What: Macy’s aims to launch a self-service marketplace in H2 2022.

Why it is important: Retail Media is the rage in the US, and while it was initially a low-end, bigger size and more grocery oriented kind of retailer which was launching this kind of initiative, Macy’s is the second high-end department store company in the US to venture in such an initiative, after Nordstrom which announced it earlier this month.

Macy’s, which unveiled its “own your style” customer-facing brand platform recently, is launching a retail media initiative and plans to launch a self-service marketplace in 2022, out of the existing Macy’s Media Network platform.

Macy’s Media Network was released in 2020 and generated in 2021 a net revenue of $105m. Advertisers count grew 2.8 times year on year in Q4 2021. According to the retailer, the most popular tools among advertisers are on-site, sponsored and display ads. Macy’s also proposes modular campaign landing pages with basic templates, style guides and shop the look initiatives, and fully customized packages for larger brands. Macy’s also leverages programmatic display, video-connected TV, online video, email advertising, instore screens, package inserts and the NYC Herald Square billboard.

Going beyond, Macy’s is working out on building a toolkit with automated features proposed to advertisers who can build themselves a set suiting their own needs.

The media group represents a team of 40 headcount, 90% of them coming from outside of the company.

Inside Macy’s plan to scale its retail media business