MediaMarktSaturn launches first offsite retail media program with Unlimitail

MediaMarktSaturn officially announced on September 2025 the launch of its inaugural offsite retail media program during DMEXCO in Cologne. The European consumer electronics giant partnered with Unlimitail, a joint venture between Publicis Groupe and Carrefour, to extend advertising capabilities beyond its owned digital properties.

According to Torsten Ahlers, Managing Director Retail Media at MediaMarktSaturn, the initiative represents a strategic milestone in the company's retail media development. The program utilizes Epsilon Retail Media's technology platform to enable advertisers to reach MediaMarktSaturn customers through curated audiences across external websites and applications.

The expansion builds upon MediaMarktSaturn's existing retail media foundation, which includes onsite advertising formats and in-store promotional opportunities. The company operates more than 1,000 stores across 11 European countries, generating approximately €22.4 billion in revenue during the 2023/24 fiscal year. Online sales contributed 24 percent of total revenue, indicating substantial digital commerce activity that supports advertising targeting capabilities.

Privacy-safe first-party data collection from transactions and loyalty programs forms the technological foundation for the offsite advertising solution. Brands can connect digital advertisement exposure to both online and offline sales conversions, providing end-to-end campaign measurement across multiple touchpoints. The system enables targeting of both endemic advertisers selling electronics products through MediaMarktSaturn channels and non-endemic brands seeking to reach high-intent technology shoppers.

The offsite program represents a significant development in European retail media landscape evolution. European retail media spending grew 22.1% in 2024 compared to 6.1% growth for the broader advertising market, demonstrating retail media's transition from experimental category to strategic advertising infrastructure. MediaMarktSaturn's expansion follows similar moves by major retailers worldwide to monetize customer data and shopping behavior beyond owned properties.

Geographic rollout begins in October 2025 across five initial markets, starting with Germany before expanding to Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Turkey, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Hungary will receive access in early 2026. This phased approach enables technical optimization and performance validation before full European market coverage.

Alexis Marcombe, CEO of Unlimitail, characterized the partnership as providing MediaMarktSaturn with "a true powerful growth engine" built on transactional and loyalty data. The collaboration enables targeting of high-value shoppers across digital channels while demonstrating incremental sales impact across both e-commerce and physical store locations.

The technological implementation operates through curated open-web inventory utilizing IAB-standard display and online video formats. Campaign execution includes seamless redirects to MediaMarktSaturn's commerce experiences and potential extension to connected television advertising. Advanced first-party identity modeling ensures consistent audience reach even in cookieless advertising environments, addressing privacy concerns while maintaining targeting precision.

MediaMarktSaturn's entry into offsite retail media coincides with broader industry momentum toward unified advertising platform integration. Criteo became Google's first onsite retail media partner through Search Ads 360 integration, while programmatic real-time bidding solutions have emerged for onsite sponsored products across multiple retail networks.

The announcement reflects competitive pressures within European consumer electronics retail, where digital transformation and omnichannel customer engagement drive revenue diversification strategies. MediaMarktSaturn competes with Amazon's marketplace dominance and specialized electronics retailers through enhanced customer experience and comprehensive service offerings under its "Experience Electronics" strategic positioning.

Unlimitail aggregates over 2 billion monthly page views and connects more than 220 million addressable customers worldwide through 35 retail partners. The platform's global reach provides MediaMarktSaturn access to established offsite advertising infrastructure without requiring internal technology development or partnership negotiations with individual publishers.

Campaign measurement capabilities include attribution modeling across online and offline purchase conversions, enabling brands to evaluate advertising effectiveness beyond traditional digital metrics. The system tracks customer journey progression from advertisement exposure through final transaction completion, providing comprehensive performance data for optimization and budget allocation decisions.

MediaMarktSaturn's expansion strategy includes marketplace scaling alongside retail media development. The company maintains the number one or two market position in nine of its eleven operating countries, providing substantial customer base leverage for advertising inventory monetization. Approximately 48,000 employees support operations across multiple retail formats and complementary private label brands including PEAQ, KOENIC, ISY, and ok.

