The Future In-Store

"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 discussThe omni-channel customer journey: from digital discovery to in-store reinforcement to checkout measurementBringing merchandising and marketing togetherExpanding retail media in health, beauty & wellnessBuilding Leap with integrated partnersCommunity connection — from storm relief to the NFL Draft to HBO’s “The Pitt”Learn more about Looma:https://theloomaproject.com/

"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/Topics include:Why Europe is a leader in digital screen adoptionThe strategic screen placement at entry points, ‘front racetrack,’ and pharmacyHow agentic AI tools will transform media planning in 2026The "connected store" vision beyond digital screens

“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/Topics include:Engagement throughout the journey that drives conversion - whether in-app or in-storeThe "Gen Uber" consumers demanding surprise and delight momentsThe surprising percentage of riders who keep the sound up for ads in UbersThe misconception that mobility media solutions are only for endemic brandsWhy driverless vehicles could create even more engagement opportunities

“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/Turner joins host James Kotecki to explore topics including:Topics include:The "magical attachment" we have to our favorite grocery storeThe technology gap: competing against retailers with thousands of engineersWhy legacy systems burden large retailers more than regional playersHow platforms can beat custom-built technologyWhy national brands are better off reaching consumers through regional and independent grocersHow scaling retail operations is like flying a plane

"There's been a lot of pushes to take a screen and slap it everywhere, and I think there's a lot of risk in doing that," says Looma VP of Product Denny Cmiel. "You end up with kind of an experience that doesn't feel like it was designed to be there. It feels like it was stitched on or kind of stuck on as a Band-Aid."Denny joins host James Kotecki to share Looma’s product philosophy for screens that are actually in the right place.https://theloomaproject.com/Topics include:The Looma mantra "it's not the screens, it's what you put on them" that guides product developmentHow "Project Nightcap" expanded from cocktail recommendations to mattress selectionWhy AI serves as an "efficiency machine" and "sounding board" rather than decision makerThe misconception that in-store screens necessarily reach shoppers at the point of decisionThe balance between standardization and customization for individual store locations

"I think that ROAS is overhyped," says Liz Roche, VP of Media and Measurement at Albertsons Media Collective. "It's something that we live and die by, but it doesn't show the full picture at all."Liz joins host James Kotecki to talk measurement from the perspective of one of America's largest grocery retailers, reaching 37 million customers per week across 2,200+ stores.https://theloomaproject.com/Topics include:Surprising silos - and the power of breaking them downHow Albertsons leverages local store formats for testing and learning at scaleTech for tracking shopping cart movement through storesA vision for holistic measurement that goes beyond the campaign levelThe value of "spirited debate"

“I think retail media is very chaotic right now,” says Claire Wyatt, The Trade Desk's GM Client Service - Retail. “We're still really in the wild, wild west. I think retail media is in its teenage years.”Claire tells host James Kotecki that retail media networks have had “a little bit of a grace period. They don't really have that grace period anymore.”https://theloomaproject.com/Topics include:America’s in-store experience lags behind global peersImplementation challenges: cost and logisticsAI for media optimizationThe dream of connected on-site, off-site, and in-store mediaThe central role of consumer privacy

The Ad Council's Director of Media Engagement Maya Warburg joins host James Kotecki to explore how and why its iconic social impact campaigns are showing up for shoppers. Retail media networks provide scale, audience alignment, and attentive consumers for messages that make a difference.https://theloomaproject.com/Topics include:The full-funnel “superpower” of retail mediaThe Ad Council’s position on tech’s cutting edgeHow augmented reality is fighting hungerThe role of localization in national campaignsHow The Ad Council gives partners confidence to tackle serious issues

"Content still drives the majority of incremental sales," says Bayer's Vice President of Emerging Digital Platforms Chelsey Alexander. Retail media can’t just be about the technology - she emphasizes that content quality and clear differentiation remain fundamental to success.https://theloomaproject.com/Interview topics include:The importance of execution for merchandise-integrated mediaWhy storytelling is becoming more important as consumers learn to tune out advertising noiseThe importance of understanding specific shopping experiences when designing in-store mediaThe inconsistent state of retail media measurementThe return of “retail-tainment”

Looma's Chief Creative Officer Ned Brown joins James Kotecki to discuss the creative vision behind effective in-store digital media. Brown shares insights on balancing commercial performance with authentic storytelling, and how "stubborn intentionality" helps Looma create experiences that serve both brands and shoppers in the increasingly screen-rich retail environment.https://theloomaproject.com/Topics include:How brand goals, screen types, and specific in-store locations guide content strategyWhy adding audio is powerful - and how it can go wrongWhether artificial human hosts have a place in stores