Your Guide to Groceryshop 2024: Five Key Themes Driving Growth and Innovation in Grocery and CPG Retail

Introduction

Coresight Research is a research partner of Groceryshop 2024, which will take place during October 7–9 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US. Groceryshop is an annual conference that helps businesses navigate the evolving grocery landscape, exploring the latest business models, advanced technologies and shifting consumer behaviors.

In this essential guide to the event, we highlight notable sessions for attendees across five major themes, as identified by the Groceryshop team. All times in this report are Pacific Time (PT; local time of the event). We also highlight the “Shark Reef” Startup Pitch competition (emceed by Coresight Research on the first day of Groceryshop), as well as the sessions in which Coresight Research will participate.

To ensure you don’t miss out on critical insights during the conference, we will provide daily coverage of Groceryshop 2024 on coresight.com. Closing the event, leaders of the Groceryshop Content Team will host the “Rapid Fire: Groceryshop Key Takeaways” session on The Cherry Stage at 2.50 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9. Coresight Research will also publish a wrap-up report on everything you need to know from Groceryshop 2024 after the event.

Your Guide to Groceryshop 2024: Coresight Research Insights

Groceryshop is set to showcase more than 165+ executives as speakers across its Track and Mainstage Keynote sessions. These industry leaders will delve into crucial business topics, including retail media, seamless and unified retail strategies, AI, and new consumer habits and preferences.

Highly anticipated Mainstage Keynote speakers include the following:

• Frans Muller, President & CEO, Ahold Delhaize
• Claire Peters, Worldwide VP, Amazon Fresh
• Carla Vernón, CEO, The Honest Company
• Fidji Simo, CEO & Chair, Instacart
• Anton Vincent, President, North America & Global Ice Cream, Mars Wrigley
• Ram Krishnan, CEO, North America Beverages, PepsiCo
• Chris Nicholas, President & CEO, Sam’s Club
• Herrish Patel, President of Unilever USA & CEO of Personal Care North America, Unilever
• Lisa Ingram, President & CEO, White Castle

Notable Sessions Across Five Major Themes

Groceryshop 2024 will provide crucial insights into the latest trends and innovations shaping the grocery industry. Attendees will learn about cutting-edge technologies, such as AI (artificial intelligence) and retail media, and strategies for implementing these innovations responsibly to drive efficiency and deliver superior shopping experiences. The event will also highlight how businesses are restructuring their relationships with commercial partners, agencies and technology providers to navigate changing market conditions and accelerate growth amid current industry challenges.

Below, we present the five major themes and related notable sessions shaping Groceryshop’s 2024 agenda.

1. Seizing New Opportunities in Retail Media

The retail media market is poised for substantial growth and transformation as brand advertisers increasingly recognize the benefits of this advertising channel and more retailers enter the market. Coresight Research estimates that the US retail media industry will grow to $106.4 billion by 2028—up from $46.3 billion in 2023 for an 18.1% CAGR.

Brand advertisers currently use multiple retail media networks (RMNs), and their expectations around retail media are high: a Coresight Research survey of 100 US-based CPG/FMCG brand manufacturers conducted in August 2023 found that brand advertisers used six RMNs in the 12 months prior to the survey. We expect brand advertisers to limit the number of RMNs they use once they have identified their optimal advertising media mix—resulting in a more competitive environment for retailers that offer RMNs. Therefore, it is more important than ever for grocers to differentiate their offerings to deliver value to brands, while ensuring the shopping experience remains seamless.

At the same time, as brands scale their retail media investments and begin to use the channel for upper-funnel marketing, they must evolve the structure of their teams and strengthen their cross-functional relationships with marketing, sales and other internal departments. Effective collaboration with media agencies and retailers is also crucial in helping brands execute impactful and successful campaigns.

At Groceryshop, sessions under this theme will explore how brands best optimize their retail media ad spend, execute high-impact campaigns, and collaborate internally and with external partners to drive retail media success. Sessions will also address the retail media offerings that grocery retailers are developing to stand out and the challenges that need to be overcome to justify additional investment from brands.

