Think Digital Is Messy? Try the Real World. IAB's Collin Colburn on In-Store Retail Media

Think Digital Is Messy? Try the Real World. IAB's Collin Colburn on In-Store Retail Media

"You think digital's messy? Physical's even more messy."  That's how Collin Colburn, Vice President of Commerce and Retail Media at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), sums up the challenge of building retail media in the physical store. The potential is obvious — 80%+ of retail purchases still happen in brick and mortar — but as Collin tells host James Kotecki, in-store has been "stubbornly stuck in pilot mode for too long." He explains why the real world is a hard place to build retail media - and also why it’s so promising.  Colburn draws on a decade tracking the industry from his early days starting Forrester's retail media research practice. https://theloomaproject.com/ [https://theloomaproject.com/] Great quotes include: * "We cannot replicate measurement in the store from what we’ve done in digital. The physical environment does not lend itself well to the way in which we've built measurement on websites." * "Retail media has been promised to be this closed loop, outcomes driven system. So we should have a higher bar than a lot of other forms of digital media." * "We really have a gap between retail and media. . . . And that gap shows up in the way that we criticize [measurement] frameworks.” * On the idea of "build it and they will come" for retail media: "For most retailers, they ain't coming at the pace and volume that a lot of the major consultancies pitch them on it coming at. Many of them are saying ‘Where’s my $1 billion advertising business?’” * "On the retailer side, I actually think it's more about the unsexy work that now needs to happen of operational excellence. No one wants to talk about org charts or the structural incentives that exist within a retail media network . . . but that's the next phase of real maturity."

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