One of the big recent developments in the advertising industry are what’s called “retail ad networks.” Governments and tech platforms like Apple and Google are cracking down on data gathering, making third-party data a bit harder to get. That creates a business opportunity for big retailers and other companies that have large databases of information about their existing customers.
Just about every major consumer-facing company you can think of has launched an advertising network over the last few years. You can now pay to advertise 7-11, Best Buy, Chewy, CVS, DollarTree, Doordash, eBay, Home Depot, Instacart, Kroger (which just merged with Albertsons), Lowe’s, Macy’s, Marriott Target, Walgreens, Wallmart, Wayfair, Ulta—the list goes on.
Amazon made over $36 billion from ads in the last year, which is more than it made on Amazon Prime and all of its other subscription services combined.
Guess where you’re going to see those ads? In front of the products and services that you came to those companies intending to buy. Vox recently took at a look at Amazon search results and found that the entire first page is often nothing but sponsored products. It’s a grim vision of what you can expect across the whole internet, and even in person.
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