Why Honest Measurement Matters More Than Ever To Retailers And Advertisers
By Rajesh Verma, General Manager, Middle East at Epsilon
New channels, evolving formats, and a focus on data-driven strategies are reshaping how brands connect with consumers. The key factor that determines whether retail media delivers on its promise or falls short is honest measurement.

In retail media, there’s always pressure to deliver clear, actionable results. Having led the analytics and research team at Publicis Media in the MENA region, I’ve seen first-hand how critical it is to get measurement right. Without it, you’re essentially flying blind.
So, what do we mean by honest measurement? It means providing accurate and meaningful insights that truly reflect the impact of retail media efforts. For brands, it’s about understanding how their campaigns influence shopper behaviour and drive sales, not just through clicks or impressions. For retailers, it’s about delivering transparent reporting that illustrates the value of their media networks while building trust with brand partners.
However, many brands and advertisers are grappling with incomplete data, outdated attribution models, and misaligned expectations. Honest measurement is the key to navigating this complex and noisy landscape. By prioritising this approach, both sides can align on performance goals, optimise media spend, and strengthen long-term partnerships.
For advertisers, whether they’re CPGs, brands, or agencies, measurement and attribution are critical for making informed decisions about retail media investments. Without clear, reliable data to prove campaign performance, it becomes tough for any advertiser to justify spending and scaling efforts. In MENA, the demand for clear and trustworthy metrics has never been higher as brands seek to maximise their returns in a rapidly growing market.
During my time at Publicis, and still today, I encountered advertisers who were disillusioned by issues like double-counting shoppers, inaccurate or inflated attribution, and poor identity resolution. These problems lead to misleading results that fail to capture true campaign impact, eroding confidence in retail media investments. Advertisers need platforms with sophisticated tools to optimise campaigns and achieve better business outcomes, including advanced media measurement that connects online interactions to in-store purchases.
This is where advanced attribution models, like Marketing Mix Models (MMM), come into play. By using MMM, advertisers can understand how both media factors (such as ads) and non-media elements (like seasonal trends or market conditions) influence outcomes like sales. This data can provide deeper, more actionable insights, allowing advertisers to optimise their strategies and confidently allocate budgets for better returns.
For retailers, accurate measurement is equally important. Their ability to demonstrate campaign success is the foundation for building trust with their brand partners and securing future investments. But, with fragmented systems and inconsistent reporting, many retail media networks struggle to provide the insights that advertisers need, forcing brands to look elsewhere.
Retailers need to prioritise solutions that offer flexible attribution models and unified reporting capabilities (across tactics and capturing online and in-store transactions). These features help retailers get a complete view of campaign performance, deliver transparent and accurate results to brand partners, and highlight the full value of their retail media networks. Choosing solutions that enable honest measurement allows retailers to stand out in a competitive market and attract advertisers that fuel growth.
With retail media spend projected to grow rapidly in MENA, both advertisers and retailers need solutions that deliver clarity and confidence in their results. Honest measurement means knowing exactly how campaigns drive sales and avoiding common pitfalls like over-counting shoppers or misattributing conversions. For retailers, it means confidently answering advertisers’ toughest questions, including proving that their media networks deliver maximum ROI.
At Epsilon, we believe in setting a new standard for honest measurement to help retailers and advertisers achieve their objectives. Embracing better attribution and reporting will transform retail media strategies and drive success while building trust that will last.