Sam’s Club Connect Launches Predictive Targeting Tool
Sam's Club is rolling out some new Connect features designed to help advertisers anticipate what members want next and measure the results across more touchpoints than ever before.
The warehouse giant’s retail media arm introduced Predictive Precision Targeting alongside an expanded version of its Omni-Impact measurement tool. Both draw on Sam's Club membership data, giving brands tools to spot growth opportunities earlier and track how their ad spend performs in the real world.
A test campaign with Procter & Gamble's Cascade Platinum Plus put the predictive targeting capability to work. P&G set out to reach Sam's Club members who hadn't bought the product before, using the platform's Predictive Prospect Targeting & Lifetime Value models to zoom in on 800,000 households flagged as likely buyers based on their shopping patterns. Marketing effectiveness rose 2.3 times as a result.
The models also projected that targeted buyers would spend 71% more than their initial purchase amount over the course of the campaign, and a year later, actual purchase data confirmed that prediction with 94% accuracy.
"The campaign showed us how much more precise we can be when we combine Sam's Club member data with our understanding of the consumer," said Jody Johnson, VP of the Sam's Club Team at Procter & Gamble. "Instead of focusing only on broad reach, we can identify households with greater potential to become new buyers and engage with audiences with the highest purchase potential."
The new Predictive Precision Targeting suite looks over more than 400 intent signals to flag what members are likely to want next. Its Churn Prevention & Brand Loyalty tool also watches for early warning signs that a loyal customer might be drifting toward a competitor, giving brands a window to intervene before that happens.
A separate General Merchandise Category Predictive Upgrade model targets categories where purchases happen infrequently, like televisions or major appliances, by reading signals from related purchases. A member who recently bought a soundbar or streaming device, for instance, might be flagged as likely to upgrade their TV within 60 to 90 days, based on patterns pulled from past purchase history.
Omni-Impact now includes a wider set of channels, including in-club demos, direct mail, Scan & Go ads and Meta. The tool blends attribution and media mix modeling into a single view, letting advertisers see which touchpoints get credit for a sale as well as which ones drove it. AI-generated recommendations then point brands toward where shifting their budget could pay off.
"Membership changes what advertising can do," said Harvey Ma, VP and general manager of Sam's Club Connect. "Brands need a more connected approach that simplifies complexity and ties advertising investments directly to business outcomes, and membership makes this possible. Predictive targeting and Omni-Impact represent a shift in how advertisers can plan and prove the value of their investment."
This article was originally published on P2PI sibling brand Progressive Grocer.
