Heading into GroceryNEXT, I half-expected the usual conference soundtrack: bold ambitions, grand visions, and more than a little noise. Instead, I came away more convinced than ever that regional and specialist grocers have a huge opportunity to win big in the next wave of retail media growth, powered by in-store.
GroceryNEXT delivered what it promised: collaboration, knowledge sharing, and (thankfully) actionable takeaways. What stood out wasn’t lofty talk about “market leadership” but honest debate about the grind, the operational challenges, scarce resources, and the tightrope regional grocers walk between protecting customer experience and meeting revenue targets.
That landed with me, because it’s exactly what we’ve seen at SMG. For more than 15 years, SMG has been a partner to retailers across verticals and markets, launching and scaling profitable Retail Media Networks of all sizes. And no matter the context, the lesson is the same: the networks that succeed lean into distinctiveness, protect authenticity, and prove influence.
So what did I hear?
A few things that stuck with me:
Regionals are experience-obsessed.
It’s their superpower. From Lowes Foods’ Wing Wednesdays and Thirsty Thursdays to The Fresh Market’s birthday-only products, regionals invest in community detail that nationals can’t easily replicate. At SMG, we’ve helped turn regional quirks like these into sellable, measurable media products that advertisers love because they’re unique and authentic!
Their 1PD is intimate, not just big.
Nationals boast scale. Regionals own trust. We’ve measured it: networks built on shopper intimacy and loyalty consistently outperform larger peers in brand lift. Advertisers don’t only want reach; they want engagement that actually influences behavior.
Customers earned > customers bought.
Regionals rarely win on price. They win because shoppers choose them. That loyalty makes them more engaged, more responsive, and more valuable to advertisers.
So what’s the retail media takeaway?
If nationals have scale, regionals have trust. And in retail media, trust drives performance.
After a decade at SMG, working across RMNs of every size and sector, a few non-negotiables are clear:
Be distinct: Don’t launch with a copy-paste playbook. Build around the quirks of your store experience; that’s what advertisers can’t get anywhere else.
Protect authenticity: Say no to formats that feel bolted on. If it doesn’t make the store experience better, it isn’t valuable.
Show your impact: You MUST prove impact through data, but don’t spend forever chasing perfect attribution, it’s unobtainable and robust test v control can tell you everything you need to know!
We’ve seen it many times: a retailer raced to scale, copy, and paste without laying the necessary groundwork. Soon enough, cracks begin to show, and the whole concept is considered a failure.
This is where regionals have a head start. They already own quirks, authenticity, and trust. It’s why people don’t just shop regionals; they love them.
Your local chain? The store that knows your birthday cake order? That’s the connection regionals can monetize, creating the ideal value-flywheel that powers successful RMNs.
And let’s not forget, regionals already run wildly different stores: ambience, size, location, range, layout, etc.
That’s differentiation waiting to be monetized. We don’t need to turn every store into Times Square. The opportunity is creating a media ecosystem that enhances the shopper experience in ways only that retailer can.
Coming away from GroceryNEXT, my belief is stronger than ever: in-store is the next battlefield for retail media. Now though, I’m even more convinced that the underdog is going to be a major force to be reckoned with. Regionals have the agility, the brand, and the shopper trust that advertisers crave.
We’ve helped retailers of all shapes and sizes turn their uniqueness into a high-value retail media proposition. This isn’t “what-if” for us, it’s what we’ve done time and time again since 2008. That’s why we’re the pioneers in connected commerce.
