Retail Media Networks (RMNs) don’t grow in a straight line.

In this video, I break down the predictable stages of growth that every Retail Media Network goes through — from early launch momentum to scaled, complex operations — and, more importantly, the challenges and traps that tend to appear at each stage.

My focus here is on Retail Media Networks because they’re the fastest-growing part of our industry right now. But if you’re working at any publisher or platform experiencing rapid growth, you’ll recognize many of these same patterns.

I’ve seen these stages play out repeatedly across publishers, platforms, and monetization teams. The specifics change, but the underlying dynamics don’t.

In this video, we cover:

• The core stages of RMN growth

• Why early success often creates future bottlenecks

• The operational and pricing challenges that emerge as scale increases

• Where teams most often get stuck — and why

• How to think ahead so today’s wins don’t become tomorrow’s problems

This is a framework video — not a set of tactics. The goal is to help you recognize where you are now, and what problems you should expect next, before they catch you by surprise.