Below, we present notable sessions related to this theme.

Time	Session	Track	Speakers/Panelists
Monday, October 7
2.55 p.m.–3.35 p.m.	Case Studies: Effective Offsite and In-Store Retail Media Activations	The Orange Stage: Seizing Opportunities in Retail Media	Mike Glaser, VP, Digital Commerce Marketing, PepsiCo Mike Glaser, VP, Digital Commerce Marketing, PepsiCo Neha Mallik, Head of Connected Commerce, Mizkan America Rocquan Lucas, VP, Content, Groceryshop (Emcee)
2.55 p.m.–3.35 p.m.	Fresh Research: Navigating Grocery’s Changing Market Dynamics	The Blueberry Stage: Building Resilient Organizations	Danny Edsall, Global Grocery Co-Leader, Deloitte
3.45 p.m.–4.25 p.m.	Unified Retail Media Planning: Aligning Across Partners and Teams	The Orange Stage: Seizing Opportunities In Retail Media	Francesca Hahn, VP, Digital Commerce, Mondelez International Udyan Khanna, VP, Marketing, Digital Commerce & Channel Marketing, McCormick & Company Michal Geller, President, E-Commerce & Digital, Newell Brands Katherine Black, Partner, Kearney (Interviewer)
4.35 p.m.–5.15 p.m.	Frameworks, Tactics, and Takeaways: Retail Media Capabilities that Satisfy Shoppers and Advertisers	The Orange Stage: Seizing Opportunities In Retail Media	Raquel Navarrski, Customer Vice President, NA E-Commerce, General Mills Chelsey Alexander, VP, New & Emerging Channels, Bayer Consumer Health Sean Ransberg, Managing Director, Retail Media and Brand Services, H-E-B Naomi Alford, Partner, Bain & Company (Interviewer)
Tuesday, October 8
9.20 a.m.–10.00 a.m.	Technologies Enabling Retail Media and Personalized Marketing	The Cherry Stage: Technology Spotlight	Bryan Leach, CEO & Founder, Ibotta James Avery, Founder & CEO, Kevel Georgina Nelson, Founder & CEO, TruRating Iman Nahvi, Co-Founder & CEO, Advertima Vision Molly Hop, EVP, Marketing, Havas Media Network (Interviewer)

Related Coresight Research reports:

• Retail Media: (Almost) Everything We Heard at Shoptalk Europe 2024
• Retail 2024: US E-Commerce Technology Trends—Generative AI, Retail Media and Other Revenue-Generating Opportunities To Transform the Online Landscape
• Retail-Tech Landscape: Retail Media
• The US Retail Media Market: Understanding the Ad Buyer’s Perspective in CPG
• Unleashing the Power of Retail Media with First-Party Data and Location Analytics
• All Coresight Research coverage of retail media

2. Building Profitable, Efficient and Resilient Businesses

CPG brands and grocery retailers are currently operating in a volatile environment filled with both challenges and opportunities. After navigating a confluence of significant disruptions throughout 2023—including heightened food-at-home inflation and consumers’ recessionary fears—these companies must now contend with volatile consumer demand, an increase in retail theft and a tight labor market. Other market forces, including M&As (mergers and acquisitions) and investment in grocery from adjacent retail sectors, create a continuously changing environment for grocers and CPGs.

For example, according to Coresight Research’s analysis of S&P Capital IQ data, there have been 15 M&As announced in the US food and grocery sector year-to-date August 6, 2024. These follow 20 such transactions reported in 2023. M&A activity was more prominent within the regional ecosystem, with many small- and mid-tier grocers acquiring or merging with other chains. We believe these tie-ups will provide these companies with substantially more vendor bargaining power, allowing them to better compete with larger competitors.

It is imperative that brands and retailers stay attuned to both overarching trends and subtle market shifts. They must adjust their strategies, tactics and technologies to effectively navigate challenges and succeed in a difficult economic climate.

At Groceryshop, sessions under this theme will explore how grocery and CPG organizations navigate changing economic and market conditions, leverage new technologies to drive efficiencies across their organizations, and develop new ways to boost productivity, grow margins and future-proof their businesses.

