5 Ways to Build & Optimize Retail Media with Google Ad Manager 360

Google Ad Manager 360 (GAM 360) is a powerful platform for managing and monetising retail media networks.?

By leveraging its advanced features, retailers can maximize ad revenue, improve targeting, and enhance user experience and brand/vendor value.?

Below is a detailed guide to optimising retail media using GAM 360, complete with best practices and actionable tips:

1. Leverage Advanced Inventory Management

Efficient inventory management is the backbone of retail media success. GAM 360 allows you to define and optimize ad units for maximum performance.

1. Set Up Special Ad Units > Use special ad units for premium inventory, such as homepage banners or high-traffic product pages. This ensures they are reserved for high-value campaigns.
2. Customise Ad Formats >Tailor ad placements based on user behaviour and page content. For instance, use dynamic ad formats on category pages to target specific shopper intents.
3. Key Values > Leverage key-value pairs in GAM 360 to categorize ad inventory based on product type, shopper behavior or promotional campaigns. This allows advertisers to target specific audiences more effectively and optimize bidding strategies.
4. Forecasting Tools > Utilise GAM 360’s advanced forecasting to predict inventory availability and adjust campaigns accordingly.

Best Practice: Regularly review and update your inventory settings to align with seasonal trends or promotional events.

2. Integrate First-Party Data for Enhanced Targeting

First-party data is a key asset for retail media networks, enabling precise audience segmentation and targeting.

1. Audience Segmentation > Use GAM 360’s audience tools to segment users by demographics, purchase history, or browsing behaviour. For example, create segments like "frequent buyers" or "seasonal shoppers."
2. Integrate with Google Analytics 360 > Link GAM 360 with Google Analytics to combine ad performance data with user behaviour insights. This integration helps in creating remarketing lists and refining targeting strategies.
3. Mitigate Third-Party Cookie Loss > Focus on building robust first-party data strategies to future-proof your targeting capabilities and deliver to the audiences your brands and vendors are seeking.

Best Practice: Continuously refine audience segments based on performance metrics like click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates.

3. Utilise Advanced Reporting and Analytics

Data-driven decision-making is crucial for optimizing retail media campaigns.

1. Custom Reports > Create custom reports in GAM 360 to track key metrics such as impressions, clicks, conversions, and ROAS (return on ad spend).
2. Ad Speed Reports > Use ad speed reports to identify latency issues that could impact user experience and campaign performance.
3. Future Sell-Through Reports > Analyse sell-through rates to forecast inventory utilisation and plan future campaigns effectively.
4. Leverage Data Transfer Files (DTF) > Use DTF to ingest raw log level data into your BI and data tools to leverage GAM data in your existing data and analytics.

Best Practice Schedule automated reports to ensure timely insights into campaign performance.

4. Enhance Creative Strategies

Strong creative execution can significantly impact campaign success and user engagement.

1. Creative Templates > Use GAM 360’s advanced creative templates for consistent branding across campaigns. Pro-tip, these are also the key for pulling in product feeds from your IMS (Inventory Management System).
2. Video Ad Solutions > Leverage video ad rules in GAM 360 to create engaging pre-roll or mid-roll video ads that resonate with shoppers.
3. A/B Testing > Test different ad formats, sizes, and creatives to identify what resonates best with your audience.

Best Practice: Regularly update creatives based on seasonal promotions or product launches to keep ads fresh and relevant.

5. Optimize Yield Through Programmatic Channels

Programmatic advertising can significantly enhance yield by increasing competition for ad inventory.

1. Open Bidding > Enable Open Bidding to allow multiple demand partners to bid on your inventory in real-time, maximizing revenue.
2. Dynamic Allocation > Use GAM 360’s dynamic allocation feature to prioritize the highest-paying ads across direct and programmatic channels.
3. Experiment with Pricing Models > Test different pricing models like vCPM (viewable cost per thousand impressions) or CPA (cost per action) to find the most profitable approach.

Best Practice: Regularly monitor programmatic performance reports and adjust floor prices to optimize revenue.

Conclusion

Optimizing retail media with Google Ad Manager 360 requires a strategic approach that combines advanced technology with data-driven insights. By focusing on inventory management, audience targeting, programmatic yield optimization, robust analytics, and creative excellence, retailers can maximise their monetisation potential while delivering value to advertisers.

For a deeper dive into these strategies, consider exploring GAM 360’s full suite of features or consulting with a Google-certified partner.