*Source: Marketplace Ad Pros — canonical version at https://marketplaceadpros.com/guides/retail-media-networks-beyond-amazon-2026/*

# Retail media beyond Amazon: which network should a small brand test next? (2026)

## Which retail media network should a small Amazon brand test next?

For most small Amazon brands the answer is Walmart Connect, because it is the largest retail network you can
reach on your own: get approved as a Walmart Marketplace seller and its self-serve ads open up. Almost every other
network, including Target, Instacart and Kroger, only sells ads to brands the retailer already stocks. TikTok needs
no retailer at all, but it is social commerce, not retail media.

*Published by Marketplace Ad Pros, which is an Amazon-focused tool and is not ranked here. Facts were checked
against each network's own pages; anything we could not confirm there is marked (reported).*

*Last updated: October 14, 2026*

## Eligibility decides this, not ad features

Retail media is advertising sold by a retailer on its own storefront, so the retailer has to sell your product
before it will sell you ads. That one rule sorts every network into three groups:

1. **Open by application.** Walmart Marketplace and Best Buy Marketplace accept third-party sellers. Once approved,
   self-serve ads are available. This is the realistic path for an Amazon-native brand.
2. **Invite-only or supplier-only.** Target (vendor or invite-only Target Plus), Instacart (a retailer on Instacart
   must stock you), Kroger, Albertsons, Home Depot, Chewy and Costco. You win the shelf first, then the ads follow.
3. **No retailer required.** TikTok sells ads on its own platform and anyone can open an ads account; TikTok Shop is
   open signup.

Amazon's lead also explains why the second network is a smaller prize. Industry forecasts put Amazon at more than
three-quarters of US retail media spend, with Walmart a distant second at under 10% (reported, WARC and eMarketer).
A second network is a diversification and incrementality play, not a replacement.

## The networks, compared

| Network | Do you need the retailer to sell your product? | Open 3P route | Self-serve | Published minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walmart Connect | Yes, but Marketplace counts | Yes, apply to Walmart Marketplace | Yes | None on Walmart's US pages; $10 per campaign for sellers (reported) |
| Best Buy Ads | Yes, but Marketplace counts | Yes, Best Buy Marketplace | Yes (My Ads) | Not published |
| Target Roundel | Yes | Target Plus, invite-only | Target Product Ads only | Not published |
| Instacart Ads | Yes, a retailer must stock it | No | Yes | Not published |
| Criteo Retail Media | Yes, at a partner retailer | n/a | Yes | Not published |
| Kroger, Albertsons, Home Depot, Chewy, Costco | Yes, as a supplier | No | Varies; Costco none | Not published |
| TikTok Ads | No | TikTok Shop, open signup | Yes | $50/day per campaign, $20/day per ad group |

### Walmart Connect

Walmart Connect's Sponsored Search covers Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Videos, all
cost-per-click, run from the Advertising section of Walmart Seller Center. An item must be published, in stock and
winning the Buy Box to serve; Sponsored Brands and Videos also need the brand onboarded to Walmart's Brand Portal.
Walmart's US pages do not publish a minimum for Marketplace sellers.

The cost that decides the test is the marketplace, not the ads. Walmart charges no monthly or setup fee, but
referral fees run from about 3% to 20% by category, with most categories at 15%. Walmart Fulfillment Services starts
at $3.45 per unit for items up to one pound. Sellers going live between February 2026 and January 2027 get reduced
referral fees, fulfillment credits and $500 of Walmart Connect advertising credit under Walmart's new-seller program.

Attribution windows are not documented on Walmart's US advertising pages; reporting tools expose 3, 14 and 30 day
views including in-store sales (reported). Compare Walmart ROAS with Amazon on a matched window, not the defaults.

### TikTok Ads

TikTok is not retail media, but it is the one place a small brand can buy commerce-driving ads with no retailer
approval at all. TikTok Ads Manager requires a daily campaign budget above $50 and an ad group budget above $20.
Shop ads need a TikTok Shop seller account, which carries its own referral fee and creator commissions.