Below, we present notable sessions related to this theme.

Time	Session	Track	Speakers/Panelists
Monday, October 7
2.55 p.m.–3.35 p.m.	Using Consumer Insights to Inform Business Strategies and Tactics	The Lemon Stage: Embracing New Consumer Habits and Preferences	Prabash Coswatte, Chief Operating Officer, Heritage Grocers Group Josh Evertsen, SVP, Customer Development, Mars Pet Nutrition North America Amy McClellan, EVP & Chief Customer Officer, SpartanNash Lara Koslow, Senior Partner & Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group (Interviewer)
3.45 p.m.–4.05 p.m.	Track Keynote: Building Flexible and Efficient Supply Chains	The Blueberry Stage: Building Resilient Organizations	Rod West, EVP, Global Supply Chain, Dollar General Tony Ward, Partner – Retail Leader, Ernst & Young (Interviewer)
4.35 p.m.–5.15 p.m.	Winning E-Commerce Strategies: Optimizing Fulfillment and Delivery	The Blueberry Stage: Building Resilient Organizations	Dr. Oliver Vogt, Director, Strategy & Transformation, Tesco Greg Zeh, SVP & CIO, Weis Markets Daryl Porter, Senior Partner, TOMORROW (Interviewer)
Tuesday, October 8
4.00 p.m.–4.30 p.m.	Technologies Streamlining Store Operations and the Supply Chain	The Cherry Stage: Technology Spotlight	Oisin Hanrahan, CEO & Co-Founder, Keychain Angie Westbrock, CEO, Standard AI Mette Lykke, CEO, Too Good To Go Keith Mercier, GM, Worldwide Retail & Consumer Goods, Microsoft Matt Nichols, Partner, Commerce Ventures (Interviewer)
Wednesday, October 9
8.45 a.m.–9.25 a.m.	Accelerating Growth Across Sales Channels	The Blueberry Stage: Building Profitable and Efficient Organizations	Cristina Marinucci, Global Head of Shopper Insights & Analytics, Mondelez Justin Coaldrake, Head of Omnichannel Guest Experience & Media, Casey’s Lindsay Rowles, General Manager, Retail & Property, Foodstuffs Ethan Sinick, Managing Director, Shirland Ventures (Interviewer)
9.35 a.m.–10.15 a.m.	Boosting Innovation and Efficiency Across the Organization	The Blueberry Stage: Building Profitable and Efficient Organizations	Dave Steck, VP, IT Store & Emerging Technologies, Schnuck Markets Chris Edwards, Head of GetGo Technology, Giant Eagle Tamara Pattison, SVP, Chief Digital Officer, The Save Mart Companies Chris Walton, Co-CEO, Omni Talk (Interviewer)
9.35 a.m.–10.15 a.m.	Fresh Research: Grocery Insights from Technology Businesses	The Cherry Stage: Technology Perspectives	Ethan Chernofsky, SVP, Marketing, Placer.ai Amishi Takalkar, Co-Founder & CEO, Nailbiter Prashant Agrawal, Founder & CEO, Impact Analytics
2.00 p.m.–2.40 p.m.	Effective Merchandising Strategies	The Blueberry Stage: Building Profitable and Efficient Organizations	Seth Marks, SVP, Extreme Value Sourcing, Big Lots Louise Fritjofsson, Co-Founder & CEO, Martie Jorge Alfonso, Head of Digital Merchandising, Kroger HG O’Connell, Content Director, Groceryshop (Interviewer)

Related Coresight Research reports:

• How US Consumers Are Shopping for Groceries: Revealing Opportunities in Promotions and Private Label
• RetailTech: Leading-Edge Loss Prevention—Tackling Theft and Fraud Through RFID, Video Surveillance and More
• US Online Grocery Survey 2024: Amazon and Walmart Showdown in Grocery E-Commerce
• All Coresight Research coverage of the supply chain

3. Implementing and Scaling AI Applications

The adoption of advanced technologies such as AI/ML (machine learning), GenAI (generative AI) and automation is set to redefine grocery operations, including supply chain management, sales, store operations and merchandising.

