Paint Brands Fuel Record-Breaking Summer Spike in Home Improvement Retail Media

Retail media for Home improvement has historically peaked in the spring season, but this summer saw an unusual spike in category impressions. According to Sensor Tower's data, July category impressions jumped +110% YoY to a record high of 1.1B. Paint brands were behind this unique summer spike, with Behr, HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams, Valspar, and Rust-Oleum leading the charge.

The same paint brands also illustrate how product distribution and primary retail partnerships shape where Home Improvement brands advertise. For example, Ryobi, Makita, and Kobalt concentrated their activity with a single retailer, while Behr, Valspar, and Sherwin-Williams focused on Amazon and a primary home improvement retailer.

Amazon ranked as the top Home Improvement RMN in 2026 YTD, with 1.5B impressions, relying heavily on OnSite Display. The Home Depot and Lowe's had similar channel strategies, with Facebook accounting for more than half of their impressions.