Observed Signal · Mar 17, 2026 · Interview · Source: https://martechseries.com/feed/ · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Sherry Smith on Retail Media's AI-Driven Future
Sherry Smith, President of Retail Media at Criteo, discusses how agentic AI is reshaping retail media and offers guidance for brands and retailers. She says retail media has matured and predicts three shifts through 2026: retail media will be embedded across digital touchpoints, new native ad formats will emerge that act like helpful recommendations, and advanced automation and optimization will become essential as digital shelf space grows more competitive. Smith advises brands to invest in structured product data, rich content and strong attributes to perform in conversational and context-driven discovery, and to partner closely with retailers and LLM providers. She reiterates that retailers retain core commerce advantages (trust, pricing, fulfillment) and argues retail media will solidify as a foundational revenue engine when integrated with merchandising and long-term brand strategy.
Provides strategic perspectives on retail media evolution and agentic AI adoption that inform brand and retailer planning, but is an interview/opinion piece rather than a platform policy or technical release.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Sherry Smith is President of Retail Media at Criteo.
- Smith forecasts three major retail media shifts through 2026: embedded ads across digital touchpoints, more native recommendation-style formats, and advanced automation/optimization.
- She recommends brands invest in structured product data, clear attributes, and richer product content to support AI-driven, conversational discovery.
- Smith argues retail media will solidify as a foundational revenue engine and should be aligned with merchandising, category growth, and customer lifetime value.
Connected Companies & Entities
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
AI Alters Discovery, Retail Media Strategies Evolve
Industry leaders at an ADWEEK House Cannes Lions panel co-hosted with Mirakl Ads discussed how AI 'answer engines' are changing discovery and where retail media fits in the marketing funnel. Panelists argued retail media remains valuable because it meets shoppers at point-of-purchase, but marketers must integrate retail media with search, social and emerging AI channels. Speakers highlighted expanded definitions of retail media and commerce media, the rise of non‑endemic brand buys, and experiential in-store activations (e.g., Best Buy’s 'stores within a store' for Meta Glasses). Lowe’s described using partner data to inform assortment and inspiration-to-action experiences, while brands like Unleashed invest in agency partnerships and training to adapt to faster AI adoption in search. The conversation framed retail media as an evolving journey that must be coordinated across multiple discovery touchpoints.
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.
Testing Essential as Agentic Commerce Emerges
Circana executives Cara Pratt and Lindsay Pullins tell The Drum that as AI reshapes product discovery and purchasing, brands must rapidly experiment and prepare for an era of 'agentic' commerce where algorithms — and AI agents — influence or make buying decisions. They argue brands need clear product data, accurate taxonomies, trusted reviews and consistent brand signals so AI recommends their products correctly. Success requires combining strong data foundations with speed, precision and continuous feedback loops. The conversation also frames retail media not just as an advertising channel but as a connected ecosystem of retailers, publishers, brands and AI platforms sharing richer signals.
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