The global GenAI applications and hardware market is set to experience substantial growth over the next few years, from $79.8 billion in 2024 to an impressive $235.5 billion by 2028, Coresight Research estimates. Such rapid market expansion underscores the escalating demand and burgeoning opportunities surrounding this next-generation technology. We believe that GenAI has transformative potential in the grocery industry, reshaping traditional operations and opening new avenues for innovation. However, challenges such as data privacy, bias, hallucinations and a lack of customer trust must be addressed to implement GenAI technologies successfully.

At Groceryshop, sessions under this theme will highlight the most promising AI applications driving significant business outcomes. Speakers will also cover the infrastructure and teams required to implement and scale AI quickly and responsibly while addressing associated challenges and risks.

Below, we present notable sessions related to this theme.

 

Time	Session	Track	Speakers/Panelists
Tuesday, October 8
8.30 a.m.–9.10 a.m.	Case Studies: Generative AI Applications Driving Meaningful Business Outcomes	The Lemon Stage: Impactful AI Strategies and Use Cases	Imteaz Ahamed, Head of Performance Media, Reckitt Caleb Carr, Head of Data Science & Engineering, Schnuck Markets Ben Miller, VP, Original Content & Strategy, Groceryshop (Emcee)
9.20 a.m.–10.00 a.m	AI’s Role in Optimizing Stores and Supporting Associates	The Lemon Stage: Impactful AI Strategies and Use Cases	Krystyna Kostka, Senior Vice President, Operations, BJ’s Carman Wenkoff, EVP & Chief Information Officer, Dollar General Helene Drolet, VP, Operations Excellence, North America, Alimentation Couche-Tard Jenny McLean, Managing Partner & Retail Industry Lead, Clarkston Consulting (Interviewer)
12.05 p.m.–12.25 p.m.	Instacart Keynote	Mainstage Keynote	Fidji Simo, CEO & Chair, Instacart Ben Miller, VP, Original Content & Strategy, Groceryshop (Interviewer)
4.00 p.m.–4.40 p.m	Track Keynote: Leveraging and Scaling AI Responsibly Panel: Leveraging and Scaling AI Responsibly	The Lemon Stage: Impactful AI Strategies and Use Cases	Ramesh Kollepera, VP & Global Chief Technology Officer, Kellanova Lauren Steinberg, SVP, Digital, Media & Loyalty, Loblaw Digital Sabrina McPherson, Senior Managing Director & SVP, Publicis Sapient (Interviewer)
4.50 p.m.–5.30 p.m	Case Studies and Fresh Research: Next-Generation Pricing, Demand Forecasting and Inventory Planning	The Lemon Stage: Impactful AI Strategies and Use Cases	Deborah Weinswig, Founder & CEO, Coresight Research Nathan Mansperger, VP of Digital Supplier Growth, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Jason Melone, Head of Applied Marketing Analytics, Wawa

Related Coresight Research reports:

• Shoptalk 2024 Day Three: A Thoughtful Approach to GenAI; Retail Innovation in China
• AI Models: Risky Business—Navigating the Challenges of Using AI
• Playbook: Six Quick Wins in Generative AI
• What Do US Consumers Think About Generative AI?
• All Coresight Research coverage of GenAI

4. Delivering Convenient, Seamless and Unified Shopping Experiences

Modern consumers exhibit diverse shopping behaviors, often traversing through multiple channels to make their purchases. According to a proprietary Coresight Research survey of US consumers conducted on July 8, 2024, 65.8% of respondents used multiple channels (such as online, in-store and mobile apps) to some degree when shopping, indicating a strong consumer preference for flexible shopping options.

By seamlessly integrating a range of platforms—such as online stores, mobile apps, physical retail locations and social media shops—retailers can engage buyers wherever they are most active, create new touchpoints and increase the likelihood of shoppers completing a purchase. According to the same survey, nearly one-quarter of respondents reported that their overall spending has increased either significantly (8.2%) or slightly (16.6%) as a result of engaging with retailers across multiple channels, highlighting the potential for retailers to boost sales with a seamless and unified approach.

