TL;DR: Gigi’s and Stackline’s new partnership highlights the potential of joining first-party datasets with Amazon’s rich data via Amazon Marketing Cloud.
3 minute read
First-party data collaboration, streaming TV advertising, multi-retailer measurement, and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) are just a few of the areas where brands are exploring opportunities to outpace their peers.
Yet, for many, fully leveraging these capabilities remains a challenge.
- Only 1-in-10 brands plan to invest heavily into streaming
- Only 9% of brands are using AMC in an advanced way
- Brands are typically not leveraging their first-party data via AMC
We interviewed Adam Epstein, Co-Founder and CEO of Gigi, and Mitch Keidan, Co-Founder and VP Partnerships of Stackline, to hear about their new partnership, which combines these emerging areas in unique ways through Gigi’s AMC-powered streaming capabilities with Stackline’s Shopper OS and Multi-Retailer Attribution analytics offering.
The conversation with Adam and Mitch allowed us to learn about how the latest advances in ad technology and data collaboration are translating into more efficient and measurable marketing spend.y of key points from the webinar, along with additional resources around the topic.
Key Takeaways
The Current Landscape: Progress and Challenges
While brands are making strides in retail media, they face notable challenges that limit their ability to fully capitalize on the opportunities:
- First-Party Data Collaboration: Many brands have limited access to consumer data because retailers like Amazon and Walmart own the direct customer relationships. As a result, even large brands often rely on fragmented data sets or their own subscale first-party data sets. This restricts their ability to build actionable insights and audiences.
- Streaming TV Advertising: Brands increasingly view streaming TV as a critical channel for upper-funnel advertising. However, the tools and capabilities to measure downstream sales impact—particularly across multiple retailers—are only just emerging.
- Multi-Retailer Attribution: Historically, brands could measure campaign success within individual walled gardens, such as Amazon or Walmart. What’s been missing is a comprehensive view of how ads drive sales across retailers, creating blind spots in ROI analysis and budget optimization.
Emerging Capabilities: Lessons from Gigi-Stackline Partnership
Gigi’s and Stackline’s partnership provides an example of how these gaps can be addressed, and for brands, the underlying story is about the broader potential of new approaches to retail media:
- Multi-Tenant Data Collaboration: With tools like AWS Clean Rooms, brands, agencies, and solution providers can securely share data, enabling a richer understanding of consumer behavior across multiple datasets.
- Comprehensive Multi-Retailer Attribution: Brands can get greater insight into the full impact of their retail media spend beyond individual retailers. Mitch shared that in one of their tests with a Thursday Night Football campaign, their client drove a $0.25 return from the campaign based on their Amazon sales, but a total return of $8.00 when including the impact across retailers.
- Advanced Audience Building: Emerging tools allow brands to craft highly refined audience segments, such as targeting competitor customers or building lookalike audiences based on omnichannel purchase behavior.
Advances in Technology Driving the Shift
Several recent innovations in ad technology have made these capabilities possible, demonstrating the pace of innovation around Amazon Ads is only accelerating:
- AWS Clean Rooms: These tools allow multiple stakeholders to securely collaborate on datasets without exposing sensitive information, fostering trust while unlocking shared value.
- AMC Accessibility: Previously a niche tool, AMC has become more widely accessible, with solutions like Gigi helping brands navigate its complexity and Stackline’s Shopper OS data enhancing it.
- Expanded DSP Inventory: Amazon’s ad tech now enables brands to target premium third-party inventory through PMP deals, such as Disney and NBCUniversal, while offering de-duped identity across publishers and unified measurement.
What This Means for Brands
The partnership between Gigi and Stackline highlights a broader trend: brands have new possibilities to create a competitive edge over their rivals. Some key takeaways for retail media professionals include:
- Integrate First-Party Data: Whether leveraging your own data or collaborating with partners, building robust datasets is critical for audience creation, measurement, and optimization. Look for opportunities with Amazon where you can join data sets together, creating a 1+1=3 opportunity.
- Think Beyond Walled Gardens: Cross-retailer attribution and audience building are no longer futuristic concepts—they’re available today even if not perfect. Brands that adopt these tools can better allocate budgets and refine strategies.
- Push for Better Measurement: Retail media is moving beyond simple reach and impressions. Demand your organization adopt the tools and partnerships that allow you to tie ad spend directly to measurable outcomes, across all relevant channels.
