We have gathered a few key insights from the perspective of retail media for this blog post.
1. Retail media has now cemented its place at the center of Digital marketing
At DMEXCO, there was no need to specifically look for retail media exhibitors. The theme had its own dedicated hall. Besides the main program, there was a Retail Media Summit focused exclusively on the topic, which was packed with attendees.
Retail media is also significantly intertwined with other rapidly growing media formats, and new collaboration models are being announced continuously. Particularly prominent in this regard were Connected TV (CTV, or streaming services) and digital out-of-home advertising.
2. Pioneers in Retail media have leveraged their position
Retail media is no longer a distant golden future. However, it is clear that the companies that dared to seize the opportunity early shone the brightest at DMEXCO.
Doohlabs has been one of the first companies to develop solutions for monetizing brick-and-mortar audiences—i.e., in-store retail media. In this position, it has engaged in discussions with countless retail industry and service provider pioneers over the years. It is noteworthy that these same companies were among the most prominently visible at this year's event.
Doohlabs was also surprisingly well-known at DMEXCO, despite not being a giant in terms of size. It was good to see that the courage to be a pioneer is recognized.
3. Retail media is by default Multichannel, and In-Store is already on everyone’s agenda
Retail media began online, and if we are being precise, in e-commerce. Amazon was long the undisputed king of the industry, dominating almost alone (and still remains a massive player). This dominance led to the focus being almost exclusively on retailers’ digital channels for a long time. As recently as a year or two ago, it was common to encounter professionals who thought that retail media’s only channel was digital.
However, this is not the case. Retail media is inherently multichannel, as evidenced by the messages from all exhibitors and presenters at DMEXCO. When large retail players showcased their near-future roadmaps, significant development projects were underway in every channel.
In-store retail media was also now a hot development area across all markets at DMEXCO. In the Nordic countries, and especially Finland, networks were built a few years before the larger European markets fully woke up to the concept. Now, massive cross-border projects are already in the planning stages.
4. The future of Retail media is bright
Many marketing trends come and go. However, retail media fundamentally alters the relationship between brands, retailers, and advertisers in such a significant way that it is here to stay. The benefits of retail media, from leveraging retail data to precisely measuring impact, provide an unparalleled competitive advantage across multiple channels.
The significant question in our view is how other forms of marketing will keep up with the pace of change and how they will reshape themselves to remain relevant, perhaps by supporting retail media solutions. We may already see the answers to this at next year’s DMEXCO.