At Groceryshop, sessions under this theme will explore how a retailer’s organization can foster unified retail experiences through new structures, technology capabilities and customer-facing offerings.

Below, we present notable sessions related to this theme.

Time	Session	Track		Speakers/Panelists
Monday, October 7
10:25 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.	Ahold Delhaize Keynote		Mainstage Keynote	Frans Muller, President & CEO, Ahold Delhaize Melissa Repko, Retail & Consumer Reporter, CNBC (Interviewer)
2:00 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.	Sam’s Club Keynote		Mainstage Keynote	Chris Nicholas, President & CEO, Sam’s Club Melissa Repko, Retail & Consumer Reporter, CNBC (Interviewer)
3:45 p.m.–4:25 p.m.	Fresh Research: New Consumer Behaviors and Habits to Watch	The Lemon Stage: Embracing New Consumer Habits and Preferences		Sherry Frey, VP, Product Insights, NielsenIQ Sally Lyons Wyatt, Global EVP & Chief Advisor, Consumer Goods & Foodservice Insights, Circana Wendy Wallner, EVP, Client Officer, Retail & Restaurants, Ipsos
Tuesday, October 8
8.30 a.m.–9.10 a.m	Case Studies: Seamless Shopping Experiences Across Channels	The Orange Stage: Seamless and Unified Retail Experiences		Chad Petersen, SVP, Digital & E-Commerce, Lowes Food Amy Benford, VP, GM Integrated Marketing & Advanced Advertising, Colgate-Palmolive Katie Stratton, Chief Growth & Strategy Officer, Shipt Zahra Mohamed, Content Director, Groceryshop (Emcee)
9.20 a.m.–10.00 a.m	Fresh Research: Key Capabilities Powering Unified Shopping	The Orange Stage: Seamless and Unified Retail Experiences		Neil Stern, CEO, Good Food Holdings Penney McTaggart-Cowan, Chief Marketing Officer, Calgary Co-op Peter Strong, Partner, The Partnering Group (Presenter & Interviewer)
3.30 p.m.–3.50 p.m	Amazon Fresh Keynote	Mainstage Keynote		Claire Peters, Worldwide VP, Amazon Fresh Ben Miller, VP, Original Content & Strategy, Groceryshop (Interviewer)
4.00 p.m.–4.40 p.m	Business Transformations that Accelerate Unified Commerce	The Orange Stage: Seamless and Unified Retail Experiences		Tammy Ackerman, VP E-Commerce & Loyalty Marketing, Treasury Wine Estates Ashley Becker, VP, Global E-Commerce Capabilities, Kraft Heinz Frank Kerr, Chief Customer Officer, Lidl US Lindsey Mazza, Global Retail Lead, Capgemini (Interviewer)
4.00 p.m.–4.40 p.m	Track Keynote: Offering Convenience and Affordability	The Blueberry Stage: The Future of Convenience		Stuart Aitken, SVP, Chief Merchant & Marketing Officer, Kroger Erin Cabrey, Senior Reporter, Retail Brew, Morning Brew (Interviewer)
	Panel: Offering Convenience and Affordability			Fuad Hannon, VP, New Verticals, DoorDash Venessa Yates, SVP & General Manager, Walmart+ HG O’Connell, Content Director, Groceryshop (Interviewer)
4.50 p.m.–5.30 p.m	Frameworks Tactics, and Takeaways: Weighing Frictionless Stores’ Advantages and Risks	The Blueberry Stage: The Future of Convenience		Raghu Mahadevan, EVP, Logistics, Demand Chain & Chief Digital Officer, 7-Eleven Mirko Saul, SVP, Innovation, Schwarz Digital (Lidl & Kaufland) Gaurav Pant, Co-Founder & Chief Insights Officer, Incisiv (Interviewer)

Related Coresight Research reports:

• Social Commerce in Focus—Beauty Leads the Way: US Consumer Survey Insights
• Rethinking Last-Mile Delivery: Building Customer-Centric Retail Experiences
• Immersive Experiences in Retail: Driving Sales Through Enhanced Shopper Engagement
• RetailTech: Smart Carts—Turbocharged Self-Checkout on Wheels

