Re-architecting retail orgs
When asked about the biggest barriers she sees in evolving overall retail media strategies, Hallock shared that the number one challenge clients face might surprise people. It’s not attribution, not gross sales target, but operationalization. “The two questions that I get asked the most often are: ‘How are other people doing it?’ and then, ‘How do we do it?’”
As a result, Hallock expects the next few years to bring a bit of a reckoning for tech-stack decisions. She says the pressure is now on sales leaders to invest in systems that deliver both immediate ROI and more sustainable mid- and long-term profitability.
AI and the future of shopping
No discussion of the future of retail media would be complete without a deeper discussion about the impact of AI. Hallock was bullish on an agentic-led future—and on the importance of brands thinking about generative engine optimization just as seriously as SEO.
As a result, she continued, you need to be prepared for a new kind of user journey; instead of a shopper visiting and browsing your site, an AI agent can be deputized to do it for them.
How can CMOs prepare for such seismic changes in the marketplace? Hallock said it’s about building the right infrastructures to support digital evolution. “You can put your elbow grease into getting a program going,” she shared. “But if you haven’t made technology decisions that can truly take you to that next level, what got you here is not going to get you there.”
