Retail Media

Several developments are set to define the coming years: AI is increasingly moving into operational processes such as campaign management, optimization, and performance measurement – not just content creation. At the same time, agentic commerce is fundamentally reshaping product discovery, as more and more purchase decisions are made through AI assistants like ChatGPT or retailers' own bots.

The market itself is also shifting: major retail media networks like Amazon and Walmart are capturing a growing share of ad spend, while at the same time new networks keep emerging – brands now manage six to eight of them on average, in parallel. That's creating demand for unified control and better cross-channel measurement.

Over the long term, retail media is increasingly merging with adjacent advertising formats like affiliate marketing, CTV advertising, and social commerce into a broader field often referred to as "commerce media." In-store advertising is also gaining importance, since most purchases still happen in physical stores – an area where measurability still has room to catch up.

Artificial intelligence is seen as the decisive lever for making retail media scalable and precise. According to a 2025 BVDW survey, 85% of industry professionals already rate AI as important or very important to business success. They see the greatest potential in analysis and reporting, followed by optimization and campaign delivery.

The focus is shifting increasingly from pure content creation to operational tasks: automated bidding strategies, real-time campaign optimization, and more precise performance measurement. According to the 2026 Skai study, brands plan to significantly expand their use of AI in campaign management and analysis, while the share dedicated to pure content creation declines.

Another AI trend shaping retail media strategy is agentic commerce: consumers can now use chatbots for recommendations, product comparisons, and purchases, and retailers are increasingly building their own AI shopping assistants. This is creating new advertising environments for sponsored placements. At the same time, though, retailers risk losing control when customers shop through external AI assistants like ChatGPT or Gemini. The upshot for retailers: product data increasingly needs to be structured and "agent-readable" so products can surface in AI recommendations.

First-party data is the true foundation of retail media – and with third-party cookies going away, it's becoming the most valuable asset retailers own. Today, it already powers targeted campaign management, personalized product recommendations, and the ability to connect online and offline purchase behavior.

And the trend continues: data clean rooms enable privacy-compliant collaboration between retailers and brands without sharing raw data directly. Strategic data partnerships are also emerging between retail and other industries, such as streaming providers. As a result, retail media is evolving from a pure advertising channel into a strategic data platform that shapes business decisions well beyond marketing.

Retailers' first-party data is at the heart of the retail media promise: advertising built on real purchase behavior is more relevant to shoppers and feels far less intrusive than traditional advertising. First-party data combined with AI-powered analytics lets retailers tailor offers with precision – matching the right product recommendation or the right promotion to the exact moment of purchase.

According to a 2026 YouGov study in Germany, retail media has the strongest impact where it delivers clear, tangible value: app coupons and special pricing top the list of the most effective advertising formats. Physical touchpoints like secondary placements and shelf advertising also draw significantly more attention than digital in-store screens.

Retail leads the way on purchase information too: two-thirds of shoppers use printed flyers, and more than half use retailer apps – ahead of classic channels like TV, radio, or social media. Impact also varies strongly by category: indulgence and impulse categories show above-average purchase influence of up to 86%, while stock-up products respond far more weakly.

Unlike large retail media networks, SMEs don't need complex ad-tech infrastructure to benefit from retail media. The starting point is what they already know about their assortment and their customers: retailers who understand which products are in demand – and why customers buy them – can choose the right advertising partners with precision.

Simple formats are a great place to start: local advertising partnerships with regional brands or retailers, in-store ad space via displays, standees, or QR codes, sponsored placements in the retailer's own newsletter, or paid collaborations on the retailer's own social media channels. One rule always applies: advertising must be clearly labeled as such.

For SMEs, the real value isn't massive revenue – it's monetizing existing reach and customer knowledge without added waste, since the products being advertised naturally fit the retailer's own assortment.

EuroCIS brings together leading providers of digital signage, CRM, and mobile marketing solutions – all in one place. Visitors get a comprehensive market overview and can compare different retail media approaches side by side.

Talks, use cases, and real-world reports on the stages also deliver concrete insight into how other retailers have already tapped new revenue streams with retail media. Rounding things out: plenty of opportunities to network with providers and industry insiders.

EuroCIS 2027 will take place February 16–18, 2027, at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Center (Stockumer Kirchstrasse 61, 40474 Düsseldorf, Germany). Visitor hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.