5. Embracing Collaboration, Innovation and New Partnership Structures

A culture of adaptability and continuous learning will drive success for grocery retailers: grocers that foster an environment of innovation, empower their workforce and prioritize customer-centricity will be better positioned to navigate industry shifts effectively. This includes revamping team structures and implementing new business processes that encourage cross-functional collaboration. Beyond internal restructuring, the path to accelerated growth also necessitates a reevaluation of external partnerships. Companies are redefining their relationships with commercial partners, agencies and technology providers to leverage their combined strengths to drive innovation and efficiency.

At Groceryshop, sessions under this theme will explore how companies are transforming their internal structures and external partnerships to drive collaborations and fast-track growth.

Below, we present notable sessions related to this theme.

Time	Session	Track	Speakers/Panelists
Wednesday, October 9
2.00 p.m.–2.40 p.m.	Case Studies: Innovative Retailer-Brand Partnerships	The Lemon Stage: Reimagining Commercial Partnerships	Linara Zakirova, Head of Amazon & Natural Channels, The Coca-Cola Company Andrew Thomas, VP of Marketing, Country Archer Provisions Steve McGowan, RVP, Shopper Activation & Industry Engagement, Mondelēz International
2.50 p.m.–3.30 p.m.	Frameworks, Tactics, and Takeaways: Balancing DTC, Wholesale and Marketplace Strategies	The Lemon Stage: Reimagining Commercial Partnerships	Emily Xu, SVP, E-Commerce & Marketing, Republic National Distributing Company Juan Arrieta, VP of E-Commerce, Nature’s Way Vibha Tuli, Partner, Digital Commerce Practice, The Partnering Group (Interviewer)

Related Coresight Research reports:

• RetailTech: Collaboration Tools for Retailers—Increasing Workplace Productivity
• How Data Sharing and Collaboration Can Accelerate Decision-Making and Enhance Sustainability

Other Noteworthy Speakers

• Francisca Hawkins, VP, Digital & Enterprise Technology, Blue Bottle Coffee
• Michelle Morale, VP, Digital Commerce & Omni-Shopper Marketing, Campbell Soup Company
• Benjamin Thompson, Head of Global Insights & Strategic Partnerships, Endeavour Group
• Jose Gomes, Managing Director, Retail & CPG Google Cloud, Google
• Alex Weinstein, Chief Digital Officer, Hungryroot
• Alicia LeBeouf, Head of Industry, Retail, Grocery & Marketplaces, Meta
• Antonio Escalona, SVP, Emerging Business, PepsiCo Foods North America
• Zachary Wilson, Head of E-Commerce, The Raley’s Companies
• Bryan Moore, Founder & CEO, TalkShopLive

Don’t Miss the “Shark Reef” Startup Pitch Competition!

In addition to the sessions mentioned above, we urge attendees to join the “Shark Reef” Startup Pitch competition on October 7 on The Cherry Stage.

The event will comprise two rounds across three sessions through the day, seeing 12 early-stage innovators present their solutions for solving key retail challenges across key areas of innovation.

In the first round, all 12 startups will pitch their solutions to the audience and an expert panel of judges, which will rate each pitch. The top six companies progress to the second round, in which they will participate in a live Q&A for the opportunity to win the Judges’ Choice and Audience Choice awards.

Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder of Coresight Research, will emcee the competition in addition to participating as one of the judging panel.

• Look out for our full preview of the “Shark Reef” Startup Pitch in the lead-up to the event, which will profile each of the participating innovators.

Coresight Research at Groceryshop 2024

In addition to the Startup Pitch competition (see above), the Coresight Research team will participate in a session exploring impactful AI strategies and use cases, the details of which we provide below.

Case Studies and Fresh Research: Next-Generation Pricing, Demand Forecasting and Inventory Planning

4.50 p.m.–5.30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Diving into cutting-edge strategies for inventory management, this session will showcase how retailers and CPG brands are transforming their approach to inventory challenges through advanced tools and technologies.

