Walmart Connect Now Offers Brand Lift Studies to Brands
Advertisers using the network can now request studies to measure the incremental sales impact of their retail media campaigns.
Updated on Oct. 22, 2026 in Advertising
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Walmart Connect is now offering on-site brand lift studies to its advertisers, providing a mechanism for brands to measure the impact of their retail media campaigns. The rollout comes as retailers look to justify marketing spend for brands as annual ad budgets are finalized.
Why it matters
Retailers are rushing to provide proof of incremental sales to capture a share of the $69.33 billion projected for the 2026 retail media market. Advertisers now have a tool to evaluate return on investment for their Q4 marketing spend, though they remain dependent on Walmart's internal teams for execution.
Walmart reported a 38% increase in its global advertising business during the second quarter of 2026. The company is now offering these brand lift studies, which require a nine-week reporting turnaround, to brands as the industry approaches a $69.33 billion total spend by year-end.
The players
Walmart
The world's largest retailer by revenue, which is aggressively expanding its internal retail media network, Walmart Connect, to capture advertising market share.
Walmart Connect
The retail media division of Walmart that allows brands to place advertisements directly within the retailer's online and in-store environments.
Mile Marker
A third-party firm with at least four clients currently participating in the new brand lift study offerings.
The details
Walmart sales teams are directly approaching brand clients to offer these studies, as advertisers currently lack the capability to independently configure or execute them. By providing this measurement, the retailer aims to differentiate its ad network from competitors like Amazon. The studies specifically measure how Walmart's retail media ecosystem drives incremental sales for participating brands.
Timeline
Q2 2026: Walmart recorded a 38% increase in its global advertising business.
August 2026: The company reported its second-quarter advertising business growth.
October 2026: Walmart began offering brand lift studies to its brand clients.
Q4 2026: The window during which many brands are finalizing media spending.
2027: The fiscal year for which many brands are currently finalizing marketing budgets.
Market Landscape
This move reflects the intense competitive pressure to capture market share within the $69.33 billion projected 2026 retail media ad spend. It marks a broader industry trend where retailers are developing incrementality tests to differentiate their networks from competitors like Amazon.
Advertisers should factor a nine-week reporting delay into their Q4 marketing planning cycles when coordinating with Walmart sales teams. Brand managers should assess if these studies provide sufficient data to justify budget allocations for the 2027 fiscal year compared to other retail media options.
The takeaway
Retailers are increasingly prioritizing data-backed incrementality to retain marketing budgets as they scale their ad networks. Operators should verify if their current media partners offer similar performance transparency to justify 2027 spend.
Further reading
For more information on the current state of digital marketing, visit our Advertising section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Digiday.
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