Members only, onsite to warehouse

Costco Retail Media Network: Ad Formats & Advertising Agency Support

Costco chose Moloco in March 2026 to power new onsite ads on Costco.com; RMIQ confirms your supplier access and eligible products before quoting a Costco plan.

Costco Retail Media is the official retail media network of Costco Wholesale. It sells to suppliers, brands and agencies: onsite ads on Costco.com, offsite media on Google Shopping, YouTube and other sites, and screens inside Costco warehouses. Its ad tech stack was named Costco Velocity in February 2026.

Book a demo Why the member ID matters

Paid card, known buyer

Membership is the targeting: why every Costco campaign starts from a member

Costco runs membership warehouses: the US fee is $65 a year, with a free household card. Moloco calls it "a highly trusted, membership-driven retail environment." That one fact shapes who a Costco campaign can reach, how its sale is counted and which products can carry it.

  1. One paid card behind every basket

    Every sale on a card

    Costco counted 84.1 million paid members and 150.4 million cardholders at the end of fiscal 2026. Costco Retail Media's documentation says "every transaction requires a Costco Membership card (in-warehouse) or a logged-in profile (Costco.com)," mapped at the household level.

  2. Costco.com and the warehouse register on one ID

    How a sale is counted

    Costco Retail Media's documentation describes a closed loop to "register rings and digital cart checkouts," with one ROAS for online and warehouse sales and a lookback of "typically 14 or 30 days." Costco's March 2026 article says Moloco's engine "connects directly with our identity resolution and audience building," so custom Costco audiences can be activated in an onsite campaign.

    • Costco's stated principle for the stack is "Incrementality over Attribution."

  3. Member segments built from purchases

    Who you can reach

    Executive members numbered 42.3 million in fiscal 2026 and accounted for 75.2% of worldwide net sales. Costco Retail Media's documentation lists Executive Members, Costco Business Members and "Kirkland Signature Affinity" shoppers among its audiences, beside past, lapsed and category buyers.

  4. A short shelf, and onsite ads that sell Costco items

    What can carry an ad

    Costco's 10-K describes "a limited selection of nationally-branded and private-label products." In 2024, Mark Williamson, now Costco's AVP of Retail Media, said the smaller shelf, which could limit how many brands advertise, was the "biggest constraint to our business today." Costco's onsite and Google Shopping units promote items it sells.

Five ways to reach members

Costco Velocity's three pillars: two onsite engines, Google offsite, screens in the warehouse

Costco says Velocity was built "to remove friction from media activation across onsite, offsite, and physical spaces." Onsite on the Costco RMN, Criteo runs Sponsored Products and Costco has chosen Moloco for new formats.

  • Sponsored Products

    • Where: Costco.com search, browse, product pages, homepage
    • Engine: Criteo

    Costco calls these "Criteo-enabled Sponsored Product Ad campaigns," and its March 2026 post tells grocery brands to "Leverage Sponsored Products via Criteo to win the digital shelf." Costco Retail Media's documentation prices them per click, in search grids and carousels and on product pages.

  • Reserved Display

    • Where: Costco.com homepage and search results
    • Engine: Moloco
    • Status: Planned for beta partners from Q2 2026

    Costco calls it its "first new onsite ad format built directly on the Costco Velocity stack." On March 18, 2026, Costco said it planned to launch it "with beta partners in Q2 and expand to all partners soon after," adding slots, formats and SSP and DSP buying through Q2 and Q3.

  • Performance Shopping Ads

    • Where: Google Shopping
    • Partner: Symbiosys, a DoorDash company

    On March 11, 2026, Costco announced these ads, built with Symbiosys and slated to launch that month with select beta partners, extending "the Costco shelf to the Google search results page." Ecommerce conversions were to be tracked in flight, with omnichannel sales signals "as a fast follow."

  • YouTube and Display and Video 360

    • Where: YouTube and third-party sites
    • Available: March 24, 2026, per Google

    Google wrote on March 24, 2026, that brands could, from that day, activate commerce audiences from Costco in Display and Video 360. Costco's May 13 article announced YouTube reach for "proprietary Costco audiences," conversion reporting at the SKU level and "zero additional setup required."

  • Costco TV Network and fuel pumps

    • Where: Inside warehouses, at the gas station

    Costco Retail Media puts the Costco TV Network at "90M+ monthly impressions." In December 2025, Costco's CFO said, "We also launched advertising on our gas pumps."

Costco also sells email campaigns reaching "over 20 million subscribers" and, since February 2026, MVM Amplification: media packages timed to a brand's MVM offer dates.

Members, renewals, warehouses, phones

92.3% renew in the US and Canada: the paid members behind Costco Retail Media

The Costco retail media network draws on these members and a growing online channel: digitally enabled sales were 11% of Costco's $297.2 billion in fiscal 2026 net sales, and digitally enabled comparable sales grew 21%.

