Retail Media's Next Frontier: Unifying Onsite, Offsite, and In-Store Advertising

02/12/25 • 20 min

“When you combine onsite inventory with the retailer's audience data, magic happens. It's all about leveraging the right data to show the right ads to the right shoppers. And that's where real gains are made.” That's a quote from Harsh Jiandani and a sneak peek at today's episode.

In this episode titled Retail Media's Next Frontier: Unifying Onsite, Offsite, and In-Store Advertising. I'm joined by Harsh Jandani, Chief Commercial Officer of Koddi, a commerce media tech company.

Harsh and I discuss the evolving landscape of retail media and advanced strategies unifying onsite, offsite, and in-store advertising channels, as well as the challenges and opportunities in addressing data fragmentation across the retail media networks.

Stay tuned to the end where Harsh shares his expert predictions for the next three to five years, including the rise of shoppable CTV and smarter auction systems.

This episode is packed with insights and strategies for brands and retailers looking to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market. Let's go!

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.152):
So welcome, Harsh. Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background and expertise.

Harsh Jiandani (00:07.017):
Hi everyone. My name is Harsh Jiandani. I'm the Chief Commercial Officer of Koddi, a retail media platform. I oversee sales, marketing, partnerships, and strategy for the company. I've been here for about a year and a half. Before this, I was at Microsoft as Chief Revenue Officer of Promote IQ. Prior to that, I spent eight and a half years at AppNexus/Xandr in various roles, ultimately launching Xandr Curate.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:34.75):
Excellent. So you've been in the industry for a while. You're quite an expert. Obviously, the e-commerce space in retail media has evolved very rapidly over the last few years. Can you talk about how you've seen the space evolve and what it’s been like having a front-row seat to these changes?

Harsh Jiandani (00:56.253):
It's been an exciting ride. Over the last five to seven years, retail media has felt like a rocket ship. It started with helping retailers launch and scale their programs, primarily focused on on-site advertising, such as sponsored listing ads, sponsored brand ads, and display ads. Now, it's expanded to include in-store advertising and leveraging data to target audiences offsite.

Another major evolution is retailers wanting more control over their programs. Early on, they were new to this space and transitioned overnight from being retailers to becoming some of the largest media businesses in the world. They relied heavily on external help. Now, as the space matures, retailers are seeking more control.

One notable trend is the growing fragmentation of retail media networks. There are now 200 to 400 networks, depending on who you ask, which has created new challenges for the industry. There's a big push to connect all this supply into a single access point for buyers.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (02:36.298):
Definitely. How are you seeing brands and technology platforms approach data integration? How are we getting smarter in a world of walled gardens and protected data?

Harsh Jiandani (02:54.259):
Let’s start by looking at the retailer side and then move to the brand side. Initially, retail media programs were based purely on keywords—advertisers bid on keywords that shoppers searched for. The next phase was SKU-based targeting, where ads were displayed based on specific products users searched for or browsed.

Now, we're in a third phase where retailers use customer data to enrich and inform the experience. Depending on the shopper, they might see different ads, and even the number of ads displayed can vary. This audience data overlays with SKU targeting, allowing retailers to adjust bids when reaching specific audiences.

On the brand side, things have also become more sophisticated. While brands still rely on keywords, they're increasingly trying to overcome fragmentation while targeting at the SKU level. Brands are working to integrate audience data and improve measurement through tools like Media Mix Modeling (MMM), but this area still presents challenges.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (05:17.928):
How have you seen the ability to capture and optimize data evolve? Where do you think it stands today?

Harsh Jiandani (05:28.125):
From the brand perspective, it’s been challenging. Retail media networks started as walled gardens, and brands have relied heavily on the measurement and audiences provided to them. Now, the biggest brands are pushing for more transparency, asking retailers to share the data they need to conduct their own media mix modeling instead of relying solely on retailers' return-on-ad-spend or incrementality metrics.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (06:32.756):
That’s a great point. Fro...

Stay tuned to the end where Harsh shares his expert predictions for the next three to five years, including the rise of shoppable CTV and smarter auction systems.

This episode is packed with insights and strategies for brands and retailers looking to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market. Let's go!

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.152):
So welcome, Harsh. Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background and expertise.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (02:36.298):
Definitely. How are you seeing brands and technology platforms approach data integration? How are we getting smarter in a world of walled gardens and protected data?

Kerry Curran, RBMA (05:17.928):
How have you seen the ability to capture and optimize data evolve? Where do you think it stands today?

Kerry Curran, RBMA (06:32.756):
That’s a great point. Fro...