Session Highlights:

• Real-time shopper insights—Explore how real-time data are being used to improve stock levels and inventory accuracy.
• Demand-sensing technology—Learn about the latest advancements in demand-sensing technology and the impacts on forecasting.
• Agile forecasting and dynamic pricing—Discover how agile forecasting models and electronic shelf labels are driving dynamic pricing strategies and more efficient inventory management.

Speakers:

• Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder, Coresight Research
• Nathan Mansperger, VP of Digital Supplier Growth, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits
• Jason Melone, Head of Applied Marketing Analytics, Wawa

What We Think

Groceryshop 2024 will present a key opportunity for brands, retailers and technology providers to collaborate, share insights and explore innovative solutions that drive growth and enhance consumer experiences in the evolving grocery landscape.

Implications for Brands and Retailers

• Interest in retail media offsite (targeting audiences across the open web) and in-store (digital screens, smart carts, point-of-sale displays in physical stores) is growing. Expanding beyond onsite retail media will enable brands to engage shoppers across more touchpoints in their journey. Grocery retailers should broaden their retail media offerings to include both digital and physical environments, providing brands with more diverse advertising options to reach consumers at various stages of the shopping process.
• Unified commerce represents a shift from the channel-centric view implied by “omnichannel” to a more customer-centric approach. It focuses on creating a cohesive experience that goes beyond what the customers see—including backend operations—aligning all aspects of the retail experience with the needs and expectations of the consumer. For example, unified commerce can enhance grocery retailers’ omnichannel services such as buy online, pick in-store and curbside pickup by providing them with a single, accurate view of inventory across all channels. This visibility ensures that both the retailer and customers can accurately see product availability, reducing the risk of stockouts and increasing the reliability of these services.
• GenAI’s impact extends across multiple functions, including communication, content creation and efficiency improvement. With its accuracy and capabilities increasing with each new version of language models. brands and retailers can foster more engaging customer interactions, unlock novel business opportunities and accelerate their operations, ultimately leading to enhanced efficiency and cost savings.
• A culture of adaptability and continuous learning will drive success. Grocers that foster an environment of innovation, empower their workforce with digital skills, and prioritize customer-centricity will be best positioned to navigate industry shifts effectively.

Brands or Retailers Poised To Gain Advantage

• Walmart is positioned to gain an advantage via its unified commerce approach due to its vast network of brick-and-mortar stores, which complements its digital offerings. The company has also significantly invested in its digital technologies and capabilities over the past few years, including the launch of Walmart Connect, a digital advertising platform that allows advertisers to target Walmart’s large customer base across various online and offline channels. The company’s acquisition of connected television manufacturer Vizio in February 2024 has further strengthened its ability to provide a seamless, multi-platform advertising network, both in its stores and customers’ homes.
• Brands and retailers that have identified their relevant business cases for AI will have a significant advantage over competitors that are still studying and experimenting with the technology. Brands employing AI include PepsiCo for product development and Target for enhancing workplace productivity.

Implications for Technology Vendors

• Technology will continue to play a significant role in the advancing retail media ecosystem. Some key areas where technology can impact retail media include in-store shopper data collection, improving attribution accuracy and better personalization across all touchpoints.
• We see opportunities for technology vendors that provide solutions for brands and retailers to seamlessly integrate online and offline channels. Vendors can also offer robust data analytics and personalization solutions, helping brands and retailers gather customer insights and optimize post-purchase interactions.

Notes and Methodology

Groceryshop 2024 agenda details are accurate as of September 6, 2024.

Coresight Research market sizes typically include multi-year projections generated through proprietary machine learning models. These models identify correlations between historical data sets and a range of exogenous values, and generate projections based on selected indicators, adjusting for factors such as seasonality and outliers. Experienced sector analysts review and may adjust those automated projections based on qualitative factors and industry knowledge.

Informing the data in this report is an online survey of 404 US consumers aged 18+, conducted by Coresight Research on July 8, 2024. The results have a margin of error of +/- 5%, with a 95% confidence level.