Retail Media is Not a Banana: ADUSA’s Bobby Watts

If You Know the Cart, You Know the Heart: Kroger Precision Marketing's Christine Foster

"If you know the cart, you know the heart," says Christine Foster, Group Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Operations at Kroger Precision Marketing. She believes grocery shopping is uniquely personal — and that creates both an opportunity and a responsibility for retailers using that data. Christine joins host James Kotecki to share Kroger's vision for in-store retail media that inspires, not just sells. https://theloomaproject.com/ [https://theloomaproject.com/] Topics include: * Why Kroger doesn’t want to be “Times Square” with in-store screens * The "near-endemic" opportunity for brands * Agent Monday: Kroger's AI-powered tool for automated weekly sales analysis * Kroger Precision Marketing’s data science foundation

The Cultural Power of Customer Loyalty: Giant Eagle's Heather Feather

"I always say that the perks program is cultural in our markets," says Heather Feather, Senior Director for Digital, E-commerce, and Retail Media at Giant Eagle. That deep loyalty engagement across 4 million households — which yields a 90%+ in-store scan rate — is the engine behind Leap, Giant Eagle's retail media network. With 95 years of community roots and a loyalty program customers plan their lives around, Giant Eagle brings a unique perspective to the retail media conversation. Heather joins host James Kotecki to discuss * The omni-channel customer journey: from digital discovery to in-store reinforcement to checkout measurement * Bringing merchandising and marketing together * Expanding retail media in health, beauty & wellness * Building Leap with integrated partners * Community connection — from storm relief to the NFL Draft to HBO’s “The Pitt” Learn more about Looma: https://theloomaproject.com/ [https://theloomaproject.com/]

Retail Media is Not a Banana: ADUSA’s Bobby Watts

"Bananas are the number one selling item in grocery," says Bobby Watts, SVP of Ad Retail Media, Digital Merch, and Marketing at Ahold Delhaize USA. "But selling media and working with advertisers and working with our partners is different than selling groceries." Bobby joins host James Kotecki to discuss Edge, Ahold Delhaize USA's new ad tech platform built in collaboration with European counterparts. https://theloomaproject.com/ [https://theloomaproject.com/] Topics include: * Why Europe is a leader in digital screen adoption * The strategic screen placement at entry points, ‘front racetrack,’ and pharmacy * How agentic AI tools will transform media planning in 2026 * The "connected store" vision beyond digital screens

It's Not About Impressions: Uber Advertising's Jess Shuraleff on the Journey to Engagement

“That connection with consumers we're seeing across the industry - it's no longer about impressions, it's really about engagement.” Sometimes the customer journey is literally a trip in a car on the way to a store. Uber Advertising’s Jess Shuraleff connects ridesharing to retail on the latest episode of The Future In-Store. https://theloomaproject.com [https://theloomaproject.com/]/ Topics include: * Engagement throughout the journey that drives conversion - whether in-app or in-store * The "Gen Uber" consumers demanding surprise and delight moments * The surprising percentage of riders who keep the sound up for ads in Ubers * The misconception that mobility media solutions are only for endemic brands * Why driverless vehicles could create even more engagement opportunities

Brick and Mortar's Digital Superpower

“Counterintuitively,” says Swiftly co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Sean Turner, “brick and mortar stores have a superpower when it comes to driving digital engagement.” https://theloomaproject.com/ [https://theloomaproject.com/] Turner joins host James Kotecki to explore topics including: Topics include: * The "magical attachment" we have to our favorite grocery store * The technology gap: competing against retailers with thousands of engineers * Why legacy systems burden large retailers more than regional players * How platforms can beat custom-built technology * Why national brands are better off reaching consumers through regional and independent grocers * How scaling retail operations is like flying a plane