44% of retail executives worldwide expect gen AI to weaken brand loyalty by shifting consumer choice toward value and fit over brand recognition by 2026, according to a January report from Deloitte.
Retail media has reached a point where measurement is table stakes. But what table stakes actually look like is changing fast. With the launch of its latest measurement tool, Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM) is signaling its priorities for retail media measurement: Speed, incrementality, and clearer decision-making.
While categories like payments, back-end infrastructure, and in-store systems remain relevant, AI has emerged as a defining force in retail tech for 2026.
Only 6% of marketers have fully deployed AI into workflows. Data silos and weak ROI proof stall progress.
Restaurant reservations become measurable media, as OpenTable’s pay-per-seated-guest model links ad spend directly to confirmed dining occasions.
Its automation pitch at MWC targets telecom cost pressure, not layoffs, tying AI to reliability and revenue protection.
Customer data platforms (CDPs) promised marketers a unified view of customer data and an escape from fragmented martech stacks. The reality has been more complicated.
Research shows it builds demand first, then converts—rewarding longer flights and post-campaign tracking.
Brands battle higher UX demands while inconsistent messaging blunts personalization.
Creative and content production tops the list of martech areas marketers expect AI to disrupt most, cited by 27% of UK and North America respondents, according to a November 2025 survey from StackAdapt and Ascend2.
Earlier this week at eTail Palm Springs, the conversation kept circling back to the fundamentals, what it really means to build a strong brand, connect marketing to ecommerce, and drive growth in a sustainable way. “It was all about how to think about the core of retail,” said our analyst Suzy Davidkhanian, who moderated several sessions during the event.
HubSpot, Canva, and Semrush build publisher arms to secure first-party reach as AI disrupts search.
Integrated AI promises scale and speed—if brands trust the data-sharing tradeoff.
Meta locks in a five-year supply of AI compute power, enabling speedier advancements in AI and creative development.
Infillion’s Catalina deal adds verified purchase data to support cross-network attribution and optimization, which should help offsite retail media grow.
With US engagement flat, brands must trade blast tactics for dialogue-driven commerce.
It acquires Cavalry and MangoAI to merge creation, deployment, and AI optimization in one loop
Retail media networks rely heavily on first-party data, but those datasets capture only part of the customer journey. As advertisers push for broader reach and measurement, gaps in that data are becoming harder to overlook.
42% of UK/US B2B tech CMOs say declining performance from traditional search channels is driving them to adapt for generative engine optimization (GEO) and zero-click search, tied with the 42% who say AI is changing how buyers discover and evaluate brands, according to a December report from 3Thinkrs.
Experian, Insurify, and Tuio have launched apps that let consumers compare quotes and explore coverage through conversation.