SPINS acquires MikMak to connect online ads with in-store sales
This merger gives brands sharper tools to track shopper behavior from social ads to store shelves
Retail media and CPG marketing are going through another shakeup. SPINS, a US-based analytics provider known for its deep datasets in natural and wellness categories, has acquired commerce intelligence startup MikMak.
With the merger, SPINS aims to bridge a persistent data gap that plagues most retail marketers: how to track and optimize the full path from online ad exposure to in-store purchase. We unpack what each company brings to the table and how marketers can take advantage of the combined stack.
Short on time?
Here’s a table of contents for quick access:
- What happened: SPINS acquires MikMak
- Why this matters for CPG and retail marketers
- How marketers can use the new SPINS-MikMak stack
What happened: SPINS acquires MikMak
On January 14, SPINS announced its acquisition of MikMak, a platform that helps brands manage and measure omnichannel ad campaigns. While financial terms weren’t disclosed, the deal marks SPINS' deeper push into digital adtech and media delivery.
SPINS is best known for its retail and shopper data, especially in wellness and natural products. MikMak, meanwhile, has helped large CPG brands like Nestlé and Unilever measure click-to-cart performance across platforms like Amazon, Instacart, and Walmart.
The two firms had originally discussed a partnership, but soon saw more value in merging their capabilities. According to both companies' CEOs, the goal is to help brands optimize where and how they spend across the increasingly complex shopper journey—from social media impressions to product trial on physical shelves .
This also arrives on the eve of MikMak 4.0, a newly upgraded platform that promises broader orchestration capabilities and deeper integration across brand tech stacks.
Patrecia Meliana
Why this matters for CPG and retail marketers
The combined offering gives marketers something that’s been hard to get: connected insights across digital campaigns and in-store activity.
MikMak’s strength has been in helping brands understand the ROI of social and programmatic ads by linking them to online conversion behavior. SPINS brings in-store data to the equation—like shelf availability, purchase behavior, and regional sales lift.
What’s been missing for most marketers is the glue between those two domains. This acquisition is a step toward solving that problem, especially in a landscape where:
- AI tools (like agentic commerce) are changing how consumers discover and buy
- Marketers are being asked to show performance lift across the funnel—not just clicks
- Retailers and brands are blurring traditional media, trade, and ecommerce roles
The merger also sets SPINS up as a more direct alternative to measurement incumbents like Circana (formerly IRI + NCSolutions), with a full-funnel pitch that includes activation, attribution, and analytics.
How marketers can use the new SPINS-MikMak stack
Here’s how CPG and retail marketers can make the most of this new integration:
1. Connect media buys to offline sales
With SPINS data, marketers using MikMak will gain visibility into whether their digital campaigns are driving store visits or shelf-level sales. This is especially useful for brands sold in regional retailers or wellness chains where national sales data is limited.
2. Optimize spend across platforms
MikMak already helps brands route shoppers to the best retailer based on price, availability, or user location. Now, with SPINS’ data, those decisions can also reflect in-store performance, helping reallocate spend toward the most effective combinations.
3. Support cross-functional marketing teams
The lines between media, trade, and shopper marketing are disappearing. Retailers like Walmart are engaging both sales and marketing teams directly. The new SPINS-MikMak platform could support more holistic planning and reporting across these functions.
4. Anticipate new roles for AI agents
SPINS flagged the rise of “agentic commerce”—AI agents that guide consumers through product discovery and purchase—as another trigger for this move. Marketers should prepare for emerging surfaces and decision flows where traditional tracking breaks down.
Final take: a welcome upgrade for campaign measurement
This merger won’t fix every blind spot in retail media, but it offers marketers a better toolkit to navigate today’s fragmented buyer journey.
Brands no longer have the luxury of planning digital and in-store in silos. As marketers face pressure to prove efficiency and drive conversion across multiple surfaces, data-rich integrations like SPINS + MikMak can offer the edge—especially in wellness, beauty, and fast-moving categories.
If SPINS can maintain its data quality while scaling MikMak’s tools, this could become a valuable partner stack for modern commerce teams.
