Macy's in-house ad business grows to the wider web via The Trade Desk

Department store retailer Macy’s is making a big expansion in digital advertising through a new deal with an adtech heavyweight.

On Monday, Macy’s announced a new partnership with independent media buying platform The Trade Desk.

The partnership will allow advertisers to access shopper audiences from the Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s brands through the Macy’s Media Network, which is the department store chain’s in-house publisher.

It’s the first deal of its kind for Macy’s. Like many who are growing their retail media arms, the company is already putting customer data from loyalty programs to work for advertising on its own web properties. Through The Trade Desk, it is now making that data available to any advertiser, including brands whose products are sold at Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s.

Macy’s said it can provide access to 42.7 million active shoppers at Macy’s and 4.1 million at Bloomingdale’s. According to SimilarWeb, macys.com is the most-visited fashion and apparel site in the U.S. This will be combined with The Trade Desk’s reach to more than 100 million households, offering inventory across a range of surfaces including streaming TV.

“By working with The Trade Desk, we are empowering advertisers to optimize their media campaigns with a highly desirable and engaged audience set,” said Melanie Zimmermann, vice president of Macy’s Media Network in a statement. “We are excited to partner with the world’s leading advertisers to make their media matter.”

For The Trade Desk, Macy’s is the first apparel retailer to enter the company’s retail audience offering.

“Macy’s, Inc. is among the world’s renowned retailers with iconic brands like Macy's and Bloomingdale’s. And giving all advertisers the opportunity to layer on shopper and purchase insights from these retailers will help inform their media buys,” said Ben Sylvan, GM of Data Partnerships, The Trade Desk. “This partnership enables brands to buy tailored ads across the open internet, including connected TV, and drive efficiency to make the most of their advertising investments.”

It’s the latest sign that retailers are a fast-growing segment of the digital advertising ecosystem. As ecommerce grew, retailers activated advertising on their websites to add digital business lines of growth through retail media. Macy's was among them, and the department store in September launched a third-party marketplace in a bid to grow its assortment. It's a move out of the playbook of Amazon, which is the leader in retail media. More traffic and assortment means advertising grows more valuable.

But the Macy's opportunities to grow a retail media business don't end with its owned websites. Macy’s partnership with a top demand side platform shows how the first party data from purchases and loyalty programs that is used for onsite advertising can also be valuable to advertisers across the web, as well.