Lowe’s to Move Retail Media Operations In-House

Effective Jan. 31, home improvement retailer Lowe’s will move its retailer media network advertising sales and operations departments in-house. It's the latest step in the scaling of the Lowe's One Roof Media Network platform capabilities and advertising services to simplify the buying process for brand marketers, according to a media release.

Lowe's One Roof will own the end-to-end customer experience for brand advertisers and to partner with them to deliver a richer commerce experience for Lowe's shoppers.

"This is the next step in becoming a best-in-class media network and delivering white-glove customer service for our brand partners," Jen Wilson, Lowe's senior vice president, enterprise brand and marketing, said in the release. "Managing these functions internally under one roof will enable us to build stronger, more compelling campaigns better aligned with our brands and customers' interests and needs, which in turn will drive increased shopper engagement and greater ROI for our advertisers."

Lowe's has been investing in new advertising technology and recently streamlined its preferred partners in a bid to make media buying, campaign execution and reporting easier for brands wherever customers are shopping.

The retailer’s strategic media partnerships include offsite media experiences powered by Yahoo, such as digital out-of-home, addressable TV and connected TV; and sponsored search and product ads on Lowe's channels streamlined and powered by Criteo. It also launched an exclusive agreement with Pinterest in 2022 to maximize reach, consideration and conversion both upper and lower funnel.

[READ: Lowe's One Roof and Criteo Discuss Partnership]

With these investments, Lowe’s has added enhanced opportunities for advertisers, including:

• Improved ability to leverage Lowe's proprietary first-party customer data, including search and transaction insights, to reach the right customers and create more impactful ads.
• Faster and more efficient launch and management of Lowes.com campaigns, with dedicated points of activation and measurement for in-depth reporting.
• More in-house Lowe's experts to help brands scale and personalize their search campaigns, with integrated partnerships across Lowe's merchandising, marketing and operations departments.

Launched in 2021 in collaboration with CitrusAd and Criteo, Lowe's One Roof Media Network currently serves more than 200 clients across a variety of home improvement and lifestyle categories, including appliances, kitchen and bath, and tools. The media network provides a portfolio of customizable advertising solutions and proprietary data and insights to help brands forge deeper connections with the Lowe's shoppers base.

Lowe's One Roof Media Network advertising partners currently include Moen, Stanley Black & Decker and Whirlpool Corp.

“We’ve seen a 50% increase in consumer searches for home lifestyle products, and 90% of homeowners are planning projects for their homes over the next two years,” Abi Subramanian, vice president and general manager of Lowe's One Roof, told the Path to Purchase Institute back in October. “We are doubling down on innovation and offerings to captivate and inspire these shoppers and provide brands with more data and media opportunities than ever so they can break through this quarter and beyond.”

Subramanian says Lowe’s remains “laser-focused” on evolving advertising capabilities and technology for its brands in 2023 and beyond.

Ahold Delhaize USA’s digital, e-commerce and commercial engine, Peapod Digital Labs, also moved to grow its media network, AD Retail Media, by building an fully in-house, end-to-end agency in 2022. The move spurred a slew of strategic partnerships and expanded capabilities.