On 3rd March, members of our Retailer Council gathered at the SMG headquarters in London for our first meeting of the year, marking an exciting start to 2026. The day brought together a diverse group of leading retail media networks and commerce media networks to share insights, explore emerging trends, and discuss how the industry can continue to drive trust, transparency, and scalable Retail Media strategies.
Participating retailers included: Albert Heijn, Allegro, DOUGLAS, ICA SVERIGE, OBI, Schwarz Digits, SMG, SOK, Tesco Media / Dunnhumby, UBER Ads, Unlimitail, and Valiuz.
Throughout the day, sessions were designed to spark conversation, highlight innovation, and provide practical guidance for the challenges facing retail media today. Below is a summary of the key takeaways:
The meeting opened with a session on IAB Europe’s Certification of retail media measurement practices, emphasising why verified metrics are essential for a healthy media ecosystem. Jason Wescott from WPP Media shared the buy-side perspective, explaining why advertisers and agencies increasingly rely on certified measurement partners to ensure metrics are accurate, comparable, and actionable. Complementing this, ABC highlighted the value of independent audits, showing how third-party verification gives media buyers confidence in the integrity of reported data.
The session concluded with the signal certification sends to the industry: that measurement practices can be trusted and consistently relied upon. Dive deeper into the insights in our blog post here.
Next, the Council turned its attention to innovation with a new Ad Tech Spotlight session, a forum where technology providers showcased AI products and solutions currently in development. Each participant delivered a 7-minute presentation followed by a 7-minute discussion, supported by demos and visuals, creating an interactive environment for feedback and dialogue.
Presenters focused on the problems their solutions address, what sets them apart, the stage of development, and real-world use cases. This session highlighted how cutting-edge technologies are shaping the future of retail media and provided the Council with actionable insights into emerging tools and capabilities.
Participating companies: Criteo, Koddi, Moloco, Thankly.Ai, The Trade Desk
The discussion then shifted to non-endemic advertising, exploring how brands that do not sell directly through the retailer can engage effectively within retail media networks. The session emphasised that non-endemic advertisers are often easier to work with, as they carry less internal ownership, reducing political friction and opening new revenue streams without impacting core commercial relationships.
Attendees with a non-endemic programme shared how they rely on pre-approved advertiser lists, controlled channels, and placement restrictions to safeguard the customer experience. Perhaps most importantly, curation and contextual relevance were highlighted as critical: when non-endemic campaigns are thoughtfully aligned with content and audience, they can be highly effective; when poorly executed, they risk becoming noise.
The Council concluded that non-endemic advertising represents a high-growth opportunity, but success depends on disciplined implementation, operational guardrails, and a clear understanding of advertiser needs.
Finally, the meeting introduced the first paper in a five-part series, examining the intersection of trade and media investment in Retail Media. This session focused on the importance of shared definitions and frameworks, helping the industry align on what constitutes trade versus media, and how these investments should be measured.
By creating a practical, side-by-side framework, the paper aims to prevent misaligned budgets, inconsistent reporting, and stalled progress, while laying the foundation for transparent, scalable Retail Media strategies. Through collaboration across brands, retailers, agencies, and finance teams, the series seeks to move beyond terminology debates to actionable solutions that support accountable growth.
The day concluded with a networking dinner in partnership with Koddi, offering attendees the chance to reflect on the day’s insights, continue conversations, and explore potential collaborations in an informal setting.
The March 2026 Retailer Council meeting reinforced the importance of certified measurement, innovation, agency engagement , and industry alignment, setting a strong tone for the year ahead as the Council continues to shape the future of Retail Media.
