Uncovering the Top Free Learning Platforms for Retail Media in the Year 2025
In the realm of traditional advertising's stagnation, retail media is phenomenally thriving. With a staggering 250 retail media networks currently operational in the United States alone and projected spending set to touch $65 billion by 2025, according to EMARKETER, this promising sector offers ample opportunities for professionals to hone their expertise. The landscape is constantly evolving, with established players expanding their offerings and new entrants debuting networks daily.
Finding dependable, free educational resources can be elusive in this dynamic sector, but several organizations are tackling this knowledge gap head-on with accessible, insightful content. Here are five worthwhile learning opportunities:
1. Digital Shelf Institute
The Digital Shelf Institute (DSI) serves as an online hub and community for brands, manufacturers, and retailers aiming to thrive in the ever-evolving eCommerce sphere. Through thought leadership, reports, webinars, and strategic partnerships, DSI shares insights and best practices on topics such as product detail page optimization, retail media, and online growth strategies.
Two free resources directly pertinent to retail media include:
- The Impact of PDP Quality on Advertising Performance: This webinar offers valuable data on how the quality of product detail pages influences advertisement performance, providing practical frameworks for assessing content's influence on conversion rates and implementing strategies to break down communication barriers between content and media teams.
- Brand Approaches to Retail Media: In collaboration with Stratably (mentioned later), this report and corresponding webinar delivers comprehensive insights on organizational structures. It systematically dissects how leading brands construct their retail media teams, offering specific guidance on budget allocation, team sizes, and required skill sets. This resource is particularly beneficial for organizations seeking to scale their retail media operations or bolster their investment justification.
2. firstmovr Virtual Summits
firstmovr provides free virtual summits and upskilling for brands on various retail media and marketplaces topics. These topics range from retail eventing and digital shelf management to commerce AI and retailer deep-dive strategies.
Upcoming virtual summits include a Walmart growth summit scheduled for March 18, 2025, and a Deal Days summit for April 4, 2025, centered on Prime Day 2025 preparation. On-demand content, like the 'Cyber Monday' series covering the latest omnichannel trends and 'Inside the Maitrix' addressing commerce AI viewpoints, is available on firstmovr.com.
3. Allume Group’s Retail Media Advertising Strategy Course
Allume Group empowers professionals with the crucial expertise and community required to excel in digital commerce. With live workshops, on-demand training, and hands-on advisory services, Allume Group delivers timely and actionable knowledge to eCommerce leaders.
Until March 31, Allume Group provides its Retail Media Advertising Strategy course for free. This comprehensive offering presents a systematic methodology for preparing products for advertising and setting strategic objectives, making it particularly valuable for beginners in the retail media realm.
4. Stratably Research & Newsletter
Stratably specializes in eCommerce and retail media research, offering data-driven insights, reports, and analytical frameworks to help brands develop effective online sales strategies, optimize their product detail pages, and structure their organizations for efficient digital channel management.
While most Stratably research materials are restricted behind a paywall, their weekly newsletter provides invaluable retail media updates. Additionally, their "Retail Media Wake Up Call" report, which examines the implications of brands concentrating their budgets in limited retail media networks, is available free of charge.
5. The Path To Purchase Institute
The Path to Purchase Institute (P2PI), a renowned organization focusing on commerce marketing, offers free access to a wide range of retail media innovation and best practice webinars. Recent sessions such as "Unlocking the State of Retail Media" and "Revolutionizing Retail Media" include real-world case studies from major brands and retailers and cover recent industry benchmarks and analyses.
Though some of P2PI’s resources are reserved for their 2,700+ member community, these webinars offer unique insights into how established brands navigate the retail media landscape.
With retail media's unrelenting growth, networks continuing to multiply beyond traditional retailers into entertainment platforms, delivery services, and even social commerce, caretakers of this domain must constantly sharpen their saw. These educational resources, while not exclusively focused on retail media, offer varying methods to acquire expertise in the form of practical training, strategic frameworks, and ongoing industry analysis, helping cultivate the well-rounded understanding needed to thrive in this evolving landscape.
- The Digital Shelf Institute's free webinar, "Brand Approaches to Retail Media," provides valuable insights into how leading brands structure their retail media teams, offering guidance on budget allocation, team sizes, and required skill sets.
- To navigate the retail media landscape in 2025, professionals can turn to firstmovr's upcoming virtual summits, such as the Walmart growth summit on March 18, 2025, for insights on industry trends and best practices.
- Until March 31, Allume Group is offering its Retail Media Advertising Strategy course for free, providing a systematic methodology for preparing products for advertising and setting strategic objectives in the retail media sector.
- Stratably's weekly newsletter provides retail media updates for free, along with the "Retail Media Wake Up Call" report, which analyzes the implications of brands investing heavily in limited retail media networks.
- The Path to Purchase Institute offers a range of retail media innovation and best practice webinars for free, such as "Unlocking the State of Retail Media" and "Revolutionizing Retail Media," providing real-world case studies and benchmark analyses.
These free resources, while not exclusively focused on retail media, can help individuals gain practical training, strategic frameworks, and ongoing industry analysis, which are crucial to thrive and adapt in the evolving retail media landscape.