How Can Your Product Become the One the Platform Recommends? When the Point of Sale Becomes the Media Channel

The Neighborhood Store Is No Longer on the Corner

We all remember a neighborhood store. No matter where we grew up or what our socioeconomic background was, there was almost always one just around the corner. It was where we bought candy and snacks, and where our parents picked up vegetables, meat, and fruit for everyday meals.

It was much more than a place to shop. It was a meeting point, where neighbors stopped to chat and someone knew us by name. That sense of closeness has stayed with us.

Over time, I came to realize that Mercado Libre and Amazon are building something similar: places we can explore, where we can trust the products and often receive them the same day or the next, and where the experience is designed to feel familiar. That idea is changing how advertising works today, and it is what I want to explore in this article.Mercado LibreAmazon

 

What Is Retail Media, and Why Does It Matter Today?

Retail media is advertising on the platforms of businesses that sell products: marketplaces, supermarkets, and pharmacies. Brands can show their products to people who are already in shopping mode, while retailers, which know what those people search for and buy, can measure whether an ad led to a sale.

In Latin America, this model is growing faster than almost any other advertising format. According to a study by Comscore and regional advertiser associations, spending rose from US1.84billionin2024toapproximatelyUS2.6 billion in 2025, and could reach US5.45billionby2028,representingacompoundannualgrowthrateof28%.eMarketerestimatesUS2.54 billion in 2025, or 11% of the region’s digital advertising market, and more than US$6 billion by 2029.Comscore y asociaciones de anunciantes de la regióneMarketer

This is a regional shift. Brazil and Mexico account for more than 80% of spending, while Colombia, according to the same Comscore study, already allocates between 12% and 15% of its advertising investment to this format. Shopping habits are changing too: according to IAB Colombia, 76.4% of the digital population in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico visits retail media sites. Retailers are no longer just shelves; they have become media channels.ComscoreIAB Colombia

You may also be interested in: Ecommerce vs. Marketplace: Which Model Is Right for Your Business?Ecommerce vs Marketplace ¿Qué modelo es el adecuado para tu negocio?

 

Marketplaces: The New Corner Store

Mercado Libre and Amazon understand something that neighborhood stores always knew: people return to places they trust. That is why they invest so heavily in fast delivery, product authenticity, and dedicated spaces for individual brands.

What we saw at Mercado Libre Experience reflects that thinking. Brands can open verified official stores, building credibility with shoppers, and rely on the platform’s logistics, including Full or Flex delivery, to fulfill orders quickly. What caught my attention most, though, was everything surrounding the storefront: campaigns to attract followers, ways to build loyalty to each store, and spaces for organic content, videos, and reviews. It is the familiar idea of a shopkeeper who knows what you like, now powered by data.Mercado Libre Experience

And the platform has moved beyond its own ecosystem. In June 2026, Mercado Ads unveiled an integration with TikTok at Cannes Lions, bringing video ads to Mercado Libre shoppers with high purchase intent as they consume content on TikTok.Mercado AdsCannes Lionsintegración con TikTokTikTok

It also added a network of more than seven million creators and shoppable video formats that let people buy without leaving the screen. For now, the integration begins with awareness campaigns, with consideration and conversion campaigns announced as upcoming features.

Business results reflect that momentum. According to iProfesional, Mercado Ads revenue grew 63% year over year in the third quarter of 2025, on a constant-currency basis.iProfesional

 

Supermarkets and Pharmacies: The Neighborhood in Real Life

Marketplaces are only part of the story. The other part lives in the chains where people still buy groceries and personal care products: supermarkets such as Walmart and Cencosud, and pharmacies such as Farmatodo, Cruz Verde, and Mifarma.WalmartCencosudFarmatodoCruz Verde Mifarma

Several of these major retailers have already built their own media networks. Cencosud Media, for example, operates in Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, and Brazil. It combines sponsored products and on-site banners with off-site campaigns, email, app notifications, and even in-store screens. This means a brand can reach someone at the moment they decide what to buy, whether on their phone or in the aisle.Cencosud Media

For us, winning a place within these retail chains matters for a practical reason: they are where we want to send people to shop, and each has its own formats, rules, and timelines. Getting involved early, with the right expertise, makes a difference.

