Dollar General expands advertiser access to shopper data
Dollar General is increasing the capabilities of its retail media network.
Initially launched in 2018, the Dollar General DGMN network offers participating CPG advertising partners access to real-time data, to help them serve its customer base across more than18,000 stores in 47 states.
DMGN is a proprietary, audience-centric solution, designed to offer advertisers transparency and deliver closed-loop one-to-one measurement, insights, and reporting that identifies both attribution and incrementality. Dollar General’s more than four million monthly active app users are also consistently engaging with current in-app platforms, playing a role in DGMN’s expanding audience-first media design.
Dollar General offers DGMN with strategic technology partners including independent demand-side platform The Trade Desk; Live Ramp for data collaboration including advanced data clean room capabilities; Google Ad Manager for onsite and in-app inventory management; and Goodway Group for digital media strategy, planning and buying.
The evolved media network now includes 21 new advertising partners, representing brands such as Unilever, General Mills, Hershey’s and Colgate-Palmolive. Unilever has been working with Dollar General’s media network since 2018.
Major retailers launch proprietary advertising networks
Dollar General is the latest in a growing number of retailers across a wide variety of verticals that are rolling out their own in-house targeted advertising networks. Ulta Beauty introduced UB Media in May 2022; and in March 2022, Nordstrom took its in-house media company, known as the Nordstrom Media Network, from pilot into full rollout.
In January 2022, Best Buy Ads, its new in-house media company designed to help its suppliers provide shoppers with targeted, timed promotional messages based on its customer relationships and insights. According to Best Buy, it interacts with its customers 3 billion times a year in-store and online.
Walmart recently rolled out a demand-side platform for suppliers and their media and ad agencies in time for the 2021 holiday season. Initially announced during the introduction of the Walmart Connect media platform in January 2021, the Walmart demand-side platform (DSP) is a collaborative effort with independent demand-side platform The Trade Desk.
Meanwhile, Target launched its Roundel ad network in 2019 as a tool for CPG brands to create personalized digital ad campaigns aimed at Target customers. Roundel helps advertisers connect directly with Target's customers through personalized, relevant marketing messages across Target's owned platforms and hundreds of select off-platform channels.
At least four other big-name national retailers have launched similar digital third-party ad networks in the past year: chief Dollar General rival Family Dollar, Walgreens, Kroger, and CVS.
“The next iteration of Dollar General’s retail media network, DGMN, is a significant evolution as we look to better serve our markets and customers, particularly those in rural areas, with the brands and products they desire,” said Charlene Charles, head of DG media network operations. “Typically, digital platforms focus their delivery on high volume efficiency plays, which naturally skew to more densely populated markets for optimization. DG’s first-party data addresses this gap, allowing brands to tap into our unduplicated, extensive and accelerating reach.”
“At Dollar General, we know our customers well, and we continue to identify ways in which we can best service our communities – not just through our brick-and-mortar stores, but also digitally,” continued Charles. “DGMN is providing digital solutions specifically tailored to our customers with a more convenient, frictionless and personalized shopping experience.”
Headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tenn., Dollar General Corp. operated 18,356 stores in 47 states as of April 29, 2022.