Well, to be specific, let’s talk retail media. It’s having a moment and not just in your local supermarket. From food delivery apps to hotel check-ins and your Uber home, the once humble ad space is now popping up in all sorts of places. It’s clever, it’s personal, and yes, it’s powered by data, dahling.
But here’s the twist. All that jazzy media real estate is only as powerful as the customer insights fuelling it. We’re talking first-party data, the kind that doesn’t just guess what Janet might fancy for dinner, but knows she’s been stalking pork pie and oat milk for three days straight.
The in-store experience.
If you’re a brand, you’re probably already leaning heavily on the transactional touchpoints owned by retailers. These guys are sitting on goldmines of data and smart brands are waking up to the fact that if you want to show up meaningfully in someone’s purchase journey, you’d better be bezzy mates with them.
But don’t go berserk with all this new found data. Just because you can serve an ad doesn’t mean you should. You’ve got to hit the tour points (read: touchpoints, but done well). Relevance, context, value, get those right and you’re not interrupting, you’re enhancing.
Pick your shopping partners wisely.
Not all retail media networks are created equal. Go beyond reach and rates. Ask who actually understands your audience and are able to turn insight into impact. And for the love of KPIs, stay customer-centric. No one wants a “conversation” with their toothpaste and no one ever thanked a brand for blasting them with banner ads mid-shop.
And yes, the industry's already whispering it, retail media won’t be “retail” media for much longer. It'll just be media. As the lines blur, those who listen to their customers, test fearlessly, and build on what works will win.
Everyone else? Well, enjoy shouting into the void.
Don’t leave anything in your basket.
Test. Learn. Repeat.
Let data lead, but keep your customer in the front seat.
And never forget, in this game, empathy converts better than ego.
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