No one has a crystal ball, but luckily this week we’ve got retail media expert extraordinaire Edward “Ed” Hall to help us peer into the future of in-store digital media for 2026.
As 2025 winds to a close, TWIRM is setting aside our regular format discussing the week’s top retail media stories to unwrap the first of three special This Year in Retail Media podcasts. In each one, host Kate Dickson, Head of Marketing and Communications, Retail Media, STRATACACHE, will welcome an industry thought leader to take a look back at the top retail media trends of 2025 and to look ahead to predict where the industry is headed in 2026.
For Kate’s first (Christmas) spirited chat, she welcomes industry veteran Edward “Ed” Hall, Client Director for PRN, to discuss how loyalty data has transformed the U.K. grocery sector in 2025, why in-store digital media is most definitely not DOOH, and how grocery retailers must become more transparent with brands and suppliers in 2026.
“For retailers to see growth, they will have to give brands really rich data points and insights to educate them for their future strategies and future campaigns,” Ed predicts. “Once they do that, they’ll see a lot of repeat purchases, a lot of repeat marketing and campaign activations.”
Lastly, Ed shares his 2026 retail media resolutions and reveals his favorite festive treat to nibble on while shopping for Boxing Day sales.
Click here to hear Kate and Ed peer into retail media’s 2026 crystal ball.
