferred interests.
- Commerce Media: Granular targeting based on actual purchase behavior.
3. Measurement & Attribution
- Programmatic: Often struggles with attribution across channels.
- Commerce Media: Offers closed-loop measurement—track ad exposure to actual sales.
4. Context & Intent
- Programmatic: Ads may appear in non-commerce environments.
- Commerce Media: Ads are placed in high-intent, commerce-driven contexts.
The Verdict
Commerce media doesn’t replace programmatic—it evolves it. It brings the precision of retail data and the accountability of performance marketing into a single, scalable solution.