Previous Episode

Retail Media's Next Frontier: Unifying Onsite, Offsite, and In-Store Advertising

"When you combine on-site inventory with a retailer's audience data, magic happens. It’s all about leveraging the right data to show the right ads to the right shoppers—and that’s where real gains are made." – Harsh Jiandani Retail Media's Next Frontier: Unifying Onsite, Offsite, and In-Store Advertising Ready to unlock the next big opportunities in retail media? In this episode, Kerry Curran sits down with Harsh Jiandani, Chief Commercial Officer at Kodi, to explore how retailers are breaking down silos and unifying advertising across onsite, offsite, and in-store channels. Discover how advanced audience data, shoppable connected TV, and in-store innovations like digital screens are transforming the shopper experience and driving revenue growth. Harsh shares actionable insights on overcoming challenges like data fragmentation and how brands and retailers can capitalize on this new frontier. If you're ready to think smarter, optimize campaigns, and boost revenue, this episode is a must-listen!"To learn more about Kerry Curran and the RBMA: Revenue Based Marketing Advisors, go to www.revenuebasedmarketing.com and be sure to follow us on Kerry's LinkedIn Profile and The RBMA: Revenue Based Marketing Advisors Profile. If you're in the market for a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer or Fractional Chief Revenue Officer be sure to reach out to Kerry. Kerry is also available for speaking, panel moderation, and other professional presentation services. For services and contact information check out the RBMA: Revenue Based Marketing Advisors website here. B2B business development has become increasingly complex, with companies finding it harder than ever to drive growth. One of the biggest challenges? Many organizations have shifted their investments down the funnel—hiring more sales and BDR resources—while pulling back on marketing. Yet, buyer behavior has evolved in the opposite direction. Today, buyers are forming their shortlists and making decisions before ever speaking to a sales rep. This means if your brand isn’t investing in marketing, you’re not even making it into their consideration set. To grow revenue, companies must excel across four critical stages: ✅Awareness: They must have heard of you ✅Affinity: They must like you and believe you can solve their challenges ✅In-Market: They must be ready to buy ✅Engagement: Then they talk to your sales team, who still needs to beat the competition and win the deal At RBMA: Revenue Based Marketing Advisors, we help businesses scale growth effectively and efficiently. We build and optimize your end-to-end marketing and sales infrastructure—from brand development to sales training—delivering: - Increased high-quality lead volume - Shortened sales cycles - Improved close rates I'm Kerry Curran, Founder and Chief Growth Officer of RBMA. With 20 years of experience in marketing and business development, I’ve consistently driven double- and triple-digit revenue growth. My unique expertise bridges both disciplines: as a CMO who understands sales and a CRO who understands marketing. I specialize in helping B2B scale-ups and mid-market agencies, tech, and services transform their growth strategies. Let’s set up a call to identify areas of opportunity in your growth infrastructure and get your business on the path to increased revenue in 2025.

Next Episode

Cracking the Amazon Algorithm: Strategies for Increased Visibility and Revenue

“Amazon optimization today isn't just about keywords. It's about creating a compelling narrative with your images, content, and product attributes. AI now plays a crucial role in reading and interpreting your images and text to rank your listings. If you can convince the algorithm that your product is valuable, you're also convincing the customer. It's about aligning both the technical and human aspects of the shopping experience to maximize visibility and conversion.” That's a quote from Jon Tilley and a sneak peek at today's episode.

Hi there. I'm Kerry Curran, Fractional Chief Growth Officer, industry analyst, and host of Revenue Boost, A Marketing Podcast where we discuss smart strategies that drive your business growth.

In this episode titled, Cracking the Amazon Algorithm: Strategies for Increased Visibility and Revenue. I'm joined by Jon Tilley. He's the Founder and CEO of ZonGuru. Jon and I discuss cutting edge strategies for cracking Amazon's ever changing algorithm, leveraging AI for smarter listing optimization and creating winning product narrative. Jon shares actionable insights to help brands boost visibility, conversions and revenue.

Stay tuned to the end where John shares tips for adapting Amazon's Rufus AI shopping assistant.

Whether you're an established seller or just starting out, this episode is packed with tips to help you dominate the Amazon marketplace and grow your bottom line. Let's go!

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.48)

Welcome, Jon! Please tell us a bit about yourself, your expertise, and ZonGuru.

Jon Tilley (00:10.136)

Hey, Kerry, thanks! I appreciate being here.

We have a technology company in the Amazon space. If you are a brand or an agency selling products on Amazon, you can use our technology as a third-party software provider to help you operationally run your business, drive organic growth, and increase profits.

We offer over 18 different tools, but we are particularly known for our leadership in Amazon SEO—helping brands structure their content and storefronts to maximize organic growth by aligning with Amazon’s algorithm. We’ve been around since 2016, and that’s us in a nutshell!

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:58.638)

Excellent! Now, tell us a bit about your background and expertise.

Jon Tilley (01:04.344)

Yeah, as you can probably tell, my accent is originally from South Africa, where I grew up. I moved to Los Angeles in 2006, so I’ve been here for quite some time.

I started my career in advertising, working at large global digital agencies for about 12 to 15 years. I covered everything from below-the-line to through-the-line marketing, integrated digital agencies—you know, the full evolution of the agency world.

I spent some time in Europe launching Burger King’s Have It Your Way campaign, then moved to Los Angeles, working with large brands. I also got involved in enterprise application development, which was my first real exposure to the tech world.

But I’ve always had that entrepreneurial drive. In 2013, I launched my own brands on Amazon, which did really well. That success allowed me to leave my corporate job and dive into my own business full-time.

In 2016, I saw an opportunity in the Amazon space as a third-party software provider and launched ZonGuru—short for "Amazon Guru." We bootstrapped it for several years before raising a funding round in 2021.

I’ve now spent 8 to 10 years navigating Amazon’s constant changes, which has been vibey, to say the least. It’s a massive industry, but also a rapidly evolving one. Running a business in this space means constantly adapting to new developments.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (03:14.758)

That’s fantastic. You’re right—few industries have evolved as rapidly as Amazon, e-commerce, and retail media.

And on top of that, you’re incorporating a lot of AI into your technology. You mentioned earlier that it’s an AI-first world now. Let’s dive into that—what recent shifts are you seeing in AI’s role in marketing strategies, particularly in the Amazon space? What are the opportunities and potential threats?

Jon Tilley (03:59.074)

Yeah, AI has been fascinating to watch. It’s a perfect example of why being first to market can give you a competitive advantage.

In our space, we have some massive competitors. But moving first on AI gave us an opportunity to differentiate.

At the same time, despite Amazon’s dominance in e-commerce, their internal technology is actually quite backward. That creates opportunities for third-pa...