Costco’s Mark Williamson returns to the NRF stage to explain how the world’s favorite warehouse club balances high-margin ad revenue with an uncompromising commitment to member value.
Key Takeaways
In this highly anticipated sequel to his 2025 presentation at What’s In Store for Retail Media Networks, Mark Williamson, head of retail media at Costco, pulls back the curtain on how one of the world’s most disciplined retailers approaches the “highfalutin” world of media. While many retail media networks focus strictly on ad profit, Williamson argues for a hierarchy where merchandise sales velocity and member loyalty sit at the very top. If an ad doesn’t help move a pallet of Uncrustables or reinforce the value of a membership card, it doesn’t belong in the warehouse.
The session moves from the “why” to the “how,” detailing the massive, “unsexy” backend work Costco has undertaken over the last year. From architecting a private data cloud to managing identity and consent at scale, Williamson explains why a robust data foundation is the only way to move past “black box” solutions and truly leverage first-party insights. He introduces the three pillars of Costco’s activation strategy — On-Site, Off-Site, and “In Real Life” (IRL) — showing how signals from a fuel pump or a warehouse digital screen flow back into a unified ecosystem to create a seamless member journey.
Expect a witty, insightful, and practical look at what it means to be “ready for today and ready for whatever comes down the pipe.” Whether it’s launching a new internal ad server or piloting innovative fuel station ads, this session is a masterclass in building a retail media platform that puts the merchant — and the member — first.
Speakers: Mark Williamson – Head of Retail Media, Costco