In a move that underscores how quickly measurement expectations are rising across retail media, Ibotta has teamed up with ABCS Insights to give CPG brands independent proof of what their promotional dollars are actually doing. And according to the first batch of studies, the answer is clear: Ibotta’s promotions are driving above-benchmark sales lift, outperforming many other digital media and promotional tactics across categories like salty snacks, pet food, and carbonated beverages.
For CPG brands juggling shrinking margins, rising competition, and pressure to show incremental growth—not just impressions—this type of verified performance data is becoming non-negotiable.
The Measurement Gap CPG Brands Are Racing to Close
Digital promotions have exploded across retail media networks, but consistent, third-party validation hasn’t kept pace. Advertisers want real-world incrementality data, not modeled lift or recycled dashboards.
This partnership aims to solve exactly that.
ABCS Insights is known for its conservative, rigorous approach to ad effectiveness—emphasizing statistically defensible results, not optimistic modeling. Pair that with Ibotta’s growing promotions network and you get something rare in the crowded retail media ecosystem: unbiased, transparent measurement for digital promotions at scale.
Clients can tap into ABCS Sales Effect studies immediately for any Ibotta campaign, adding a new layer of confidence to their promotional spend.
Ibotta’s Pitch: Bigger Reach, Better Proof
Ibotta’s performance marketing platform doesn’t rely on guesswork. Its network reaches an estimated 200 million U.S. consumers through its flagship cashback app and publisher partners—including some of the nation’s largest retailers and marketplaces.
But the bigger selling point is measurement.
The company recently rolled out LiveLift™, a solution for real-time incremental sales insights during campaigns. By layering ABCS’s third-party validation on top, Ibotta is positioning itself as one of the few promotion platforms offering both in-flight visibility and post-campaign proof.
“Our partnership with ABCS Insights provides our CPG partners with a new way to confirm the value of their Ibotta promotional campaigns,” said Bryan Leach, CEO and founder of Ibotta. “Initial ABCS studies confirm that Ibotta drove a high level of incremental sales for our clients.”
The message to brands? It’s safe to shift more budget toward digital promotions—because now, the results are harder to dispute.
ABCS Insights: Conservative, Independent, and Clarity-Obsessed
ABCS Insights takes pride in not being easily impressed. The firm’s methodology is intentionally conservative, prioritizing measurable, defensible incrementality—something many retail media operators claim in theory but rarely prove in practice.
“Our partnership with Ibotta unites our conservative approach to ad effectiveness with Ibotta’s digital promotions network to deliver unbiased, actionable performance insights,” said Jerome Shimizu, Co-Founder and CEO of ABCS Insights.
This is where the partnership becomes interesting: ABCS’s strict measurement guardrails combined with Ibotta’s massive consumer reach create a clearer picture of promotional ROI than brands typically receive from retailer-owned media networks.
As CPG advertisers struggle to allocate budgets across promotions, trade spend, and retail media, clarity isn’t just helpful—it’s a competitive advantage.
Why This Matters for Retail Media’s Next Era
The retail media market is shifting from a growth land grab to a measurement arms race. CPG brands want:
- proof of incrementality
- standardized methodologies
- neutral third-party validation
- performance clarity across channels
Ibotta and ABCS are betting that transparency—not just targeting—will define the next phase of digital promotions.
With pressure mounting for every CPG dollar to show meaningful, incremental returns, partnerships like this one may soon move from “nice to have” to “table stakes.”
