Earlier this September, ATS London brought together senior stakeholders from the media, marketing, and commerce industries for a full day of insights, featuring over 30 engaging sessions led by more than 60 expert speakers. With more than 600 professionals attending from 17+ global markets, ATS London remains a must-attend for C-level executives from agencies, advertisers, publishers, tech providers, and more.
Among the day’s highlights was Kevel’s panel, “Is In-Housing Your Retail Media Ad Tech The Path To Success?” The session, hosted by Kevel’s VP of Marketing, Neil Cameron, featured expert insights from MC’s Carlos Paulo, Verkstedt’s Nana Lohmans, and Wolt’s Catalina Salazar; all hosted by Kevel’s VP of Marketing Neil Cameron.
The panel explored why outdated ad tech no longer supports sustainable retail media growth, and how in-housing your ad tech can be the key to driving ROI, ROAS, and incrementality through unique ad formats and precise audience targeting. Now, let’s dive into the key insights and themes from the panel to learn what it takes to achieve success in retail media today.
The main takeaway from Kevel’s panel was the undeniable power of in-housing retail media. Panelists highlighted flexibility and adaptability as essential in today’s fast-paced retail landscape -- and relying on external ad tech vendors, they shared, limits not only flexibility but also control. As Carlos Paulo, MC’s Head of ENDLESS, Retail Media Solutions, put it, “It didn’t feel natural for us to not have control over what we want to do…we just felt that we wanted to have all of that in-house to be able to act quickly.”
Another major advantage of in-housing retail media is the ability to customize ad formats and optimize performance to meet a retailer’s unique needs. Unlike traditional, black-box solutions, in-house setups integrate more effectively with existing tech stacks. This makes for better cohesion and ensures that retail media engagement is seamlessly streamlined with transactional activities. Verkstedt Co-Founder Nana Lohmanns underscored this point, saying, “If you have a completely separate retail media solution which is [disconnected] from your CDP and in-house customer data, it's going to be quite difficult to get your transaction-oriented teams harmonized with the retail teams.”
A prime example of in-housing success is MC Sonae, which leveraged API-based infrastructure to build a holistic retail media offering tailored to its specific needs.
“Being an API-based solution gave us the ability to evolve through time because retail media is in a very fluid context right now. The ability to adapt to whatever formats and channels we want to launch in the future…that is a definite plus. We wouldn’t be stuck with a solution that give[s] us little room for adaptation.”
- Carlos Paulo, Head of ENDLESS Retail Media Solutions; MC x Kevel case study 2024.
Data is the backbone of personalized and effective advertising, and retailers who harness their data are in the strongest position to deliver tailored customer experiences and generate measurable results that advertisers will love. During Kevel’s panel, speakers stressed the importance of integrating first-party data with retail media ad tech to create more targeted, meaningful advertising.
Wolt’s Global Head of Retail Media, Catalina Salazar, highlighted this point, saying, “We see first-party data as a powerful asset in creating more personalized and contextually relevant experiences for our customers. It allows us to offer targeted ads that actually enhance the user journey rather than disrupt it.”
Retailers who effectively use their first-party data can move beyond generic ads, creating a seamless experience that benefits both shoppers and advertisers. Verkstedt’s Nana Lohmanns even called data the “differentiating factor” in retail media offerings. Supporting this, MC’s Carlos Paulo called out the substantial 478% increase in ROAS that MC saw after developing ad formats tailored to their customer data.
“When you have your own setup, you’re able to move at your own pace and adapt quickly to new trends and demands,” Salazar explained. “Without waiting for external vendors to catch up,” retailers eliminate latency and delays, which helps them better serve customers and seize new growth opportunities.
Paulo also noted how in-housing enabled MC to unlock and quickly capitalize on underutilized assets. For instance, with MC’s loyalty app, “We were able to deploy a video ad on some of that inventory [very quickly].” This adaptability allows retailers to tap into new revenue streams, particularly in niche formats like video, optimizing all available inventory with greater efficiency.
Lohmanns reinforced these sentiments, emphasizing that having everything in-house means Verkstedt can “make adjustments faster and respond more efficiently to changing market needs,” ensuring they stay competitive in such a dynamic environment.
The panelists also discussed the logistics of transitioning to an in-house retail media setup, not shying away from the organizational challenges that retailers must navigate. The consensus being that successful in-housing efforts require a small, agile team capable of iterating quickly. As Salazar noted, “In-housing retail media doesn’t just involve the tech stack -- it’s about people. You need to invest in training, upskilling your teams, and fostering collaboration between departments to ensure everything runs smoothly.”
One of the primary hurdles to launching an in-house retail media program is aligning internal teams. Lohmanns emphasized this point, stating, “You need buy-in from multiple stakeholders across marketing, product, and operations.”
While the logistics of moving away from an external vendor can feel complex, outlining goals can help greatly. “When we started thinking about bringing things in-house, the key was understanding our tech requirements and having a clear roadmap,” Paulo shared, “It wasn’t about just switching over -- it was about ensuring we had the right people and the right tools to manage the transition.”
When implementing an in-house retail media program, consider following these steps:
For a deeper dive into whether you should build or buy your retail media, check out our article on Retail Media: Build vs. Buy here.
The panel also discussed how, while Amazon often sets the benchmark for success in retail media, emulating its expansive model isn’t the only path to achievement. Salazar explained that Wolt’s goals don’t align with such a “huge ecosystem” like the Amazons of the world. She explains how Wolt’s advertisers and merchants tend to seek a more simple cost-per-order model and emphasized the importance of knowing “exactly what you can be really great at and deliver[ing] on that.”
The panelists agreed that retailers should play into their unique strengths, particularly in local markets and customer insights, to differentiate themselves and drive performance. By carving out a niche, they can provide advertiser-attractive insights that are just as valuable as Amazon’s expansive reach.
The expert insights shared during Kevel’s panel at ATS London 2024 highlight the transformative potential of an in-house retail media program. Businesses seeking out sustainable growth, more control over their ad operations, or better ways to leverage first-party data might consider bringing their retail media tech stack in-house.
As the retail landscape continues to grow and evolve, those who adapt and innovate will be best positioned to thrive. In-house retail media isn’t just a trend, but a strategic shift that more and more retailers are turning to to craft tailored experiences and achieve impressive results.
Kevel can provide you with the tools you need to in-house your retail media operations, eliminating third-party fees and better positioning your brand to stand out. Think you’re ready? Get in touch today and explore how Kevel’s solutions can elevate your retail media strategy.
