Epsilon vs Equativ

Companies Misalign AI Measurement with Customer Value

An opinion piece argues that most companies are measuring AI against internal productivity goals rather than customer value. Epsilon's 2026 benchmark study of 257 marketing decision-makers found 71% use AI for productivity, yet 46% measure its impact by revenue. The article highlights a perception gap between C-level and senior managers regarding AI maturity and value. It also cites data on AI's growing influence in search and retail traffic. The author suggests focusing on customer-centric outcomes and warns against treating AI as a strategy substitute. The piece includes insights from Gartner, Adobe, and Forrester on AI's effects.

• Epsilon's 2026 benchmark study of 257 marketing decision-makers found 71% primarily use AI for productivity, but 46% measure AI performance by revenue.
• Epsilon found 67% of C-level marketers rate their organization as extremely mature in AI, versus 33% of senior managers.
• Adobe found AI referral traffic to U.S. retail sites grew 693% year-over-year during the 2025 holiday season, converting 31% better than non-AI traffic.

Brands Should Use Retail Media for AI-Led Discovery

Esme Robinson of Epsilon argues that as AI-powered search and shopping agents change how consumers discover products, brands should invest in retail media to control the product narrative within retailers' properties. Retailers' first-party data and structured product feeds increasingly inform AI recommendations, so brands that build richer, text-led pages and brand experiences inside retail media environments can influence signals used by AI assistants, improve visibility during peak buying seasons, and create co-branding and promotional opportunities at point of purchase.

• Esme Robinson of Epsilon authored an opinion piece discussing retail media and AI-led discovery.
• The article states AI-powered search (e.g., Google AI, ChatGPT-style platforms) is shifting consumer queries toward context-rich questions and acting as a gatekeeper for discovery.
• Retail media uses retailers' first-party shopper data and structured product feeds that increasingly inform AI agents' recommendations.

Shoppers Cut Non-essentials; Golden Quarter Competition Rises

A new Epsilon report, based on two Censuswide studies, finds UK consumer intent for the Golden Quarter at £17.9bn, but shows widespread caution: 71% of shoppers say they are cutting back on non-essential spending and 68% are seeking lower prices. The research also notes ad spend is forecast to reach £50bn this year while audience growth is minimal and average daily online time has fallen. Marketers plan to prioritise performance (79% of Q4 spend) and many expect H2 budgets and Q4 sales to be up, but the report warns conversion risk if demand proves softer than expected.

• Epsilon's report projects £17.9bn of UK consumer spending intent during the Golden Quarter.
• 71% of shoppers reported cutting back on non-essential purchases; 68% are looking for lower prices.
• Epsilon commissioned Censuswide in June to run two parallel studies: one with 2,000 consumers and another with 200 marketing decision-makers.

European Media Marketplace appoints Christophe Parcot as Non-Executive Chairman to accelerate its next phase of growth

Equativ's press page features a new press release: European Media Marketplace appoints Christophe Parcot as Non-Executive Chairman to accelerate its next phase of growth, dated September 17, 2026. Also new: Genius Sports and Equativ Bring Live Sports Moment Targeting to StackAdapt (Sept 10, 2026) and Equativ et Valiuz offrent de nouveaux leviers de performance en Retail Media avec les Shoppable Ads (Sept 8, 2026).

Retail Media Expands Beyond Retailer Websites to Off-Site Channels

Retail media is evolving from a focus on on-site advertising to a more integrated approach that includes off-site channels. In Europe, the share of buyers allocating over 41% of their digital retail media budget to off-site increased from 30% in 2024 to 46% in 2025, according to IAB. On-site ads capture high-intent users near the point of purchase, while off-site extends retail audiences into the broader digital ecosystem using first-party data activation across display, video, and CTV. This approach builds brand awareness and consideration earlier in the customer journey. Shoppable ads with dynamic product feeds enhance engagement, and incrementality measurement helps assess true campaign impact. A holistic omnichannel strategy connects online and offline touchpoints, leveraging retailer data to unify the journey from discovery to purchase.

• IAB: European buyers allocating >41% of retail media budget to off-site rose from 30% (2024) to 46% (2025).
• Off-site retail media uses retailer first-party data to target audiences across display, video, CTV, and DOOH.
• Shoppable ads integrate real-time product data from retailer catalogs to drive engagement off-site.

Genius Sports and Equativ Bring Live Sports Moment Targeting to StackAdapt

In the News September 10, 2026: Genius Sports and Equativ Bring Live Sports Moment Targeting to StackAdapt