New Data Shows Traditional Advertising Still Most Effective for Retail Brands

Apr. 29, 2026

Traditional, offline advertising still offers retail brands the highest ROI, according to new data from econometrics agency Independent Marketing Sciences (IMS).

Data analysed from over 270 IMS campaigns utilising 24 different advertising channels over the last decade shows that the ROI of traditional channels - including media advertising (ROI of 9.6x), partnerships (8.9x), events (6.1x), radio (6x) and TV (5.9x) all outperform certain digital channels, including paid social (5.7x), shopping PPC (5.1x) and SEO (1.6x).

The top ten advertising channels for retail brands by ROI are:

• Magazine and newspaper advertising (9.6x)
• Partnerships (8.9x)
• Retargeting (7.3x)
• Events (6.1x)
• Radio (6x)
• Digital audio (6x)
• TV (5.9x)
• Generic PPC (5.9x)
• Video on Demand (5.8x)
• Brand PPC (5.8x)

IMS’ data comes as the average monthly wastage for UK department store advertising budgets reached £171,859 in Q1 26, according to research by ClickThrough Marketing – as major retailers continue to significantly invest in ineffective marketing.

Alex Vass, founder and CEO at IMS said:

"Many retail brands – and, in particular, the venture capitalists and private equity funds that own these brands – instinctively flock to digital, and accept the ROI data that digital platforms promise as gospel. But very often, digital platforms overclaim their impact on sales and omit to mention the role of other marketing platforms in the driving conversions․"

 

IMS uses econometric modelling to quantify the relationship between various factors such as seasonality, product promotions, and economic trends, in order to calculate the effectiveness of different marketing channels for specific brands.