IAB Releases Retail Media Measurement Standards V2 — With a Deadline for Compliance

The retail media measurement landscape just got its most significant standards update since the original guidelines were published. IAB Europe released Commerce Media Measurement Standards V2 in September 2025, with a public comment period running through November 2025 and a compliance transition deadline of July 2026.

What's New in V2

The updated standards go well beyond cosmetic revisions:

Expanded scope. V2 moves beyond traditional retail media to cover quick commerce — the rapid-delivery grocery and convenience sector dominated by players like Gopuff, Getir, and Instacart's express delivery tiers. This reflects the reality that commerce media now extends far beyond traditional e-commerce.

Refined measurement funnel. The standards introduce a more granular measurement framework that maps metrics to specific stages of the purchase funnel, rather than treating all commerce media performance as a single "ROAS" number.

Gross vs. net sales definitions. V2 provides specific, standardized definitions for gross and net sales reporting — addressing one of the most persistent sources of confusion when comparing performance across retail media networks.

Incrementality Guidelines

Perhaps the most consequential addition is the release of separate Guidelines for Incremental Measurement in Commerce Media. Developed jointly by IAB and IAB Europe, these guidelines outline four key methodologies:

This is significant because incrementality has been retail media's biggest blind spot. Retailers report ROAS figures that often include purchases that would have happened anyway — a shopper who searched for "laundry detergent," saw a sponsored product ad, and bought the same brand they always buy. Without incrementality testing, those platform-reported metrics are substantially inflated.

In-Store Media Measurement

In December 2025, IAB followed up with A Viable Framework for Maturing In-Store Media Measurement, addressing rapidly advancing in-store formats including QR-enabled screens, digital endcaps, smart displays, and in-store audio.

This framework tackles one of retail media's fastest-growing but least-measured segments. In-store media spend is growing rapidly, but measurement has lagged because the environment is fundamentally different from digital — no clicks, no cookies, no pixel fires.

The Compliance Timeline

Retailers and ad tech partners have a six-month grace period during which they may comply with either V1 or V2 of the standards. The transition window closes at the end of July 2026, after which V2 compliance becomes the expectation.

For advertisers, the immediate action is to understand how your retail media partners' reporting will change under V2, and to start pushing for incrementality testing on your largest RMN investments if you aren't already.