Retail Media Impact Summit Speaker Spotlight: The Pan-European Retail Media Reality Check with LiveRamp

Ahead of our Retail Media Impact Summit, taking place on 7th October in Amsterdam, we caught up with Stanislas Lajouanie, VP, Head of Brands & Commerce Media - Europe & LATAM at LiveRamp, to hear more about their session, From Data to Decisions: The Pan-European Retail Media Maturity Check. 

Retailer data is one of the most valuable assets within Retail Media, sitting close to the point of purchase and offering powerful insight into shopper behaviour. But unlocking its full potential depends on how effectively that data can be turned into actionable insight across the shopper journey.

Presented in partnership with showcase sponsor LiveRamp, this interactive session will bring together three European retailers, including Albert Heijn, REWE Group and Dunhumby Network Alliance to explore how approaches to Retail Media data are developing across different markets. With audience participation built into the discussion, the session will offer a live, pan-European view of where the industry stands today, where progress is being made and what still needs to happen to drive greater maturity.

Q. Retailer data is often described as one of Retail Media’s biggest strengths. What makes it so valuable, and where do you think the industry is still underusing it?

“What makes retailer data unmatched is its deterministic nature. It isn’t based on proxy signals or intent; it’s rooted in verified purchasing behaviours across physical and digital storefronts. That gives brands an unprecedented level of precision in shopper understanding, shopper targeting and personalisation and measurement.

However, where the industry still underuses this data is in true collaborative utility. Too often, retail data is still treated as an on-site advertising asset - a way to sell sponsored search or digital banners. The real untapped value lies in moving beyond basic ad targeting into holistic business collaboration: using first-party purchase data to optimise trade marketing, enrich off-site social, CTV and programmatic campaigns, power joint product development, and close the attribution loop for offline store sales. We’ve only scratched the surface of using retail data as a strategic enterprise asset rather than just an ad-tech targeting layer.

From my perspective, what slows this down is the following:

• Long history of yearly “conflictual” trade negotiations which at a point in time included data-sharing files as an opportunity to increase agreement sizes for retailers. Retailers need to be ready to start reevaluating the approach! 
• Organisational issues on both ends: Data was originally in the hands of Trade teams (both buyers on the retailer side and sellers on the CPG side), but this data can serve traditional Trade and Revenue Management use cases as well as many “media-related” use cases on which existing teams have never been trained. Media and Trade teams need to be jointly designing retail/brand partnerships to put the consumer at the centre. 
• Privacy and security sensibility: traditional retailers have become fully aware of the value of their data and still haven’t fully understood how to make it benefit the brand relationship without losing it / putting the shopper relationship at risk.
• Retailers also need to understand that Brands can bring a lot to the personalisation of the shopper journey. If retailers know the “shoppers” who buy the product, brands know the “consumers” who use the product. Brand category and shopper knowledge is a strong asset which can also be put into the value equation."

Q. The session will bring together retailers from across Europe. Why is it important to look at Retail Media data maturity through a pan-European lens?

“Retail Media in Europe isn't a single market; it’s a mosaic of different regulatory cultures, localised grocery footprints, and varying levels of digital maturity. What works for a retailer in the UK or France might face completely different structural or data privacy dynamics in Germany or the Nordics.

Looking at data maturity through a pan-European lens is essential because multinational CPG brands don't operate in silos. They need consistency, scale, and interoperability. If every European retailer builds a walled garden with proprietary standards, brands face massive operational friction trying to allocate budget across borders. By discussing maturity at a pan-European level, we can establish common standards, share cross-border clean room frameworks, and help European retailers collectively compete with global walled gardens.”

Q.  What can attendees expect from your session, and what do you hope they will take away from the discussion?

“Attendees can expect a pragmatic, hype-free conversation grounded in real-world deployment. We won't just talk about the vision of Retail Media; we’ll dive into the practical mechanics of how data collaboration actually drives incremental revenue and operational scale.”

Q. As Retail Media matures, what needs to happen to help brands and retailers make better use of data across the shopper journey?

“Two major shifts need to happen: standardisation and frictionless interoperability.

Currently, brands are overwhelmed by fragmentation. Every Retail Media Network offers different metrics, attribution windows, and reporting dashboards. To unlock the next wave of brand budgets - especially upper-funnel and brand-building budgets - we need standardised measurement frameworks (like those being advanced by IAB Europe).

Technologically, we need to eliminate data friction. Brands and retailers need neutral, privacy-safe identity infrastructure where data can meet and be analysed securely without either party ever having to share raw customer PII. When data flows safely across off-site, on-site, and in-store touchpoints, you can finally map and influence the complete, non-linear shopper journey.”

Q. The Summit theme this year is ‘Beyond the Boom: The Next Chapter of Retail Media Growth.’ What does that theme mean to you, and what are you most looking forward to about joining the event in Amsterdam?

“To me, "Beyond the Boom" signifies the transition from land-grab hypergrowth into sustainable, operational excellence. From the initial gold rush phase - where simply launching an onsite Retail Media Network guaranteed revenue- it is now plateauing, and retailers are heading into a phase where innovation will be driving growth and in which scale, measurement rigour, and true partnerships are going to dictate who wins. It’s about building a long-term media ecosystem that delivers genuine value to the shopper, the retailer, and the brand alike.

At the same time, the spread of AI tech across all workflows is going to push retailers to rapidly transform their retail media businesses:

• Soon enough, retailers will have to replace the online web front with agents and will need to embed Retail Media products into them
• These agents will have to interact with personal assistant agents owned by shoppers and which understand their tastes, preferred recipes and the content of their fridges
• The open web ecosystem is rapidly transforming with drastically reduced on-page traffic (pushing publishers to unite and reinvent themselves) and the traditional open web programmatic offsite retail media opportunity is going to diminish”

Join Us in Amsterdam

Hear more from Stanislas Lajouanie and other senior leaders at IAB Europe’s Retail Media Impact Summit, taking place on 7th October in Amsterdam.

Under the theme Beyond the Boom: The Next Chapter of Retail Media Growth, the Summit will bring together retailers, brands, agencies, Retail Media Networks, technology partners and industry leaders to explore the priorities defining the next phase of Retail and Commerce Media in Europe.