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82% of advertisers not fully executing full-funnel strategies as purchase touchpoints rise to 21, WPP Media playbook finds
Our read
Retail media is more likely than not to gain full-funnel budget as advertisers look for a measurable link between awareness and purchase, but the 82% execution gap will narrow only gradually until measurement is unified.
For operators
With touchpoints per purchase up from 12 in 2018 to 21 in 2024 and 48% of advertisers unable to link upper-funnel activity to lower-funnel outcomes, put unified measurement ahead of channel expansion, and test retail media as a full-funnel route before adding spend elsewhere.
Watch
A follow-up survey showing the 82% share falling or the 67% measurement-barrier share easing
The report,
A WPP Media playbook with MMA India and Amazon Ads found purchase-influencing touchpoints rose from 12 in 2018 to 21 in 2024, yet 82% of surveyed advertisers are not fully executing full-funnel strategies. Silos and fragmented measurement are the main barriers.
Channel facts
From the report. Source details below
| Respondents citing lack of unified measurement as a barrier: | 67% |
|---|---|
| Advertisers seeing retail media as a full-funnel solution: | 59% |
| Respondents ranking performance marketing and ROI in top three priorities: | 63% |
| Respondents struggling to link upper-funnel activity to lower-funnel outcomes: | 48% |
| Respondents prioritising long-term brand equity: | 48% |
Signals to track
- Announcements of cross-platform or clean-room measurement partnerships involving Amazon Ads or rival retail media networks
- Advertisers or agencies disclosing budget shifts toward retail media for upper-funnel objectives
- Industry bodies publishing a common measurement standard or certification for retail media
- Case studies that quantify upper-funnel to lower-funnel linkage, addressing the 48% who struggle with it
Likely next moves
Our read of what comes next — analysis, not reported by the source.
- Amazon Ads is likely to use the playbook's 59% retail-media-as-full-funnel finding in pitches, pairing upper-funnel inventory with purchase-linked reporting.
- WPP Media may fold the playbook's findings into client planning and measurement offers, positioning itself as the integrator of fragmented touchpoints.
- Rival retail media networks and e-commerce platforms may publish their own full-funnel proof points or measurement tools to avoid ceding the narrative.
- Large advertisers are likely to start unified-measurement pilots, typically with a few categories first, rather than committing whole budgets to full-funnel plans.
- MMA India is likely to keep promoting measurement-focused frameworks and follow-up studies as the industry's neutral reference point.