Retailers connect with shoppers through retail media and short-form video
What it means: Retail media is advancing beyond traditional retail channels, as first-party data combines with content to power a full picture of consumer behavior and gives brands the ability to connect further with shoppers outside of traditional retail.
Meeting consumers where they are today is an undercurrent across investments in the retail industry, and that extends beyond traditional retail channels. While the growth of retail media networks exploded during the past few years, a clear intersection between content and commerce has emerged that can help retailers reach consumers. Using content vehicles to reach consumers in new ways and convert them into purchasing creates new points of entry to the retail industry, especially at a time when it’s fragmented and content and retail hold the same importance to shoppers.
Kroger Precision Marketing, the retail media branch of 84.51, recently announced a partnership with Disney Advertising to create a collaborative retail media test for CPG’s across Disney’s streaming services, beginning with Hulu. This partnership brings retail first-party customer and sales data to life on the big screen for consumers, and it presents additional engagement opportunities for retail media to grow in other channels. Content and commerce insights together can truly tell a complete story about consumers, both in regard to their behavior at retail and content preferences. This isn’t the first time that content and commerce collided; Retail Leader Prodiscussed Walmart’s offering of Paramount+ to Walmart+ subscribers last year, and more recently, Netflix and Lacoste collaborated on a product collection celebrating identities from popular series on the streamer.
Similarly, short-form video content has become commonplace across retail, both via TikTok as well as first-party video assets. While livestreaming hasn’t taken off with consumers in the U.S., user-generated content and short-form video have quickly accelerated retail trends, particularly for CPG and grocery products.
Content and commerce have natural synergies with consumers, and to many shoppers, retail is just another form of entertainment. Finding ways to expand the reach of first-party data and insights to build retail opportunities outside of stores and e-commerce is critical to building a retail industry that is embedded in the mindset of the consumer.
What’s next: As content and commerce become even further intertwined, promotions between the two sectors may be the next frontier in connecting with consumers.