 

What We Have Learned at Asylum Working with Church & Dwight

At Asylum, we started working with this model early on. Today, we work with Church & Dwight in seven countries (Chile, Argentina, Peru, Panama, Colombia, Guatemala, and Uruguay) and across very different brands: TheraBreath, OxiClean, Hero, Batiste, Waterpik, Trojan, and Arm & Hammer. That has required us to understand each retailer individually, including its formats, metrics, and shopping dynamics.Church & DwightTheraBreathOxiCleanHeroBatisteWaterpikTrojanArm & Hammer

Over time, we realized that being present within a retailer is not enough. We also need to understand what happens outside it: search engines, social media, TikTok, and YouTube. Every campaign we designed to attract attention ultimately helped drive traffic to retailers. That is why, in our media plans, retailers are not just another channel; they are the destinations where we want people to buy.

This approach has taught us practical lessons. On Mercado Libre, we continue exploring new formats, and we have learned that keyword- and product-based search ads drive conversions, while banners work better as supporting placements.

We have also changed how we work with content creators. For years, influencer marketing was largely about reach, frequency, and brand awareness. Today, we are turning that attention into sales: content that leads to a product, a retailer, and a shopping cart. Some of our products have gone viral this way, and seeing Mercado Libre invest in its own creator network reinforces our direction.

 

Retail Media in Action: Turning Results into Sales

At Asylum Marketing, we have seen the impact of retail media firsthand through our work with beauty and personal care brands in markets such as Chile, Argentina, and Colombia. In September 2026, our Product Ads campaigns delivered a 4.58x ROAS, while one category increased sales by 63% and improved advertising return by 43% compared with the previous month. In some campaigns, up to 90% of ad-attributed revenue came from customers who were new to the brand.Asylum Marketing

The lesson is clear: it is not simply about spending more, but about competing more effectively within the marketplace. Prioritizing products with greater conversion potential, optimizing listings, using sponsored placements, and leveraging Display for discovery and remarketing can turn visibility into business results. The key is understanding which format works at each stage of the purchase journey and optimizing based on data, not reach alone.

 

What Changes for an Agency

Retail media has changed how we think about our business. We used to focus on buying reach and clicks. Today, we focus on helping a brand become the product the platform recommends, with a well-managed storefront, engaging content, and advertising that leads to sales. That requires access to sales data, close collaboration with retailers, and measuring what we spend against what we earn.

Latin America is the place to do it. Investment is growing, retailers are opening their platforms, and shoppers are already there. At its core, this is what the neighborhood store always did well: staying close to people, knowing its customers, and offering what they need at exactly the right time.

Sources

 

Adlatina: El retail media es el formato publicitario de mayor crecimiento en América LatinaAdlatina: Retail media is the fastest-growing advertising format in Latin America (Comscore study, September 29, 2025)

Meio & Mensagem: Retail media superará US$ 6 bi na América Latina até 2029Meio & Mensagem: Retail media to exceed US$6 billion in Latin America by 2029 (eMarketer, August 20, 2025)

IAB Colombia: El retail media consolida su avance en América LatinaIAB Colombia: Retail media continues to gain ground in Latin America

Mercado: Mercado Ads integra TikTok y suma 7 millones de creadoresMercado: Mercado Ads integrates TikTok and adds 7 million creators (June 24, 2026)

iProfesional: resultados de Mercado Libre, tercer trimestre de 2025iProfesional: Mercado Libre third-quarter 2025 results

InternetRetailing: Cencosud Media, retail media at scale in Latin AmericaInternetRetailing: Cencosud Media, retail media at scale in Latin America (October 1, 2024)