TikTok mostly drives discovery. Shoppers who see a product there often search for it on Amazon later and buy
without clicking an ad, so in-platform conversions undercount the effect. Judge it on blended results: branded
search volume and total Amazon sales, not TikTok's own ROAS alone.

### Best Buy Ads

Best Buy Marketplace sellers get self-serve Sponsored Products on cost per click through My Ads; brands and
agencies can also buy through Best Buy Ads directly. Best Buy does not publish its bid floor. Worth testing only for
consumer electronics and adjacent categories.

### Target Roundel

Roundel Media Studio offers self-serve Target Product Ads to brands of all sizes that Target sells, including Target
Plus marketplace sellers. Display, connected TV, social and in-store media remain managed. The barrier is Target
Plus itself, which is invite-only, so for most Amazon-native brands Roundel is a later step that follows a Target
buying relationship.

### Instacart Ads

Instacart Ads Manager is self-serve for brands: you set a daily budget and a cost-per-click bid, and Instacart runs
a second-price auction. Ads only serve where a retailer on Instacart lists your product and has it in stock, so you
need grocery or retail distribution first. Instacart's Carrot Ads technology also powers other retailers' networks,
which can extend the same campaigns.

### Criteo Retail Media

Criteo runs one self-serve buying path across more than 200 retailer partners, with per-retailer reporting and
budget caps. It is the efficient way to run many retailer networks once you are stocked in them, but it only works
where you already sell.

### Supplier-only networks

Kroger Precision Marketing, Albertsons Media Collective, Home Depot's Orange Apron Media, Chewy Ads and Costco
Velocity all sell to brands the retailer already buys from. Several now have self-serve tools (Kroger, Home Depot's
Orange Access, Albertsons via Criteo); Costco has no self-serve option. None of them is a place to start; they
become worth it the quarter after you land the retailer.

## How to choose your second network

- **You sell general merchandise and can list on Walmart:** start with Walmart Connect. It has the largest audience
  after Amazon and an open seller route.
- **You sell electronics:** add Best Buy Marketplace to the shortlist alongside Walmart.
- **You sell grocery, household or pet products and already have retail distribution:** Instacart first, then the
  grocery network of your largest retailer.
- **You have no retail distribution and want demand outside Amazon:** TikTok, measured by what it does to your
  Amazon branded search and total sales.
- **You will be on three or more networks:** use Criteo or a multi-network platform rather than separate consoles.

Run the margin math before the ad math. A second network adds referral fees, fulfillment and inventory you have to
split. If the product's contribution margin on Walmart after fees is thinner than on Amazon, the same ROAS earns
less. Calculate your break-even ACoS per network with the
[break-even ACoS calculator](/amazon-break-even-acos-calculator/) before you set a bid.

## Where Marketplace Ad Pros fits

Marketplace Ad Pros connects Amazon Ads and Selling Partner data to Claude and ChatGPT through an MCP server,
read-only by default, from $10/week. It is generally available for Amazon only and does not manage Walmart,
Target, Instacart or other retailer networks. A [TikTok Ads integration](/tiktok-ads-integration/) is in a
restricted closed beta with a small group of partners; it covers TikTok Ads, not TikTok Shop.

So the honest fit is narrow: get Amazon profitable first, which is what MAP is for, then expand with the network
your category and distribution allow. If Amazon is not there yet,
[connect your Amazon accounts free](https://app.marketplaceadpros.com/signup) and start with your own break-even
numbers. If you need one tool across many retailer networks today, Pacvue, Skai and
Teikametrics cover them. For choosing Amazon software, see
[best retail media platforms for small brands](/guides/best-retail-media-platforms-small-brands-2026/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I advertise on Walmart without selling on Walmart?

Not with Sponsored Products. Walmart Connect's search ads promote items that are published on Walmart.com, in stock and winning the Buy Box, so you need to be an approved Walmart Marketplace seller or a 1P supplier first. Walmart's Google search ads and some display products can run without the Buy Box.

