Observed Signal · Oct 8, 2026 · Corporate Update · Source: Vantage · Impact: 3/5
Retail Media Grew Up Fast. Here's What Breaks Next.
In a Vantage blog post dated September 22, 2026, Alison Dunham, Commercial Director UK & EMEA, argues that retail media is not new but now faces operational maturity challenges. She warns that in-store retail media lacks measurement beyond sales, and that scaling networks are breaking due to fragmented infrastructure and manual reconciliation. Dunham says she joined Vantage to help retailers operationalise and scale existing demand, rather than just generate more demand.
The post positions Vantage as a strategic partner for retail media networks facing measurement and scalability problems, a growing market worth £3.8bn in the UK in 2025. It highlights a shift from demand generation to operational infrastructure and measurement as the key competitive battleground in retail media.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Alison Dunham, Commercial Director UK & EMEA at Vantage, authored the blog post dated September 22, 2026.
- IAB UK estimated UK retail media spend at £3.8bn in 2025, up 18% year on year.
- Dunham spent 11 years in retail media, including roles at Morrisons Media Services and ASDA Media Partnerships via Result CC, Triad Retail Media, and GIG Retail.
- Dunham has worked on measurement with retailers including Iceland and the Kingfisher Group.
- The post promotes Vantage's retail media solutions and says teams can lose up to 5 hours a day to manual workflows.
Connected Companies & Entities
“Vantage is the retail media technology company that published the blog post and employs Alison Dunham as Commercial Director UK & EMEA.”
“IAB UK is cited as the source estimating UK retail media spend at £3.8bn in 2025, up 18% year on year.”
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
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Retail Media Is Not a New Channel
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