Sam's Club MAP Launches Display Ads for Scan & Go
Sam’s Club Member Access Platform (MAP), the warehouse chain’s retailer media network, has launched display ads in its mobile app self-checkout experience, Scan & Go.
The capability was introduced as part of Sam's Club's efforts to integrate the physical and digital shopping journeys and help members easily find more products while they’re in-club, according to a media release.
The ad opportunity also unlocks a new way to measure member shopping behavior and ad performance in-club with MAP’s closed-loop attribution. This capability will help advertisers reach more members at the point of conversion and deliver a more engaging experience.
Sam’s Club MAP is the first retail media platform to integrate ads in a mobile, self-checkout app experience, according to the retailer. Scan & Go allows members shopping in-club to use their mobile devices to scan items as they shop, complete payment and skip the checkout line.
Members who opt in will see display ads on the cart page that dynamically refresh after each new product scan, promoting product discovery as they check out with Scan & Go.
The ads will also provide advertisers insights, tracking metrics such as return on ad spend, click-through rate, incremental sales and conversion rate.
“This launch represents another step forward in Retail Media 2.0, which is characterized by the blending of physical and digital experiences,” Andrew Lipsman, founder and chief analyst, Media, Ads + Commerce, said in the release. “By integrating display ads into the Scan & Go feature, Sam’s Club is introducing a new surface to the shopping journey that can deliver value to both customers and advertisers.”
Sam’s Club MAP advertiser Unilever is one of the first to utilize the Scan & Go ads, which as of July 24 are available in all clubs for select members and will roll out to 100% of in-club traffic over the coming weeks.
Scan & Go adoption has surged by 50% in the past three years and 30% of members are leveraging the feature while in-club today.
Last month, at the Path to Purchase Institute’s Retail Media Summit in Chicago, Ryan Burns, head of strategy for Sam's Club MAP, said, “In-store is the next phase we want to penetrate with retail media. We have the opportunity to engage shoppers in a meaningful, complementary way that inspires them. [More than a quarter] of members are leveraging Scan & Go while in-club today, so engaging members with in-club display screens, including mobile devices through the Scan & Go app, with 15-30 second videos can be part of MAP’s omnichannel campaigns.”
In addition, for Sam’s Club’s next phase (Retail Media 3.0), Burns’ team is betting on experiential marketing, product sampling and closed-loop attribution across formats (e.g., its partnership with Freeosk).