‘Retail media’s talent pipeline isn’t keeping up with the pace of change’

Disconnected commerce is one of the biggest barriers to growth for retailers and brands. Media, creative, content, and retail operations are still too often treated as separate functions when, in reality, they need to work seamlessly together. Nowhere is this more evident than in retail media.

Retail media’s growth has been one of the most exciting shifts in marketing in the past five years. It’s now a core part of the media mix for brands from L’Oréal to Samsung, and a vital revenue stream for retailers. But there’s a problem no one’s talking about loudly enough: the talent pipeline is not keeping up.

According to eMarketer’s latest forecast, UK retail media spend is set to reach £5.4bn this year, up 16% year on year, and will climb to £8.25bn by 2027 and beyond £10bn by 2029, while Epsilon estimates the European market at €15.5bn. The scale is undeniable.

Yet, as Epsilon’s state of retail media research found, 71% of retailers say they lack sufficient staff to scale technology and operations. Retail media is surging ahead but, without the right people, the opportunity will stall.

Why the clock is ticking

The rise of generative AI is only accelerating the complexity of the channel. From automated creative testing to predictive product recommendations, the tech is moving faster than most teams’ ability to deploy it effectively.

If we don’t have retailers and retail media buyers who understand both the tools and the retail context they operate in, we risk creating a gulf between what’s technically possible and what’s actually delivered.

Add to this Gen Z’s fast-changing shopping behaviour – blending physical and digital journeys, using social platforms as search engines, and expecting personalised experiences at every step – and the pressure is on.

Gen Z is already blurring the lines between media and commerce. According to a survey commissioned by Publicis Commerce on Gen Z’s food shopping habits, 72% of young adults say they get meal inspiration from social media, and 42% say they have bought an ingredient via content consumed on social platforms. This is as much a consumer insight as it is a talent requirement – we need retail media specialists who can connect social influence with in-store and online purchase behaviour.

The challenge is immediate. Epsilon reports that at least half of retail media networks don’t target or measure efficiently, while 43% cite inconsistent targeting and 41% cite disparate reporting as top inefficiencies. These are capability and resourcing gaps.

Retailers and agencies need to act now

Retail media is not the same as traditional shopper marketing or media buying. It requires new hybrid talent: retail experts who can think like media planners, and media planners who understand retail operations and digital shelf dynamics.

Profitero’s 2024 eCommerce Benchmark study highlights that brands with strong product content – accurate descriptions, multiple images, richer details – can reduce returns by up to 20% and increase sales conversion by double digits. That means retail media skills cannot be siloed. They need to stretch across creative, content and commerce.

The pressure is compounded by growth expectations. Skai’s second-quarter 2025 data shows what this looks like in practice right now – retail media spend grew 30% year on year in the quarter, outpacing both social and search.

Without skilled people to manage this growth, retailers risk under-delivery and inefficiency. That is why collaboration matters.

“Just as the industry begins to catch up, generative AI is rewriting the rulebook again”

Positive steps are being made

Some leaders are already moving in the right direction. Our Commerce Academy was launched to strengthen skills in commerce and retail media across the business. Built for employees but also extended to clients, it offers foundation and growth programmes covering areas such as retail media trends, creative commerce, and data-driven activation. More than 1,000 people have already taken part, with consistently strong feedback, and the training has expanded to clients through bespoke workshops and retailer-led sessions.

Amazon has also invested heavily in capability-building through its Amazon Ads Academy, which provides certifications in areas from sponsored ads to Amazon Marketing Cloud. We recently partnered with Amazon to deliver a first-of-its-kind training programme for Mondelez Europe, reaching over 150 attendees across 20 markets and achieving 40 new accreditations. This model is now being repeated, with Amazon certifications becoming a standard part of onboarding for retail media specialists.

This cross-functional learning is essential. Retail talent needs to understand media activation, while media planners need retail fundamentals – and both need to grasp creative and product content. Only then can we unlock the full potential of retail media.

The fix will require three big moves:

• Cross-training – retail talent must learn media and media talent must learn retail;
• Partnerships – agencies, retailers, and tech platforms should collaborate on accredited learning programmes;
• Diversity of talent – recruit from non-traditional backgrounds, especially where data literacy and customer experience skills are strong.

The bottom line

Retail media is advanced, but still fragmented. The spend is enormous but, without addressing the skills gap, revenue growth will be slowed by inefficiencies and inconsistency.

And just as the industry begins to catch up, generative AI is rewriting the rulebook again. Tomorrow’s specialists will not only need to understand targeting and measurement, they’ll also need to be fluent in prompt engineering, content automation and cross-platform creative.

Disconnected commerce is a barrier to growth. Solving the skills gap – across retail, media, creative and content – is how we connect the pieces. The retailers and agencies who get this right will be the ones who stay ahead.