The events that disrupted our industry in 2020 have made it even more important for brand marketers to understand the increasingly critical role that Retail Media Networks play in both the traditional retailer-manufacturer collaboration model and the overall ecosystem of e-commerce and digital media. The unexpected shift to online shopping experienced last year is driving retailers to dedicate more resources to building up their capabilities — and convincing brand partners to shift the marketing spend accordingly. So, how can brands effectively navigate the complex, dynamic and increasingly crowded landscape for retail media? Reid Greenberg, EVP for Kantar's Global Digital & E-commerce Practice, will kick off the Forum by outlining the current landscape and examining how leading brands are evaluating, integrating and connecting retail media into their overall marketing plans to drive maximum impact.
The future of commerce is digital. The power of the digital shelf has been tested, and players across the Retail Media ecosystem understand that if they are going to succeed, they need to work together. Retailers are leading the charge when it comes to this innovate new medium. How do retailers plan to leverage their unique first party data? How do omni-channel retailers plan to leverage their offline footprint? How are they adapting to reflect the changing desires of brand advertiser?
Sherry Smith, Criteo’s Managing Director of Retail Media and David Peterson of Roundel will take the virtual stage to discuss the next era in Retail Media and how building connecting across brands and partners is a plan for the future.
Given the rapid shift to eCommerce seen in 2020, it has become more critical than ever for brands to think differently about their Retail Media strategies and investments. With consumers shifting their shopping behaviors toward various fulfillment models, including last mile delivery options such as Instacart and Shipt, curbside pickup, and traditional .com shipments, competition is heating up on the the digital shelf. With the launch of three big Advertising Platform APIs in 2020, Walmart, Instacart, and Criteo, and the recent opening of Walmart Pickup and Delivery ad inventory, brands now have more direct access to the eCommerce shopper than ever before.
Mindy Fashaw, COO of Pacvue, and Karen Saterlie, eCommerce Manager of Henkel will cover the various Retailer Media platforms to help brands map out where each platform fits into their Retail Media strategy, working together to achieve their 2021 business objectives.
The evolution of retail media networks can be distilled into three phases:
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Phase 1 - The Ad Network: Retailers monetized their audiences through advertising networks, with third-party tech and service providers at the forefront.
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Phase 2 - The Retail Media Network: Retailers develop stand-alone media networks, pushing tech and service providers into the background and leading their own strategies. We're currently in this phase.
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Phase 3 - The Rise of the Retail Marketing Network: Retailers create marketing platforms inclusive of all consumer touch points, with integrated features across them — including unified segmentation, aggregated attribution and automated cross-channel optimization, etc. This is the future
In a fast-paced interview with the Institute's Peter Breen, Inmar Intelligence's Spencer Baird will examine the rise of these new platforms. He'll help define what a retail marketing network is, discuss the types of new and exciting marketing programs it can support, and present real-world examples of cross-channel executions and their performance.
To date, most of the industry discussion about retail media has focused on who has the best targeting and closed-loop measurement capabilities or the most innovative audience extension partnerships. But as the major retail media networks continue to gain scale and command more dollars from brands, another important set of questions is starting to emerge surrounding what role retail media should play in the broader omni-channel shopper marketing mix: How does it perform relative to the other digital and in-store tools in my toolbox? How much budget should be allocated and how should it be funded? What are the risks if investment levels don't meet the retailer's initial JBP ask?
During this session, Ethan Goodman, SVP of Commerce Media at the Mars Agency, will facilitate a panel discussion to unpack these important topics and discuss how top brands and retailers are approaching them.
Ultimately, the success of any retail media network will be determined by how successfully it attracts shoppers and drives purchase. To that end, leading retailers continue to build and refine the various shopper-facing tools they have in their arsenals as a way of strengthening engagement with existing and potential shoppers. But which of these tools are really resonating with the target audience? Using its proprietary research capabilities, the Path to Purchase Institute surveyed 1,000 consumers to understand how they’re currently interacting with retailer websites and corresponding off-site media opportunities to determine the impact these tools are having on shopping behavior and purchase decisions.
