⚡ THE ESSENTIALS IN 20 SECONDS
- Share of voice (SOV) is the percentage of visibility your brand holds against competitors in a given space, such as the results page for a key search.
- On marketplaces it is usually measured by key searches: how many spots on the page your brand holds, paid and organic.
- A weighted SOV gives more value to top positions, which is closer to what shoppers actually see.
- Use it alongside sales and market share: SOV below your market share for several months is an early warning.
IN THIS ARTICLE
When an executive asks “how are we doing against the competition?”, sales alone do not answer. You can grow 10% and still lose ground if your category grew 30%. That is what share of voice is for: measuring how much space you hold versus your competitors.
Share of voice (SOV): the share of visibility a brand holds in a defined space (a search results page, a category or a media channel) compared with competitors. In retail media it usually combines paid and organic positions on key searches.
Why it matters
Shoppers can only buy what they see. If competitors occupy most of the first page for your category’s key searches, they will win most of the sales, even if your product is better. SOV makes that visible before it shows up in sales.
How it is measured on marketplaces
- Choose 10 to 30 key searches in your category (brand, generic and competitor terms).
- For each search, record the top results on the page (for example, the first 20 spots), separating ads and organic results.
- Assign each spot to a brand.
- Calculate the share of spots each brand holds.
- Optional: weight by position, because spot one is worth more than spot twenty.
- Repeat at the same frequency, on the same day and from the same delivery location.
| Brand (fictional) | Paid spots | Organic spots | Total of 20 | SOV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your brand | 2 | 3 | 5 | 25% |
| Competitor A | 3 | 4 | 7 | 35% |
| Competitor B | 1 | 2 | 3 | 15% |
| Other brands | 1 | 4 | 5 | 25% |
Weighted SOV: if you give more weight to top spots (for example, 3 points for the top 4, 2 points for spots 5 to 10 and 1 point for the rest), the result is closer to the visibility shoppers actually perceive.
Paid vs. organic SOV
| Paid SOV | Organic SOV | |
|---|---|---|
| What it reflects | Your ad investment and competitiveness | Relevance, sales history and content |
| How fast it moves | Fast (days) | Slow (weeks or months) |
| Main levers | Bids, budget, placements | Content, reviews, price, availability |
| Risk | Paying for visibility you would have organically | Losing it if sales or content slip |
Read both together: high paid SOV with low organic SOV means you depend on ads; the opposite may mean you are under-investing or over-investing where you already rank (see impression share).
SOV vs. other metrics
| Metric | What it measures | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| Share of voice | Space you hold on the page versus competitors | Search monitoring (manual or tools) |
| Share of search | Presence in search results, sometimes used as a synonym of SOV | Digital shelf tools |
| Impression share | Share of impressions your ads win | Amazon Ads console |
| Market share | Share of category sales | Sales or market data |
For tool-based measurement, see share of search with Profitero.
How to use share of voice
- Spot searches where competitors are pulling ahead before sales drop.
- Decide where to raise or lower investment by search and by retailer.
- Measure the effect of launches, promotions and content changes.
- Report competitive position to leadership in a simple way.
SOV on Walmart and Mercado Libre
The logic is the same on any marketplace: pick key searches and measure how much of the page you hold. What counts as a “spot” changes: on Walmart, sponsored search ads and organic results; on Mercado Libre, catalog listings and Product Ads. Measure each marketplace separately and never mix results.
How often to measure it
- Weekly: for your 10 most important searches.
- Monthly: for the full category picture.
- Before and after events: peak seasons, launches or spend changes.
Include it in your weekly digital shelf KPIs so the team sees it next to sales and inventory.
Common mistakes
- Measuring too few searches, or only your brand terms.
- Changing the search list every month, so trends cannot be compared.
- Mixing paid and organic without being able to separate them.
- Reading SOV without sales or market share next to it.
A typical case (fictional)
A coffee brand saw stable sales but tracked SOV on 20 key searches. It noticed that a new competitor had gone from 5% to 20% of the first page in two months, mostly with ads. The brand protected its top generic searches, improved content on two products and recovered visibility before its sales were affected.
SOV is an early warning system: it shows competitive shifts before they reach your P&L.
Agency secrets about share of voice
What I use with large accounts:
The top 4 spots get most clicks; weight them more than the rest.
Keep the same searches for at least a quarter so trends are real.
SOV without sales context leads to vanity decisions.
Share of voice tells you whether you are winning the shelf. Sales tell you whether that shelf is paying off. You need both.
I’m Alonso Jiménez, a Retail Media account director. I manage campaigns on Amazon, Walmart, Target, Instacart and Mercado Libre every day, for brands in the US, Mexico and Latin America.
Frequently asked questions
What is share of voice in retail media?
The percentage of visibility your brand holds against competitors on key searches, combining paid and organic positions.
How do I calculate share of voice?
Choose key searches, record the top spots on each results page, assign them to brands and calculate each brand’s share, optionally weighted by position.
Is share of voice the same as impression share?
No: impression share only covers your ads; SOV covers the whole page versus competitors.
How often should I measure SOV?
Weekly for key searches and monthly for the full category.