Beyond ROAS: Why Brand Marketers Need iROAS to Prove Real Growth

Retail Media Is Exploding — But Brands Face a Measurement Problem

Retail media is booming, projected to reach $166 billion globally by 2025 (GroupM), and for good reason. It gives brands direct access to high-intent shoppers at the point of purchase — a unique opportunity to influence decisions when it matters most.

But with growth comes accountability. For CPG brand marketers, every dollar is under scrutiny. Trade budgets are tightening, finance leaders want proof of ROI, and internal stakeholders expect marketing investments to deliver incremental sales — not just shift volume between channels. The challenge is no longer whether to invest in retail media, but how to prove it’s driving real, measurable growth.

Why ROAS Falls Short for Brand Marketers

For years, Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) has been the default metric. It’s easy to calculate — revenue divided by ad spend.

The challenge? ROAS often overstates impact. A $100,000 campaign that “drives” $300,000 in attributed sales looks strong on paper. But if many of those sales were inevitable, ROAS rewards wasted spend. For brand marketers juggling tighter budgets and changing shopper behavior, that blind spot is expensive.

iROAS: The Metric That Proves Incrementality

Incremental Return on Ad Spend (iROAS) addresses this gap by measuring only the incremental sales and trips that wouldn’t have occurred without the campaign. It does this by comparing exposed vs. unexposed audiences, leveraging closed-loop reporting, and isolating true sales lift – so you know exactly what marketing dollars are driving beyond the baseline.

For brand marketers, iROAS is the difference between vanity metrics and accountability. It shows whether retail media is expanding category share, driving trial, or reactivating lapsed shoppers. In other words: iROAS proves real growth and enables you to:

• Defend budgets with finance. Show that retail media investments create incremental returns, not inflated numbers.
• Allocate smarter. Prioritize campaigns, partners, and retailers that deliver true lift — not just noise.
• Balance growth, and efficiency. iROAS proves campaigns expand categories and attract new buyers, but also deliver efficiency gains that protect margins. e.
• Gain cross-channel confidence. iROAS aligns with IAB audience measurement standards, so you can benchmark retail media against TV, digital, or social with consistency.

How Swiftly Helps Brands Achieve iROAS

Retail media will only keep growing, and brand marketers can’t afford to settle for inflated ROAS metrics. The measure of success is clear: incremental growth.

Swiftly was purpose-built to close the retail media measurement gap. Unlike other platforms, Swiftly connects user-level data, loyalty insights, and POS systems across 15,000+ stores to uncover true incrementality. In combination with IAB-aligned methodologies, brand marketers gain a single, transparent view of performance across retailers – proving campaigns drive new trips, bigger baskets, and long-term shopper value

By prioritizing incrementality over surface-level efficiency, Swiftly equips brand marketers with the clarity to optimize spend and the assurance to invest wisely.

iROAS is the gold standard because it proves the value of your retail media investments — and ensures you’re funding real results.

Ready to prove true incrementality? Book a demo and learn more about Swiftly’s retail media solutions today.

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