You need audiences built for the way we shop today
Consumers just don't shop like they used to.
Shoppers today jump from platform to platform—spotting a product on Instagram, searching for it on Google, reading reviews on Reddit, and maybe even taking a break before rediscovering it while reading the news.
To stay competitive in the midst of this complexity, marketers need to diversify their ad investments across different platforms to meet customers wherever they are in their journey.
That’s where commerce audiences come in.
You need audiences built for the way we shop today
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Driving Growth Through Simplicity
Key Highlights: The Best Moments from the Commerce Media Summit
You’re in the right place to easily explore key Commerce Media Summit highlights and supplementary reading. Everything you need to stay ahead in an increasingly complex marketing world.
You’re in the right place to easily explore key Commerce Media Summit highlights and supplementary reading. Everything you need to stay ahead in an increasingly complex marketing world.
Driving Growth Through Simplicity
Driving Growth Through Simplicity
You’re in the right place to easily explore key Commerce Media Summit highlights and supplementary reading. Everything you need to stay ahead in an increasingly complex marketing world.
Retailer Panel: Cutting Through the Complexity
Speakers: Andy Stephen (Moderator, Criteo), Jon Beill (Asda), Simon Piper (Skai), Paul Wright (Uber Advertising), Rebecca Dixon (THG)
Summary:
Discussed how to stand out in a fragmented retail media landscape by simplifying strategies, leveraging technology, and focusing on data-driven personalization.
Key Takeaways:
The explosion of RMNs (250+ globally) creates major noise; retailers must simplify offerings to stay competitive.
Audience and moment-focused strategies (rather than broad targeting) yield the best results.
AI and automation are critical for campaign execution and measuring true incremental ROI.
Simplicity and organizational alignment (with leadership buy-in) are essential to scaling retail media.
Agencies' Amazon-centric models present challenges; retailers must educate and partner differently.
AI and Cross - Channel Commerce Made Simple
Speaker: Nidia Istrate (Product Marketing Director, Commerce Growth, Criteo)
Summary:
Nidia showed us how managing campaigns across multiple platforms has become a real headache for marketers – but also how AI can make it a lot simpler. She explained why the future of growth isn’t about adding more tools, it’s about putting the customer first and letting smart AI do the heavy lifting.
Key Takeaways:
Most marketers are juggling five or more channels today — and it’s costing more, delivering less .
To win, we need to move from siloed, manual execution to unified, AI-driven, consumer-first marketing.
Not all AI is created equal — off-the-shelf solutions won’t cut it; we need commerce-specific intelligence.
Criteo’s Commerce Growth platform connects shoppers across social, video, CTV, and open web to drive better results at every stage of the funnel.
Brands using full-funnel AI strategies are seeing huge uplifts — like +37% new customers and 4x better conversions .
Luxury Panel: Redefining Luxury Advertising
Speakers: Katy Holliday (Moderator), Kay Manning (Selfridges), Laura Kalinska (Mytheresa), Lucie Leverton (Harrods)
Summary:
Luxury leaders shared how they balance brand heritage with modern digital retail media, while maintaining exclusivity and storytelling at the core.
Key Takeaways:
Luxury retail media focuses on curation, exclusivity, and brand storytelling—not performance at all costs.
Physical experience remains crucial; digital must complement and extend emotional connections.
Meaningful measurement in luxury isn’t just ROAS—it’s loyalty, engagement, and long-term brand growth.
Budget allocation challenges exist as RM sits between brand and performance teams.
Personalization, bespoke experiences, and gradual scaling are key to unlocking the luxury opportunity.
Navigating the Evolving ‘Less Healthy’ Online Advertising Restrictions
Speakers: Sinead Coogan Jobes and Beth Rogers (IAB UK)
Summary:
Sinead and Beth gave us a crash course in the major changes coming this year around online advertising for less healthy foods. They made it crystal clear: if you’re advertising anything high in fat, salt, or sugar online, new rules from October 1st mean you need a completely different approach.
Key Takeaways:
From October 1st, all paid-for online ads for HFSS (high fat, salt, sugar) products will be banned — no exceptions
Even brand-only ads could be caught if consumers can tell it’s about a less healthy product.
The ASA will be policing ads carefully — and they'll look at the whole brand context, not just what's pictured.
Brands need to shift focus: either promote non-HFSS products, reformulate products, or spotlight brand initiatives like sustainability.
Although the government says they didn’t mean to ban brand ads, the law is still unclear — so IAB UK is actively lobbying to fix it.
