Retail Media Networks (RMNs) are no longer just a buzzword — they’re a battleground. And at the What’s In Store for Retail Media Networks event in London, Chris Riegel, CEO of STRATACACHE, delivered a powerful keynote that set the tone for the day: 2025 is about raising the bar for in-store retail media.
Having spent over 25 years driving innovation in the space, Riegel wasted no time getting to the heart of the matter: retail media is evolving rapidly, and the in-store opportunity is now the most exciting and the most strategically critical component.
In-store media is entering a “Winner takes most” phase, according to Riegel. While no single retailer will dominate an entire sector, first-movers are already leveraging RMN profitability to gain disproportionate market share. As Riegel highlighted, “retail businesses are adding these large-scale media businesses because they have to in order to remain competitive.”
He cited a striking example from Walmart: retail media accounts for less than 2% of revenue but contributes nearly 24% of profit. That’s not just strategic, it’s transformative.
Riegel broke down the RMN landscape into five sectors, focusing on three where growth is accelerating:
While online and mobile are plateauing at 1% growth, these in-store channels are seeing a robust 30% growth trajectory through 2029.
So why is such a small fraction of ad spend (0.02%) focused in-store when 93% of purchases still happen there? That’s the paradox Riegel wants the industry to confront.
Riegel positioned in-store retail media as vital for new product discovery, customer experience, and conversion. Data from the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) backs this up:
It’s not just shopper marketing — it’s full-funnel impact.
Riegel left the audience with three critical strategies for success:
Borrowing tactics from an unnamed major German retailer, Riegel introduced the idea of guaranteed conversion performance. If the RMN doesn’t hit the agreed-upon lift — say 3.5% — the advertiser doesn’t pay. These action-based models are transforming how value is measured and de-risking the spend for brands.
Shopper loyalty programs and in-store sensors are enabling “Identity and behavioral graphs.” This allows for precise retargeting across both in-store and CTV environments. Imagine knowing when a customer’s laundry detergent is running low and targeting them days before they return to the aisle. That’s real-world predictive analytics in action.
Building RMNs is expensive and often stuck in budget limbo. Riegel described how STRATACACHE has enabled large British retailers to launch networks by leveraging ad revenue to finance infrastructure — making scale possible without internal capital.
Riegel’s call to action was clear: Retailers must elevate their in-store media strategies. That means building trust with brands, investing in attribution, and connecting in-store moments with wider digital experiences like CTV. Most importantly, retailers shouldn’t go it alone — because, as Riegel put it, “If you have the audience, the capital is there to make it successful.”
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