Retail media's challenge is no longer scale, it's complexity. Connected infrastructure and shared standards will define the industry's next chapter, writes Claire Trbovic, Global Head of Product, SMG

How many dashboards did you log into today?

For many commerce media teams, that's become a surprisingly difficult question to answer.

Every new retail media network promises valuable audiences, richer shopper insights, and new opportunities for growth. But every new RMN also brings another platform, another workflow, another reporting framework, and another way of measuring success.

Commerce media has never offered more opportunities. Yet for many advertisers, it's never been harder to manage. In fact, 56% of US advertisers expect to consolidate their spending with a select few retail media networks, ideally no more than six. They're not rejecting retail media. They're asking for a simpler way to access it.

For years, the industry's focus has understandably been on growth. More networks. More inventory. More retail media offerings. That expansion was necessary, but the challenge facing the industry today is different.

Commerce media has reached the point where scale alone is no longer enough. The next phase of growth depends on making the ecosystem easier to navigate.

Planning campaigns across multiple RMNs often means duplicating workflows, reconciling inconsistent reporting, learning different platforms, and comparing metrics that aren't always measuring the same thing. According to the IAB, 69% of ad buyers now cite complexity in the buying process as one of the biggest barriers to retail media growth. Before long, operational convenience starts influencing investment decisions just as much as marketing strategy.

The result is that advertisers increasingly favor platforms that are easier to buy from rather than those that best meet their objectives, creating unnecessary barriers for smaller and specialist retail media networks.

Advertisers aren't asking for fewer retail media networks. They're asking for simplicity.

Rather than forcing agencies and brands to work across dozens of disconnected environments, the future lies in infrastructure that enables the commerce media ecosystem to work together while preserving each retailer's unique offering.

Interoperability, not centralization, is the opportunity.

Retailers should continue to own their customer relationships, inventory, pricing, and commercial strategy. But advertisers shouldn't have to rebuild workflows every time they activate a campaign across a different RMN.

The same principle applies to measurement.

If every network defines success differently, comparing performance becomes unnecessarily difficult for advertisers and agencies.

Greater consistency in reporting, taxonomy, and measurement doesn't reduce competition. It builds confidence, allowing advertisers to evaluate opportunities based on business value rather than how familiar they are with a particular platform. The industry's work around common standards, including initiatives led by the IAB, reflects a growing recognition that greater consistency and interoperability will strengthen the retail media ecosystem while allowing retailers to maintain their unique value propositions.

As commerce media expands into connected TV, in-store media, off-site activation, and AI-assisted planning, the need for connected infrastructure will only grow.

The next phase of retail media won't be defined by the launch of more networks. It will be defined by how effectively those networks work together, making commerce media easier to access, easier to measure, and easier to scale.

That's the thinking behind RMX, the Retail Media Exchange from Plan-Apps.

Rather than introducing another standalone platform, RMX is designed to connect retail media networks through a single access layer, simplifying planning, activation, and measurement while allowing retailers to retain full control over their inventory, data, and commercial relationships.

Ultimately, this isn't about one platform or one company. It's about helping retail media evolve into a more connected ecosystem that works better for advertisers, agencies, and retailers alike.