Sourav Choudhary Retailers are seizing the future of digital advertising, turning transaction data into the new gold standard for targeting.
While Google’s retreat on third-party cookie deprecation grabbed headlines, the real tectonic shift in advertising is happening at the checkout counter. Transaction data, not browser behavior, is fast becoming the lifeblood of targeted media—and retailers are leading the charge.
“Transactions are the new cookie,” declares Troy Townsend, founder of retail media platform Zitcha. His company helps retailers transform their shopper data into precision advertising ecosystems, capturing a wave of investment as brands chase closer ties to real-world sales.
Retail media networks, once a niche category, are now reshaping the $700 billion global ad industry. Giants like Walmart and Amazon have demonstrated the power of matching ad spend directly to purchases, and now mid-sized players are rapidly following suit, building their own platforms or partnering with firms like Zitcha to stay competitive.
Unlike cookies, which track user behavior across the open web and increasingly run afoul of privacy regulations, transaction data is first-party, consented, and tied directly to business outcomes. This shift allows retailers to wield unprecedented influence over advertising budgets once dominated by tech platforms.
As Townsend juggles a blur of Zoom calls with retailers worldwide, his message is clear: brands want accountability, and nothing is more accountable than a sale. The future, it seems, belongs not to those who track impressions but to those who can prove results at the register.
Expect the trend to accelerate, as advertisers seek refuge from regulatory uncertainty and look for precision—and proof—in every dollar spent.
