GroceryShop 2025 brought together leading grocers, CPGs, and tech providers at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas to explore what’s next in grocery innovation. Against a backdrop of economic pressure, fast-evolving consumer expectations, and rapid technological advancement, one theme was clear: the future of grocery is being shaped by data, media and AI. Here are the top six trends that stood out at this year’s event.
In-store retail media is quickly emerging as a foundational pillar of grocer strategy — and the next frontier in competing with Amazon’s retail media dominance. With off-site and in-store formats projected to outpace total retail media growth through 2029, retailers are reimagining the physical store as a digital advertising channel.
Christine Foster, SVP of Commercial Strategy at Kroger Precision Marketing, emphasized that in-store retail media is still “underutilized,” yet uniquely powerful for driving purchase intent, brand equity, and shopper engagement. Innovations like Kroger’s QR-enabled illustrated crosswalks and Albertsons’ digital screen pilots show how grocers are activating customer attention at every moment in the in-aisle journey.
Agentic AI, a new class of task-solving, autonomous AI, was everywhere at GroceryShop. Ahold Delhaize previewed on-click media planning and activation, while Kroger showcased its fully unified AI-driven retail media infrastructure.
And it doesn’t stop at advertising. AI is scaling into demand forecasting, marketing personalization, inventory optimization, and more — creating efficiency for retailers while enabling deeper personalized experiences for shoppers.
Social platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are rapidly becoming shopping engines. According to Jennie Bell from NielsenIQ, food is now the second top-selling category on TikTok Shop, fueled by viral trends like freeze-dried snacks and global sweets.
The takeaway? Grocers can’t treat social as just a marketing channel — it’s now a commerce channel. Integrating social commerce into omnichannel strategies will be essential to attracting intentional, high-intent shoppers.
Retail media networks (RMNs) have moved beyond standalone ad channels — they’re becoming fully integrated ecosystems that connect onsite, off-site, and in-store touchpoints. Full-funnel activation was a major theme this year.
Ahold Delhaize’s new Edge platform is a strong example, using first-party data to enable multi-touch attribution and prove the value of each channel. This shift reinforces the industry’s move toward unified, measurable, data-driven retail media networks.
Even as digital grows, the physical grocery store remains central to the shopping experience. However, its role is evolving. GroceryShop speakers emphasized the store of the future as a multi-dimensional hub of services, discovery, and digital activation — not just a place for transactions.
Albertsons’ Liz Roche described the company’s vision for stores as “full-funnel experiences,” connecting media, services, and shopping into a single journey. Expect more robotic inventory systems, digital signage, reimagined layouts, and seamless digital-physical integrations.
The rise of “Intentional shoppers”, consumers who prioritize health, wellness, and convenience, is driving meaningful change. GLP-1 adoption is accelerating this shift, pushing grocers to rethink assortment, education, and personalization strategies.
Whole Foods is leading with transparency, even redesigning its shopping bags to list banned ingredients — reinforcing brand consistency and trust with wellness-first shoppers.
GroceryShop 2025 made it clear: innovation, agility, and personalization are the new edge. Grocers who capitalize on in-store media, AI-driven operations, and full-funnel ecosystems — while staying aligned with evolving consumer values — will define the next decade of grocery retail.
Kevel is proud to power this evolution. Our API-based platform helps retailers activate their first-party data, scale custom retail media networks, and move fast in a rapidly changing market.
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