Retail Media in Japan Isn’t Emerging, It’s Evolving

Retail media in Japan isn’t just catching up. It’s charting its own path. DRMC 2025, co-hosted by Rokt alongside strategic partners Rakuten and Mercari, signaled a pivotal shift in how the market views relevance, first-party data, and customer experience at scale.

Nearly 300 advertisers, agency leaders, and digital commerce strategists gathered in Tokyo and online to exchange insights, explore new frontiers in digital advertising, and unlock new value in retail media.

Real-time relevance is the new standard

Amid ongoing concerns around ad fatigue, brand safety, and signal loss, retail media continues to emerge as a clear, data-powered alternative. Advertisers emphasized that relevance and access to first-party data are becoming key differentiators in their strategies. 

Consumers responded more positively to native ads that appeared within ecommerce platforms, and the Transaction Moment, when a customer is most engaged, stood out as a uniquely valuable touchpoint. Retail media isn’t just solving for visibility. It’s delivering measurable performance.

Japan’s retail media model emphasizes partnership over platform

DRMC stood out not just because of what was said, but because of who came together to say it. Rakuten and Mercari aren’t just marketplaces, they’re ecosystems. When paired with Rokt, they demonstrate the power of activating real-time data in trusted environments.

Panel discussions highlighted how retail media is addressing some of digital advertising’s toughest challenges. Unlike open ad networks, ads placed within trusted ecommerce platforms reduce brand safety and fraud risks. First-party data enables more precise targeting, while consumers' “shopping mindset” makes them more receptive to relevant messages. 

Together, these factors reveal why retail media is emerging as a practical solution to brand safety concerns, declining targeting accuracy, and growing ad fatigue.

Community-building driving long-term growth

DRMC was an event packed with action. By bringing together Rokt, Rakuten, Mercari, and leading advertisers, the event sparked new opportunities for localized activations and set the stage for continued collaboration across Japan’s retail media ecosystem.

Japan’s retail media momentum is accelerating, and Rokt is helping drive it forward by making real-time relevance a shared standard.

Download Rokt’s Retail Media Research Report to dive deeper into the insights from DRMC 2025, and discover how real-time relevance at the Transaction Moment can drive measurable growth.