travel and the retail media revolution

19 Aug

Retail media is having its moment. Tesco, Boots, Carrefour, and dozens of other retailers have discovered what Amazon has known for years: their digital real estate is gold dust. As traffic surges across retail apps and websites, monetising that attention through sponsored placements, brand-funded ads, and promotions has become a multi-billion-pound opportunity.

But there’s a problem. Traditional digital ads—banners, tiles, and even pop-ups—are showing signs of fatigue. Click-through rates are declining, and consumers are growing wary of ‘sponsored’ anything.

So how can retail media networks stay ahead? By embedding high-emotion, high-margin verticals like travel.

Why Travel Makes Sense in Retail Media

Travel is an emotionally charged category. It isn’t just functional; it’s aspirational. Customers don’t just see an ad for a flight or hotel, they feel something. And that emotional reaction drives action. When embedded properly, travel offers can:

Attract attention without being intrusive
Deliver far higher engagement than generic banners
Create genuine value for both the consumer and the retailer
Provide up-sell and cross-sell opportunities across the retailer’s product range

Instead of a third-party ad, retailers can sell travel directly via a full-service, white-label travel portal, powered by a trusted partner, offering revenue generation potential without the operational headwinds.

monetising with a purpose

This isn’t about sticking a flight offer in a random tile. It’s about curated experiences: think “Winter Sun Deals” next to your SPF50 or “Paris Getaways” alongside your spring beauty edit. Carefully constructed and thoughtful merchandising can enable retailers to:

Monetise the media space through brand-funded travel offers
Earn commission from bookings
Reinforce loyalty through embedded points, credits or member rates

This is native commerce, not just native advertising, and it can be a game-changer.

Travel vs Traditional Advertising

Let’s compare:

  
      Traditional Ad Banner
      Embedded Travel Offer
    
      Avg. CTR
      0.35%
      3–5%
    
      Revenue Model
      CPM / CPC
      Commission per booking
    
      Customer Impact
      Brand awareness
      Direct value + action
    
      Brand Ownership
      Third-party
      Full white-label

The results are clear: embedded travel wins on every front.

How It Works in Practice

Consider the case of a major European retailer in the health & pharmacy sector (anonymised for confidentiality). When they embedded a travel booking portal in their loyalty app, the results spoke volumes: click-throughs on travel tiles were 9× higher than beauty promotions, 60% of bookings came from returning customers, and the brand generated 3× more revenue than display ads in the same placement.

What Retailers Need to Consider

If you’re thinking of adding travel to your retail media ecosystem, make sure you:

Choose a partner with full global inventory across all verticals, with the ability to offer dynamic packaging like a true OTA, with the customer support and service that aligns with your brand values
Prioritise brand control. Your travel site should feel like an extension of your retail site or app. Kicking customers out to a separate portal or website from your app is an example of poor customer experience and is to be avoided!
Build rewards and incentives into the portal that deliver real customer value. Think cashback, points redemption, exclusive access for top-tier spenders…
Merchandising and editorial are key. Travel content should be seasonal, inspiring and context-aware to maximise engagement and bookings.

Retailers already have the reach. Now it’s time to pair it with a vertical that sells an experience and offers customers real value.

📩 Curious what a white-label travel integration could look like for your brand? Let’s have a conversation.

Victoria Wickens