Unlocking Retail Media Insights: Understanding Amazon's AMC, Walmart's Scintilla, and Kroger's 84.51
By Shaun Brown
Retail media has evolved beyond traditional advertising, and data is at the heart of this transformation. Brands now have access to highly sophisticated data platforms that provide actionable insights, enabling them to optimize advertising and drive sales more effectively. Three major players leading this charge are Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC), Walmart’s Scintilla, and Kroger’s 84.51. Each of these platforms offers unique strengths and capabilities that brands must understand to maximize their impact.
What Are AMC, Scintilla, and 84.51?
Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC)
Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) is a powerful data analytics tool that allows advertisers to analyze campaign performance, shopper behaviors, and advertising effectiveness across Amazon’s vast ecosystem. AMC is a secure, privacy-safe, cloud-based data environment that enables brands to leverage Amazon's first-party data in a customizable manner.
Walmart’s Scintilla
Scintilla is Walmart’s proprietary data platform designed to give advertisers deep insights into customer behavior, purchasing trends, and ad performance within the Walmart ecosystem. It leverages Walmart’s extensive first-party data, including in-store and online transactions, to provide a unified view of shopper engagement.
Kroger’s 84.51
84.51 is Kroger’s data analytics and media arm, providing brands with powerful customer intelligence and insights. It integrates transactional data from Kroger’s extensive loyalty program with advanced analytics to deliver hyper-targeted marketing and measurement capabilities.
Key Strengths and Advantages
Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC)
Holistic Insights: AMC allows brands to analyze the entire customer journey across Amazon’s advertising and eCommerce ecosystem, including Sponsored Ads, DSP campaigns, and organic interactions.
Custom Querying & Reporting: Unlike standard reporting dashboards, AMC enables custom SQL queries, offering granular data segmentation.
Privacy-Safe Analytics: AMC provides aggregate insights while maintaining consumer privacy, allowing brands to analyze trends without personally identifiable information (PII).
Cross-Channel Attribution: Brands can track the impact of advertising across Amazon’s properties, including Prime Video, Twitch, and Fire TV.
Walmart’s Scintilla
Unified Omnichannel Data: Scintilla combines in-store and online shopper data, giving brands a complete view of consumer behavior across Walmart’s retail channels.
Retail Link Integration: Directly integrates with Walmart’s Retail Link, allowing brands to align ad spend with real-time inventory and sales performance.
AI-Powered Insights: Leverages AI and machine learning to predict consumer behavior and optimize media strategies.
Closed-Loop Measurement: Provides clear visibility into how digital advertising drives in-store and online sales.
Kroger’s 84.51
Loyalty Program Data: Uses Kroger’s massive loyalty program database, offering unparalleled insight into customer purchasing habits and preferences.
Personalized Targeting: Brands can deliver hyper-targeted ads and promotions based on detailed consumer profiles and purchase histories.
Advanced Analytics & Testing: Offers test-and-learn capabilities to measure ad effectiveness and optimize marketing strategies.
Retail Media Network Integration: Part of Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM), allowing brands to execute highly targeted campaigns within Kroger’s digital and physical store ecosystem.
How Should Brands Use These Platforms?
Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC)
Use AMC to gain deep insights into the performance of Sponsored Ads and DSP campaigns.
Leverage AMC’s data for audience segmentation and better targeting.
Run A/B testing and attribution modeling to understand how different touchpoints contribute to conversions.
Walmart’s Scintilla
Analyze in-store and online sales trends to optimize advertising spend.
Use Scintilla’s AI-driven insights to predict demand and adjust marketing strategies accordingly.
Leverage omnichannel data to create a seamless online-to-offline shopping experience.
Kroger’s 84.51
Tap into loyalty data to create highly personalized marketing campaigns.
Use 84.51’s test-and-learn tools to refine messaging and targeting strategies.
Align digital ad spend with in-store promotions to drive foot traffic and increase basket size.
Best Practices for Brands
Invest in Data Literacy: Each platform requires some level of data fluency. Brands should ensure their teams are trained to interpret insights and make data-driven decisions.
Leverage Custom Insights: Platforms like AMC allow for SQL-based queries. Brands should invest in resources that can extract and analyze custom insights beyond standard dashboards.
Use Omnichannel Strategies: Walmart’s Scintilla and Kroger’s 84.51 excel at merging in-store and online data. Brands should integrate these insights into their full-funnel marketing strategy.
Measure and Iterate: The ability to test, measure, and refine campaigns is crucial. Brands should continuously optimize their retail media strategies using performance data.
Ensure Data Privacy Compliance: With increasing scrutiny on consumer data usage, brands must adhere to platform-specific privacy policies and regulations.
Key Differences Between AMC, Scintilla, and 84.51
Final Thoughts
As retail media continues to evolve, understanding the nuances of Amazon’s AMC, Walmart’s Scintilla, and Kroger’s 84.51 is crucial for brands looking to optimize their marketing efforts. Each platform offers distinct advantages, from AMC’s deep advertising analytics to Scintilla’s omnichannel insights and 84.51’s loyalty-driven intelligence. By leveraging these tools strategically, brands can enhance targeting, maximize ROI, and drive meaningful customer engagement across retail media networks.