  • 84.1M Paid members Worldwide at August 30, 2026, up from 81.0 million a year earlier.
  • 92.3% Renewal rate, US and Canada End of fiscal 2026; 89.8% worldwide.
  • 647 Warehouses in the US and Puerto Rico Of 939 worldwide, August 30, 2026.
  • 70% Members who start shopping on mobile Costco Retail Media LinkedIn post, 2026.

Growth Manager, Ad Manager, Inmar

Costco's own team, a Velocity Ad Manager seat, or the brand's agency

Costco says advertisers can "work with our team or manage campaigns directly through self-service tools." Its first Velocity article set the aim to "move beyond the constraints of walled gardens and mandated managed service."

  1. Costco Retail Media's Growth team

    Brands and agency partners reach Costco through a Growth Manager or the Costco Retail Media inbox. Costco Retail Media's documentation says it runs The Trade Desk buys as a managed service, on its own seat.

  2. Velocity Ad Manager

    Costco Retail Media's documentation calls Velocity Ad Manager its tool for programmatic buying, "powered by our partnership with Moloco," with Max Sales or Target ROAS goals. Seats come through a Costco Account Executive, "for internal brand teams, agency partners, or both."

  3. Agency of record or Inmar

    Costco's documentation says brands may "work directly with the Costco Velocity team or utilize their own agency of record," and names Inmar as an authorized partner for dedicated managed services.

Announced, planned, filed

Moloco on Costco.com, Costco audiences on YouTube: the year in Costco retail media news

Costco's media network announces products in its LinkedIn newsletter, The Buck Fifty.

  1. March 18 and 19, 2026

    Moloco chosen for Costco.com

    Costco announced the Moloco partnership, starting with Reserved Display; Moloco wrote that Costco "has selected Moloco Commerce Media to power onsite advertising across Costco.com."

  2. Q2 2026

    Reserved Display beta planned for Q2

    Costco's March 18 article set Reserved Display for beta partners in the second quarter and for all partners "soon after."

  3. May 13, 2026

    YouTube added through Google Commerce Media

    Costco announced its collaboration with Google Commerce Media for YouTube and third-party inventory.

  4. September 24 and October 7, 2026

    Fiscal 2026 results and 10-K

    Costco reported its fiscal 2026 results and filed its 10-K, which gives no retail media revenue figure.

What stalls a Costco brief

Two onsite engines, invitation-only tools, split contracts and SKU rules: the friction in a Costco Velocity year

  1. Supplier status decides the menu

    Costco's documentation ties its Costco.com and Google units to items it sells: video units need "a minimum of 1 active Costco SKU," and Performance Shopping Ads start on "online-only items in the Costco.com product catalog." Display creative needs Costco's approval, with "a minimum of 2 weeks" allowed.

  2. Criteo and Moloco in the same year

    Costco tells advertisers to run Reserved Display "alongside their Criteo-enabled Sponsored Product Ad campaigns to ensure optimal coverage." Its documentation says Velocity reporting "will run in parallel with legacy dashboards during the transition period."

  3. Self-service by invitation

    Costco's documentation says Performance Shopping Ads self-service is "available by invitation only," and that Velocity Ad Manager "is being built to support advanced methodologies like ghost bidding."

  4. Several partners, several contracts

    Performance Shopping Ads can be contracted with Costco Retail Media or with Symbiosys directly, and Yahoo DSP can run on the brand's own seat, per Costco's documentation.

Costco SKUs come first

Costco advertising agency support from RMIQ, starting with what Costco stocks

As a Costco advertising agency, RMIQ starts from your supplier access and the items Costco lets you advertise. Its Walmart guide groups Costco with Walmart Connect and Target Roundel among the "Mass Retailers" RMIQ supports.

Book a demo Read the grocery case

  • Supplier access and eligible items

    Before quoting, RMIQ confirms which of your items Costco carries online, in the warehouse or both, since, per Costco's documentation, Performance Shopping Ads start on online-only items and video units need an active Costco SKU.

  • Sponsored Products first, Reserved Display beside it

    Where your team has Sponsored Products access, RMIQ bids each Costco item and its keywords on their own, and adds Reserved Display to the same onsite budget once Costco opens it to your brand.

  • Max Sales or Target ROAS

    Where your brand holds a Velocity Ad Manager seat, RMIQ sets each campaign on Max Sales or Target ROAS and reads results against Costco's online and warehouse sales.

  • Managed buys and seat buys in one budget

    Costco's documentation keeps The Trade Desk buys with Costco's team and offers Ad Manager seats to agency partners; RMIQ plans both kinds of buy in one Costco budget.

A dairy brand, on Instacart

Grocery proof from another network: Darey Brands with RMIQ

No RMIQ case study covers Costco yet. RMIQ's closest published grocery work is for Darey Brands, a CPG dairy company, on Instacart: the kind of grocery brand Costco courts through its Grocery Growth team.

