U.S. measured media ad spend 2022, by category

Measured media spending in the U.S. retail sector reached 49.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. The category recorded by far the highest investment in advertising that year, which includes spending on TV, magazines, newspapers, radio, outdoor, and digital advertising.

Advertising in the retail industry

Amazon was the leading retailer in the United States in terms of ad spend. The company spent over 13 billion dollars in ads in 2022. That year, other major retailers, such as Walmart and Macy’s, had an ad spend of 3.4 billion and 1.3 billion dollars, respectively. Overall, retailers increased their investments in advertising by 23.5 percent in 2022 compared to 2021.

Macy’s: One of America’s leading retail companies

Macy’s Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1858, with its headquarters in Ohio, United States. The company’s net sales worldwide amounted to close to 24.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. As of 2022, Macy's employed around 94.6 thousand people. However, the enterprise's employee peak was in 2012 when the company had roughly 176 thousand people working for them.