The partnership enables MediaMarktSaturn to participate in growing advertiser demand for retail media solutions that combine first-party data targeting with measurement transparency. Research indicates over 90% of advertisers now partner with retailers to access first-party data, with brands working with 4-6 retail media networks doubling in 2025.

Technical infrastructure considerations include integration with existing customer data platforms and advertising technology systems. The solution requires coordination between MediaMarktSaturn's customer relationship management systems, Unlimitail's platform technology, and Epsilon Retail Media's advertising serving capabilities to ensure accurate targeting and measurement across multiple touchpoints.

Consumer electronics retail environments present unique advertising opportunities due to high consideration purchase processes and extensive product research behavior. Shoppers typically evaluate multiple products, compare specifications, and consult reviews before making final purchase decisions. This extended engagement period provides multiple touchpoints for advertising exposure and conversion optimization.

The offsite expansion addresses evolving advertiser requirements for cross-channel campaign management and unified measurement frameworks. Traditional retail media approaches often operate through specialized platforms requiring separate campaign setup and optimization processes. Integrated solutions reduce operational complexity while providing consistent performance metrics across retail partnerships.

MediaMarktSaturn's geographic expansion timeline aligns with regulatory considerations across European markets, including data privacy requirements and advertising technology compliance standards. The phased rollout enables adaptation to local market conditions and regulatory frameworks while maintaining consistent advertising offering quality across all participating countries.

Industry consolidation trends favor retailers with substantial customer bases and advanced data capabilities. MediaMarktSaturn's approximately 2 billion annual customer contacts across all touchpoints provide significant advertising inventory for monetization through offsite program expansion. The company's established market positions across multiple countries reduce client acquisition costs for brands seeking European market reach.

Connected television advertising integration represents a strategic opportunity for MediaMarktSaturn to participate in growing video advertising demand. CTV advertising capabilities have expanded across multiple platforms, with retail media networks adding video formats to complement traditional display and sponsored product offerings.

The announcement positions MediaMarktSaturn within competitive dynamics among European retail media providers. Major retailers are establishing advertising businesses as independent revenue streams while technology providers develop unified platform solutions for cross-retailer campaign management. Success depends on advertiser adoption rates and competitive differentiation through targeting accuracy and measurement capabilities.

Timeline

• September 2025: MediaMarktSaturn announces first offsite retail media program with Unlimitail during DMEXCO in Cologne
• October 2025: Program rollout begins in Germany, followed by Spain, Italy, Netherlands, and Belgium
• Early 2026: Expansion to Turkey, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Hungary
• July 24, 2025: Pentaleap and Teads announce industry-first RTB integration for retail media sponsored products
• September 10, 2025: Criteo becomes Google's first onsite retail media partner through Search Ads 360
• September 19, 2025: Best Buy partners with Magnite to scale programmatic advertising reach
• July 8, 2025: Innovid unveils retail media tools for onsite and offsite campaigns
• June 17, 2025: Criteo debuts auction-based display ads for retail media flexibility

Summary

Who: MediaMarktSaturn, Europe's leading consumer electronics retailer operating more than 1,000 stores across 11 countries, partnered with Unlimitail, a joint venture between Publicis Groupe and Carrefour, utilizing Epsilon Retail Media's technology platform.

What: Launch of MediaMarktSaturn's first offsite retail media program enabling advertisers to reach MediaMarktSaturn shoppers through privacy-safe first-party data targeting across curated open-web inventory, including display, online video, and connected television formats with end-to-end campaign measurement capabilities.

When: Officially announced September 2025 during DMEXCO in Cologne, with rollout beginning October 2025 in five initial markets and full European expansion completing in early 2026.

Where: Initial deployment across Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, and Belgium in October 2025, followed by Turkey, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Hungary in early 2026, covering MediaMarktSaturn's complete 11-country European operating territory.

Why: Strategic expansion beyond owned properties to create additional brand value and new revenue streams while addressing advertiser demand for high-intent audience targeting and measurable cross-channel advertising impact in cookieless advertising environments, positioning MediaMarktSaturn competitively within rapidly growing European retail media market segment.