While programmatic buying dominates nearly 75% of the digital media landscape, it has historically struggled to gain a foothold in the “beautiful chaos” of the physical store. In this forward-looking panel from What’s In Store for Retail Media Networks at NRF 2026, Chuck Billups of PRN brings together a powerhouse value chain to discuss how to turn the store into the next addressable surface. Joining the conversation to represent the agency, the DSP and the retailer are Amie Owen (OMC), Beth Nussbaum Gross (Yahoo), and Pratyush Kumar (Loblaw Advance).
The conversation shifts the focus from simple scale to intent-based placement, where screens are strategically moved from store vestibules into the center of the aisle to meet consumers at the exact moment of decision-making.
The panel tackles the massive hurdle of fragmentation, exploring how to bridge the gap between unstructured store data and the standardized needs of modern ad tech. The experts argue that for programmatic to succeed in-store, retailers must build an orchestration layer that respects operational guardrails while offering the fluidity of digital channels. By moving away from “grunt work” and manual buys toward an automated, audience-first strategy, the panel illustrates a future where in-store media is no longer a localized trade item, but a permanent, fluid line on every national media plan.
Speakers:
Chuck Billups – Global Head of Retail Media Advertising, PRN
Beth Nussbaum Gross – Head of Commerce Media, Yahoo
Pratyush Kumar – GM, Head of Ad Products, Loblaw Advance
Amie Owen – Chief Commerce Officer, OMC