Rakuten Sets Ambitious Goals for Retail Media Growth by 2026 Amid Expanding Market – Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Rakuten has unveiled its comprehensive retail media strategy, outlining ambitious growth plans through 2026. The announcement highlights the company's past performance and sets clear targets to capitalize on the expanding retail media landscape.

Who should care: VPs of retail, store operations leaders, eCommerce directors, customer experience teams, and retail technology decision-makers.

What happened?

Rakuten has articulated a clear and ambitious strategic vision for its retail media operations, aiming to harness the rapid growth of the retail media sector through 2026. The company has outlined specific initiatives and targets that demonstrate its commitment to expanding its footprint in this increasingly important domain. Central to this strategy is the enhancement of Rakuten’s retail media network capabilities, designed to better serve both advertisers and retailers by driving higher engagement and generating increased revenue streams. This strategy builds on Rakuten’s past successes while setting a forward-looking agenda that aligns with the broader industry shift toward integrated commerce and advertising solutions. Notably, Rakuten plans to expand its market presence in Europe, a region where retail media networks are gaining significant momentum, as seen in recent expansions by players like Martini and Thematic Digital/Mediascope. By targeting this growth area, Rakuten positions itself as a competitive global player in retail media—a sector that is becoming a critical component of the overall advertising ecosystem. Through these efforts, Rakuten aims to solidify its leadership role by 2026, leveraging its platform to deliver enhanced value to advertisers and consumers alike.

Why now?

Rakuten’s announcement arrives amid a period of rapid expansion and heightened importance for retail media networks within the advertising landscape. Over the past 18 months, there has been a notable surge in investments and interest driven by shifting consumer behaviors—particularly the accelerated move toward online shopping—and the increasing demand for more targeted, data-driven advertising solutions. These market dynamics have compelled companies like Rakuten to prioritize long-term strategies that strengthen their capabilities and broaden their market reach. By launching this strategy now, Rakuten is strategically positioning itself to capitalize on these evolving trends and capture a larger share of the growing retail media market.

So what?

Rakuten’s focused push into retail media growth reflects a broader industry transformation toward the integration of commerce and advertising. This strategic move is likely to influence how other companies in the sector shape their own approaches, potentially intensifying competition and driving innovation. For retailers and advertisers, Rakuten’s enhanced retail media capabilities could unlock new opportunities for customer engagement and revenue generation, particularly through more precise, data-driven advertising. The emphasis on retail media networks underscores the increasing importance of leveraging consumer insights to adapt to changing shopping behaviors and preferences.

What this means for you:

• For VPs of retail: Align your marketing strategies with retail media networks to capitalize on targeted advertising opportunities and drive growth.
• For eCommerce directors: Explore partnerships with retail media platforms like Rakuten’s to boost customer engagement and increase sales.
• For customer experience teams: Integrate data insights from retail media networks to enhance personalization and improve customer interactions.

Quick Hits

• Impact / Risk: Rakuten’s strategy could reshape competitive dynamics in retail media, prompting rivals to accelerate their own growth initiatives.
• Operational Implication: Retailers may need to adapt advertising strategies to align with the evolving capabilities of retail media networks.
• Action This Week: Review current retail media partnerships; assess alignment with Rakuten’s new strategy; and brief marketing teams on potential shifts in advertising tactics.