Retail Advertisers Largely Bypass Incrementality Metrics

Most brands continue to prioritize ROAS as their primary measurement, creating a gap with new network capabilities.

Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Advertising

Bold flat-color editorial illustration featuring a heavy iron block next to a precise architectural lever, representing contrasting business measurement strategies. — Only 8% of retail advertisers currently prioritize incrementality metrics over traditional return on ad spend (ROAS) to evaluate campaign performance. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Is now a good time for businesses to shift focus from immediate returns to incremental growth?

Data from Target's retail media division Roundel reveals that just 8% of advertisers use incrementality as their primary performance metric. While major retail networks roll out new measurement tools, most brands continue to rely on traditional return on ad spend (ROAS) to evaluate campaigns.

Why it matters

While incrementality helps isolate true campaign impact by identifying customers who would not have purchased otherwise, many operators still prioritize ROAS to maintain budget efficiency. This creates a disconnect between the increasingly sophisticated measurement tools offered by retail networks and the practical KPIs used by brand marketers.

Only 8% of Roundel advertisers currently utilize incrementality as their primary performance metric, while 66% of advertisers identify sales growth as their leading reason to invest. These figures persist as retail media networks like Albertsons and Lowe's continue to launch new incrementality tools.

The players

Roundel

The retail media division of Target that facilitates advertising placements across its physical and digital properties.

Shawn McGahee

A senior director at Roundel who provides industry oversight on advertiser performance measurement.

Albertsons

A major grocery retailer that operates an expanding retail media network for brand partners.

Lowe's Media Network

The retail media arm of the home improvement retailer that partners with third-party firms to provide advanced analytics.

The details

Incrementality operates by comparing sales between test and control groups to isolate revenue specifically driven by advertising, rather than organic purchases. In contrast, ROAS remains the industry standard by simply dividing total ad-attributed revenue by the cost of spend. This fundamental difference in calculation explains why most advertisers remain anchored to ROAS metrics for budget management and efficiency checks.

April 2026: Albertsons introduced on-site incrementality measurement tools.
October 13, 2026: Roundel senior director Shawn McGahee discussed these metrics at an event in New York.

Market Landscape

Retail media networks are rapidly scaling their analytics suites to align with the IAB Retail Media Measurement Guidelines, which emphasize incrementality over vanity metrics. Despite these advancements, the market remains heavily reliant on legacy performance models like ROAS.

Operators should evaluate whether their current reliance on ROAS masks organic growth that would occur regardless of ad spend. When reviewing retail media reports, ask partners to provide both ROAS and incremental lift data to better assess the true business value of each campaign.

The takeaway

While retail networks are providing better tools to isolate true campaign lift, most advertisers are sticking with familiar ROAS targets. Review your current marketing performance reports to see if you can isolate the percentage of sales that were purely incremental to your advertising efforts.