Onsite vs Offsite Retail Media: What's the Difference? | Particular Audience
Onsite retail media runs on the retailer's own site; offsite uses retailer data to reach shoppers elsewhere. How each works and when to use it.
What is the difference between onsite and offsite retail media?
Onsite retail media shows brand-funded ads on the retailer's own website and app, such as sponsored products in search results. Offsite retail media uses the retailer's shopper data to target audiences on other channels, such as social or video platforms. Onsite sits closest to purchase and is easiest to measure; offsite extends reach beyond the retailer's own visitors.
Onsite
Sponsored products, sponsored search, display, brand pages and rich media within the retailer's own experience. The retailer controls relevance and sees the sale directly.
Offsite
Audiences built from retailer data and activated on external channels. Reach is larger, but measurement relies on matching exposures back to sales.
Which comes first
Most retailers launch onsite because it monetises existing traffic and proves value quickly, then add offsite audiences.
How Particular Audience does it
Frequently asked questions
Can onsite and offsite share audiences?
Yes. The same segments can drive onsite targeting and be exported for offsite activation, subject to consent and the retailer's rules.
Related guides
- What is a retail media network?: A retail media network lets brands advertise on a retailer's own site and channels using the retailer's shopper data. How it works and what it needs.
- ROAS (return on ad spend): ROAS is attributed revenue divided by ad spend. What it shows, what it misses and how it relates to incrementality.