TWIRM at NRF: Dispatches from the Show Floor

What are the key issues shaping retail media? What do attendees of NRF think will be the major influences across retail at large and how do they see the untapped potential of the in-store space as a marketing channel? This week, before regular episodes resume, host Kate Dickson, Head of Marketing and Communications, Retail Media, STRATACACHE, hears from the team working at, as well as visitors coming onto, the STRATACACHE booth at NRF in New York.

AI and its role in creating better retail experiences for shoppers arose as a key topic for many of the attendees.“It is really interesting to see how everyone is taking such a broad subject and tailoring to themselves and personalizing to who their consumer really is” notes Joy Navarro, marketer at Phia. Retail Media FC’s Herik Mourao also recognised the influence of AI across the retail event: “We are hearing a lot about AI and technology as usual but we don’t hear so much about the human part of the business… at the end of the day we are all human.”

Retail Media, perhaps unsurprisingly given the focus of the STRATACACHE booth, was also a key topic on the minds of those that Kate spoke to: “There is a huge imbalance in budgets flowing to ecommerce rather than in-store… people are here to understand, learn and figure out how to go beyond the theory regarding in-store and scale their retail media business,” says Herik. “Everyone is talking about measurement,” says Jai Mei Lin of MG New York. “Of course impression is important, but when it comes to the ads on retail sites or in store displays, you are looking at the entire user journey with its emphasis on user acquisition and retention.” Ben Reynolds of Walkbase sums up the needs of operating a successful in-store retail media network as follows: “In order to do retail media you need to do it reliably, on time and effectively.”

Listen to Kate and her guests on the show floor here.

The next What’s in Store for Retail Media Networks will take also place during EuroShop in Düsseldorf on Monday, February 23. Tickets are now available.