  • Darey Brands

    Dairy, sold on Instacart
    • Higher ROAS within 2 months: 75%
    • Attributed sales from Instacart ads: 2.5x
    • New-to-brand revenue: 2.7x

    "In the first 2 months Retail Media IQ more than doubled our revenue on our existing retail media ad spend," said Matt Gorella, Senior Brand Manager at Darey Brands.

    Read the Darey Brands story

Exact match to member searches

Costco.com Sponsored Products, matched exactly to what members search

On Costco.com, Criteo's per-click Sponsored Products fill In-Grid placements and Top Carousels by exact match to organic search.

  • If your Costco.com campaigns carry keywords, each gets a verdict: continue, adjust spend or stop.
  • How much of your portfolio needs action, read while Costco says Velocity will run in parallel with its legacy dashboards.
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Supplier status, members, mailer dates

Which Costco suppliers gain most from Costco Retail Media

Costco Retail Media suits brands that

  • Already sell items at Costco, online, in the warehouse or both.
  • Want sales counted on known members, with warehouse purchases included.
  • Run an MVM offer and want onsite and offsite media timed to its dates.

Waits and open questions

  • Reserved Display and more Moloco formats arriving in stages through 2026, as Costco planned in March.
  • Costco approval and lead time for display and warehouse screens.
  • Prices and terms set with Costco's team: its announcements send brands to a Growth Manager or the Costco Retail Media inbox.

Asked by suppliers and agencies

Costco advertising agency FAQ

What is Costco Velocity?

Costco Velocity is the ad tech stack behind Costco Retail Media, named on February 17, 2026. It has three pillars: onsite on Costco.com; offsite on Google Shopping, YouTube and other sites; and "In Real Life" media in warehouses. Costco calls it "an engine to move merchandise."

Does Costco use Moloco or Criteo for onsite ads?

Both are in Costco's 2026 plan. Sponsored Products on Costco.com are "Criteo-enabled." Costco chose Moloco in March 2026 for new onsite formats, starting with Reserved Display on the homepage and search results, planned for beta partners from Q2. Costco asks brands to run the two side by side.

Who can advertise with Costco Retail Media?

Costco Retail Media says it helps "suppliers, brands, and agencies reach the right members." The onsite and Google Shopping units it describes promote products Costco sells, so a brand's supplier status and its eligible items set what it can buy there. Costco has not said whether brands it does not stock can buy its media.

Does Costco count warehouse sales from its ads?

Costco Retail Media's documentation describes a closed loop to "register rings and digital cart checkouts" and one ROAS combining online and warehouse sales. Coverage differs by channel: Costco announced Performance Shopping Ads with ecommerce conversions first and omnichannel sales signals to follow.

Does Costco sell advertising off Costco.com?

Yes. Costco announced Performance Shopping Ads with Symbiosys in March 2026, slated for beta partners on Google Shopping. Google said in March 2026 that Costco audiences are available in Display and Video 360, and since May 2026 Costco has promoted them for YouTube and third-party sites.

Can an agency run Costco Retail Media campaigns?

Yes. Costco's documentation says brands can use "their own agency of record" and names Inmar as an authorized managed-service partner. RMIQ, a retail media agency, scopes a Costco plan from the brand's supplier access and the items Costco lets it advertise, since Costco's onsite and Google Shopping units promote Costco items.

Glossary and nearby networks

Words behind Costco's member measurement, and retailers to plan beside a Costco budget

Where Costco suppliers also sell

Filings, posts and press8 sources

Each source is listed with the date it was published; pages that show no date are marked with the date they were read.

  1. Costco Wholesale Corporation, Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 30, 2026, filed October 7, 2026; fourth quarter and fiscal 2026 results release, September 24, 2026
  2. Costco Q1 fiscal 2026 earnings call, December 11, 2025, transcript by The Motley Fool
  3. Costco Retail Media, The Buck Fifty newsletter by Mark Williamson: Meet Costco Velocity, February 17, 2026; Offsite Performance Ads, March 11, 2026; Onsite Reserved Display, March 18, 2026; YouTube and Display and Video 360, May 13, 2026
  4. Costco Retail Media LinkedIn page and posts of February 16, March 4 and March 18, 2026, read October 26, 2026
  5. Costco Retail Media documentation site: identity, measurement, audiences, Velocity Ad Manager, Sponsored Products, display and video, Performance Shopping Ads, offsite, in-warehouse, Inmar and Velocity pages, no date shown, read October 26, 2026
  6. Moloco, Costco chooses Moloco, March 19, 2026; Google, Commerce Media Suite, March 24, 2026
  7. Path to Purchase Institute, March 24, 2026; Marketing Brew, June 6, 2024
  8. RMIQ, Darey Brands case study, August 31, 2026; Walmart Connect ads guide, modified March 18, 2026; homepage and case studies listing, read October 25, 2026

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