“Putting the Store at the Core of Commerce Media” is a six-part video interview series from Beet.TV, produced in partnership with SMG. This six-part series explores the dynamic world of commerce media through candid, one-to-one conversations with leaders at the forefront of the industry.
As retailers and brands increasingly look to activate physical store environments as media channels, the series offers insights, best practices, and strategic thinking on how in-store can drive meaningful shopper engagement, align with other creative channels across the path to purchase, and deliver measurable outcomes. Each episode highlights a different aspect of the retail media ecosystem—from data-driven planning to creative execution—offering a practical, human-centered look at the evolving media landscape inside the store.
We’re kicking things off close to home with Sean Crawford, Managing Director for North America at SMG, who makes the case for putting the store back at the center of the commerce media conversation.
Challenging the industry’s obsession with e-commerce
Crawford didn’t mince words: “I personally believe people have been too obsessed with e-commerce.” While 80–90% of retail sales still happen in stores, the commerce media industry in North America has focused heavily on the 10% that happens online. Why? “Because it’s easier than the store. It’s easier to implement, it’s easier to track, it’s easier to create a brilliant buzz story around it.”
That imbalance, he argued, no longer makes sense. “Now is the time to start looking at that store more seriously,” he said. Stores are where “you can create genuine moments of connection with customers… drive brand awareness, drive trial, but really crucially create that moment of conversion.”
Rethinking the role of the retail store
The store is more than a sales channel. “It’s a media channel,” said Crawford.
Retailers have always excelled at merchandising and creating theatre in-store. But in today’s competitive landscape, success requires more: loyalty, repeat visits, and bigger baskets. Media, he suggested, is “a really powerful tool for the people who are leading those businesses to create brilliant in-store experiences.”
Done right, it complements the shopper journey rather than disrupting it. People want to see and experience products before they buy them, something they can’t do in an e-commerce environment, Crawford said, whether in grocery stores, department stores, or specialist retail. That discovery factor gives the store a unique edge that digital alone can’t replicate.
Driving trial and repeat purchase
Crawford pointed to grocery as a clear example of in-store media’s impact. Consumers tend to buy the same handful of products week after week. “To interrupt that journey takes a lot,” he said. But once a shopper picks up something new, tries it, and shares it with family or friends, it’s more likely to become a repeat purchase. “It’s a brilliant opportunity to drive trial and it’s a brilliant opportunity to get people to then repeat purchase.”
He also highlighted the role of travel retail. In airports, retailers like our partners at WHSmith North America present brands with opportunities to engage consumers in a captive environment. “You can’t escape an airport until your flight is ready to board,” Crawford said. That moment of trial and discovery creates possibilities other formats can’t match.
Integration is non-negotiable
Even as he championed the store, Crawford warned against thinking in silos. “If it is not integrated, it’s a flawed media plan.”
Omnichannel, he stressed, isn’t just a buzzword. “As shoppers, we are not linear. So why is your media plan linear?” Brands need to show up across the entire journey—store, e-commerce, and offsite—to ensure they deliver the right message with the right product at the right time.
Seizing cultural and seasonal moments
Crawford also underscored the importance of cultural relevance. “What I love seeing is when brands take key moments in the calendar… and they think, right, how can we speak to them in a moment that’s personal to them, something that’s really important to them and their friends and family.”
From sporting events and concerts to holiday weekends, these moments offer opportunities to extend campaigns across physical and digital environments. Looking ahead, Crawford pointed to global tentpoles like the World Cup as ideal examples for brands to show up with purpose and impact.
The store is not an afterthought
At the heart of Crawford’s message is a challenge to the industry: stop treating the store as an afterthought. “The store is super important. It should be at the center of everyone’s strategy,” he said. “For commerce media, it is definitely the next frontier that people should be focusing on.”
