Advances in artificial intelligence search, particularly in partnerships with third-party providers such as Open AI and Google, is getting a lot of attention today, and not without cause. That’s making it easy to overlook how technology and retail media is reaching consumers in more sophisticated ways, as at Sam’s Club.
The Walmart warehouse club operation stepped up the evolution of its Member Access Platform (MAP) to create what Sam’s Club calls the first “Retail Experience Network” by applying a model designed around how its customers actually shop. In operation, the network functions as a full-funnel media and marketing system that connects best-in-class on-site, in-club and offsite experiences, tying them directly to measurable business outcomes. Sam’s designed the new MAP model so that its retail media could enhance customer experiences, whether members are in a club, using the mobile app or discovering something new online.
The consumer-facing side of the MAP model is only one element of its operation. Sam’s determined it could present measurable results living up to supplier and advertiser expectations. Because every interaction is tied to a verified member identification, Sam’s MAP now can connect media exposure to sales across channels with more precision. As a result, the closed-loop view established allows the network to deliver more relevant interactions, smarter targeting and a clear understanding of incremental impact.
As it builds on what it accomplished last year, Sam’s is focused on enhancing experiences for members and advertisers in 2026, advancing measurement to provide true business impact and scaling both through technology and automation, the company noted. Sam’s now offers Expert Review Videos as a means of helping consumers weigh the potential value of a purchase on their own terms. The MAP integrates credible, expert-led video content directly into the shopping experience, Sam’s noted.
In one case, GhostBed, a mattress and bedding company known for its cooling technology and bed-in-a-box convenience, used Expert Review Videos to build trust and help Sam’s members evaluate a major purchase. By partnering with MAP on an Expert Review Video featuring a licensed physical therapist, GhostBed provided credible, informative content directly to the product detail page, Sam’s asserted. Combined with MAP media, the approach GhostBed took drove stronger consideration and delivered approximately four-times sales lift.
In adding tablets to a demo cart experience, Sam’s is working to take view reviews further by letting members rate and comment on items they sample in-club. Then, the reviews land on the product’s detail page, helping brands increase both the volume and quality of ratings, Sam’s maintained. Beyond the immediate interaction, the MAP capability translates into a measurement tool that allows advertisers to track how in-club demos influence sales over time, all directly tied to membership IDs.
In a step further, Sam’s is introducing a MAP Influencer Program to give brands access to its exclusive creator network. A vetted community of influencers, the program provides authentic, social-first content. By combining creator content with the MAP’s first-party deterministic data and closed-loop measurement, Sam’s can provide campaigns built-in credibility and strong purchase intent and, so, help turn inspiration into both in-club and online sales, the company indicated.
With all that, driving results within the Sam’s Club ecosystem is only part of the equation. Most brands operate across multiple retailers, and they need to understand total business impact. That’s why Sam’s MAP is introducing Rest of Market analysis. The platform can now measure how campaigns influence performance beyond Sam’s by leveraging the club membership model and deterministic IDs, powered by Circana and its robust multi-outlet loyalty card panel. MAP ROM, in providing visibility across the broader U.S, marketplace, enables advertisers to evaluate total incremental sales, iROAS and new buyer acquisition across retailers. Campaigns using MAP ROM show a median 17% lift in iROAS compared to measuring its club performance alone, Sam’s pointed out. Along with tools such as multi-touch attribution and lifetime value analysis, the member access platform is moving beyond single-campaign reporting to a more complete view of growth across channels over time.
The same principle extends to offsite media. Through MAP’s integration with Meta, brands can reach Sam’s members on Facebook and Instagram while still tying exposure back to verified transactions. What’s delivered isn’t isn’t probabilistic targeting, Sam’s insisted, it’s deterministic, powered by membership data and enabled through a LiveRamp clean room environment. Advertisers can extend their reach into everyday digital environments while maintaining full-funnel measurement and, so, connect media exposure directly to online and in-club sales.
As Sam’s advances its MAP strategy, application of AI will play a key role in enhancing targeting, optimizing performance and surfacing smarter insights, Sam’s stated. Over time, artificial intelligence will further streamline how campaigns are planned, activated and measured, reducing manual complexity and enabling more adaptive execution. Sam’s is building toward more intelligent, agent-driven systems that reduce friction, increase speed and translate insights into action, the company adds, delivering stronger outcomes for advertisers and better experiences for members.
According to Sam’s, retail media has entered a new phase defined by accountability, as advertisers are no longer satisfied with impressions alone. The MAP Retail Experience Network is built to meet expectations for clear, measurable growth. In connecting engaging experiences, closed-loop measurement and advanced technology, MAP becomes a fully integrated system designed to drive meaningful outcomes for both members and partners, Sam’s declared.
“Our role is to leverage more than 40 years of first-party deterministic membership data to create programs that deliver clear business outcomes for our advertisers, while also ensuring those experiences are engaging and valuable for our members,” said Harvey Ma, vice president and general manager, Sam’s Club Member Access Platform.”
