GROCERYSHOP 2025 RECAP: AI, PARTNERSHIPS, AND THE FUTURE OF RETAIL MEDIA
GroceryShop 2025 Recap: AI, Partnerships, and the Future of Retail Media
The DIGITS team just wrapped up an energizing few days at GroceryShop 2025, and this year’s event delivered something different and perhaps more meaningful than the previous years.
While attendance felt lighter (yes, even the Starbucks line was manageable), the conversations were deeper, the partnerships more strategic, and the vision for retail’s AI-powered future came into sharper focus.
This wasn’t a conference about flashy booth reveals or mega-brand announcements. It was about building the infrastructure, integrations, and intelligent systems that will define the next era of grocery retail and retail media networks (RMNs).
Here’s what stood out, who we connected with, and where DIGITS sees the biggest opportunities ahead.
What Was the Biggest Theme at GroceryShop 2025?
Artificial Intelligence dominated the conversation not as a futuristic concept, but as the operational backbone reshaping how shoppers discover products and how retailers monetize their audiences.
More than half of our conversations centered on AI’s dual impact:
- Transforming the shopping experience through personalized recommendations, smart cart technology, and predictive inventory management
- Revolutionizing retail media monetization via automated bidding, real-time audience optimization, and closed-loop attribution
The message was unmistakable: AI isn’t experimental anymore. It’s becoming the operating system of modern retail.
The Shift from Pitch Meetings to Platform Building at GroceryShop
GroceryShop 2025 marked a maturation point for the retail media industry. Instead of brands pitching one-off campaigns or vendors hawking isolated solutions, the focus shifted toward partnerships, platforms, and ecosystem integration.
The smartest players aren’t just competing for ad dollars. They’re collaborating to build scalable, intelligent systems that connect sales data, shopper insights, and media performance across the entire retail ecosystem.
For DIGITS, this reinforced our core belief: retail media success requires orchestration, not just activation. Brands need partners who can connect the dots between strategy, execution, and measurement across multiple retailers and platforms.
Key Takeaways at a Glance
- AI is the new infrastructure: Retailers and brands are embedding AI into shopping experiences and RMN operations
- Partnerships over pitches: The industry is maturing from transactional vendor relationships to strategic ecosystem collaboration
- Regional grocers are rising: Local and mid-tier retailers are building sophisticated RMN capabilities with the right partners
- Measurement gaps remain: Brands still struggle to prove incrementality and connect in-store behavior to digital activations
- Non-endemic revenue is next: European models for bringing outside advertisers into grocery RMNs are coming to the U.S.
The Human Side: Community Still Wins
Does technology replace relationships in retail media?
Not even close.
Despite all the AI and automation discussions, GroceryShop 2025 reminded us that retail is still fundamentally a people business.
From a strategic meetup with the Ascendant Group (the invitation-only network of RMN leaders shaping industry standards) to an unforgettable “Packer Party” attended by industry leaders from Pathformance, Acosta, Nestlé, Woodman’s, and more, the real magic happened in the conversations between sessions.
Whether it was swapping war stories about Target Circle strategy over drinks or debating the future of in-store measurement during a Bears-Raiders game weekend (yes, the conference was dominated by Chicago fans), the relationships built at GroceryShop will drive more partnerships than any pitch deck ever could.
What DIGITS Is Doing Next
Based on the insights and conversations from GroceryShop 2025, here’s what DIGITS is prioritizing:
- Help regional retailers stand up RMN capabilities faster and smarter through partnership models that don’t require massive internal teams
- Expand alcohol retail media capabilities by partnering with platforms like Shipt and regional grocers to solve measurement and compliance challenges
- Build consulting partnerships with emerging platforms like MyFitnessPal to connect new audience data sources to retail shopping behavior
- Deepen measurement collaboration with partners like Inmar to prove incrementality and help brands justify retail media investments
- Explore non-endemic monetization opportunities as U.S. retailers adopt European models for expanding advertiser categories
The DIGITS Point of View
What’s the real takeaway from GroceryShop 2025?
The industry is realigning around three pillars:
- AI as infrastructure – Not a feature, but the foundation for personalization, automation, and optimization
- Partnership over platform wars – The winners will be those who connect ecosystems, not just control them
- Measurement as competitive advantage – Brands will pay premium dollars to partners who can prove incrementality, not just report attribution
For DIGITS, the opportunity has never been clearer:
Help retailers monetize their audiences without building bloated internal teams.
Help brands navigate AI-driven buying environments with strategy, not just spending.
Help partners connect data, compliance, and creativity for measurable growth.
As AI continues to redefine what’s possible, one thing remains constant: relationships still drive retail and DIGITS is here to help connect the dots between people, platforms, and performance.
GroceryShop 2025 wasn’t about volume. It was about vision.
The industry is moving from fragmented vendor relationships to integrated ecosystem partnerships. From basic attribution reporting to true incrementality measurement. From reactive campaign execution to AI-powered optimization.
At DIGITS, we’re not just watching this transformation. We’re helping build it.
FAQs
What was the biggest theme at GroceryShop 2025?
Artificial intelligence dominated conversations, particularly around its impact on shopping experiences and retail media monetization through personalization, automation, and predictive analytics.
How are regional grocers competing in retail media?
Regional grocers like Woodman’s, HEB, and Heinen’s are building sophisticated RMN capabilities by partnering with specialized agencies and technology platforms rather than building massive internal teams.
What is non-endemic retail media advertising?
Non-endemic advertising refers to brands outside traditional grocery categories (like automotive, financial services, or travel) advertising on grocery retail media networks to reach valuable shopper audiences.
How is AI changing retail media creative?
AI platforms like Nfinite enable brands to create unlimited product imagery variations without expensive photoshoots, supporting personalized, dynamic creative at scale.
What measurement challenges do retail media networks still face?
The biggest challenge is proving incrementality, showing that retail media drives new sales, not just captures existing demand, which requires sophisticated attribution models and clean room technology.
Dave Glaza, Founder & CEO of DIGITS, remains committed to bringing digital capabilities to physical stores!
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