Panel: Curation Conversations: How the Industry is Rewriting the Commerce Rulebook
Speakers: Tim Conley (Moderator, Criteo), Lauren Dick (Mail Metro Media), Ben O'Mahoney (Ocado Retail), Sarah Barker (Kinesso UK&I)
Summary:
Tim, Lauren, Ben, and Sarah gave us a fast-paced look at how curation — even though it's not new — is finally finding its stride. They unpacked why precision targeting, first-party data, and tighter collaboration are now making curated media buys outperform traditional strategies.
Key Takeways:
Curation means smarter, more targeted media buying — and it's finally scaling up
Publishers, retailers, and agencies are all leaning into commerce signals to drive better outcomes.
Real-world examples showed curated campaigns delivering stronger brand lift and better ROI than broad programmatic buys.
Privacy and transparency are critical — protecting first-party data while delivering results is the balancing act.
Stronger collaboration across publishers, retailers, and agencies is the next big unlock to make curation mainstream
Fireside Chat: Beyond Amazon - Unlocking Retail Media Success
Speakers: Nicole Kivel (Moderator, Criteo), Luis Pedro Martinez (EssenceMediacom UK), Andy Barratt (Currys)
Summary:
A candid discussion about why brands must diversify beyond Amazon, and how retailers like Currys can compete by leaning into omnichannel advantages.
Key Takeaways:
Overreliance on Amazon is risky; brands need balanced RM strategies for resilience and growth.
Omnichannel strengths—like physical stores—offer a real advantage versus Amazon's purely digital footprint.
Building credible RMNs requires investment in tech, measurement, and a clear differentiated proposition.
Retailers must connect online and offline media experiences to drive full-funnel outcomes.
Fragmentation is real; smart planning frameworks and measurement standards are critical.
Brand Panel: Measuring What Matters
Speakers: Marie-Clare Puffett (Moderator, IAB Europe), Nicole Kivel (Criteo), Jessica Doulton (Omnicom), Ian Black (Publicis), Charlotte Murphy (Unilever)
Summary:
Panelists tackled the evolving challenges of measurement in commerce media and called for clearer, standardized approaches across retailers.
Key Takeaways:
Measurement must move beyond ROAS to focus on incrementality and overall business priorities.
Fragmentation and lack of standardization are major barriers to scaling RM investment.
Retailer first-party data is critical, but brands demand transparency and consistent KPIs.
Organizational alignment between brands and retailers will unlock better measurement practices.
Scaling outside of Amazon requires common standards and interoperable frameworks.
Keynote: Experiences from Building an RMN: The Way Forward
Speaker: Melanie Zimmermann (GM, Global Retail Media Practice, Criteo)
Summary:
Melanie reflected on lessons learned from building Macy’s Media Network and how retail media can scale by balancing trade and brand budgets.
Key Takeaways:
RMNs must shift from impressions to outcomes, focusing on brand goals and not just retail sales.
Winning a fair share of branding budgets requires deep planning, insights, and excellence standards.
Efficiency demands modular tech stacks, self-service options, and white-labeled platforms.
Retailers must differentiate through strategic consultative services while standardizing tech basics.
Fragmentation is an escalating challenge; consolidation and smarter partnerships are vital.
AI Presentation: AI-Driven Innovation Across the Open Web
Speaker: Liva Ralaivola (VP Research, Head of Criteo AI Lab)
Summary:
An inspiring look into how AI, from foundational models to generative creativity, is transforming advertising and commerce media.
Key Takeaways:
AI evolution is moving from perception to generation to autonomous agency—rapidly.
AI embeddings are redefining audience building, targeting, recommendations, and dynamic pricing.
Foundation models trained on commerce data will unlock next-gen personalization and performance.
Collaboration on data sharing between retailers, brands, and tech platforms will fuel future growth.
Generative AI will enhance creative production, making ads more personalized and effective.
The UK Commerce Media Summit 2025 opened with powerful insights from Nicole Kivel, Managing Director for Northern Europe at Criteo, and Jill Orr, Managing Director for Global Retail Media at Criteo. Kicking off the day, Nicole highlighted how simplicity is the key to unlocking the full potential of ad tech and martech. In a space overwhelmed by platforms, acronyms, and data overload, she argued that clarity and ease of use drive real impact and adoption. Jill followed by addressing the growing economic uncertainty and its effect on consumer behavior. She emphasized that while people are spending more cautiously, they still seek emotional engagement and value. Her message: brands must adapt with personalization, trust, and relevance. Together, their opening talks set the tone for the day, reminding us that in a complex, fast-changing landscape, success starts with putting people first.