### Which retail media network is cheapest for a small brand to test?

Walmart Connect is usually the cheapest real test because there is no published US minimum for Marketplace sellers and new sellers can get advertising credit. The bigger cost is joining the marketplace: referral fees of roughly 8 to 15% in most categories, plus fulfillment if you use Walmart Fulfillment Services.

### Do I need Target Plus to run Roundel ads?

You need Target to sell your product, either as a vendor or through the Target Plus marketplace. Roundel's self-serve Target Product Ads are open to brands of all sizes on that basis, but Target Plus itself is invite-only, so most small Amazon brands cannot simply sign up.

### Is TikTok a retail media network?

No. TikTok sells ads on its own platform, not on a retailer's storefront, so it is social commerce rather than retail media. It belongs in the comparison because a small brand can start without any retailer's approval, either sending traffic to Amazon or selling through TikTok Shop.

### Should a small brand expand off Amazon at all?

Only when Amazon is working. If Amazon ACoS is above break-even or listings are not converting, a second network multiplies the problem. Expand once you have steady Amazon profitability and inventory to spare, and test one network for 60 to 90 days before adding another.

### Does Marketplace Ad Pros manage Walmart, Target or Instacart ads?

No. Marketplace Ad Pros is generally available for Amazon Ads and Amazon Selling Partner data only. A TikTok Ads integration is in a restricted closed beta, and it covers TikTok Ads, not TikTok Shop. For managing several retailer networks in one tool, look at Pacvue, Skai or Teikametrics.

## Related guides

- [Best retail media platforms for small brands (2026)](/guides/best-retail-media-platforms-small-brands-2026/)
- [Amazon Ads review 2026: self-serve strengths, costs and risks](/guides/amazon-ads-review-2026/)
- [Amazon advertising metrics glossary](/guides/amazon-advertising-metrics-glossary/)
- [Amazon DSP: self-serve vs managed (2026)](/guides/amazon-dsp-self-serve-vs-managed-2026/)
- [How to calculate TACoS on Amazon](/guides/how-to-calculate-tacos-amazon/)

## Sources

1. [Walmart Marketplace -- Advertise with Walmart Connect sponsored search](https://marketplacelearn.walmart.com/guides/Getting%20started/Walmart%20Connect/Advertise-with-Walmart-Connect-sponsored-search)
2. [Walmart Connect -- Sponsored Search](https://www.walmartconnect.com/sponsored-search)
3. [Walmart Marketplace -- referral fees](https://marketplace.walmart.com/referral-fees/)
4. [Walmart Fulfillment Services pricing](https://marketplace.walmart.com/walmart-fulfillment-services-pricing/)
5. [Walmart Marketplace -- new seller savings 2026](https://marketplace.walmart.com/new-seller-savings-2026/)
6. [Target -- Roundel fact sheet](https://corporate.target.com/press/fact-sheet/2023/10/roundel)
7. [Roundel](https://www.roundel.com/)
8. [Instacart Ads -- Sponsored Products overview](https://docs.instacart.com/ads_manager/sponsored_products/overview)
9. [Instacart Ads -- creating campaigns](https://company.instacart.com/instacart-ads/creating-featured-product-campaigns)
10. [Best Buy Marketplace -- My Ads](https://partners.bestbuy.com/-/seller-hub/set-up-your-store/promote-products/grow-revenue-my-ads)
11. [Criteo Retail Media](https://www.criteo.com/retail-media/)
12. [Kroger Precision Marketing](https://www.krogerprecisionmarketing.com/)
13. [Albertsons Media Collective](https://www.albertsonsmediacollective.com/)
14. [Orange Apron Media (Home Depot)](https://www.orangeapronmedia.com/)
15. [TikTok Ads -- budget requirements](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/budget)
16. [WARC global retail media forecast, via invidis (August 2026)](https://invidis.com/news/2026/08/retail-global-retail-media-ad-market-forecast-to-top-200b-in-2026/)
17. [Perpetua -- Walmart Sponsored Products budgets (reported minimums)](https://help.perpetua.io/en/articles/5561084-how-to-launch-a-walmart-sponsored-products-goal)

Vendor pages were checked on October 14, 2026.