Despite the noise around agentic commerce, discovery isn’t fully automated. Consumers may encounter products through digital platforms, but they aren’t yet handing over curiosity or preference-setting to AI.

“[Consumers aren’t asking AI,] ‘Tell me what I should be interested in,’” said Jordan Witmer, managing director of retail and commerce media at agency Salt XC, during a LinkedIn live event with Kiri Masters, writer and host of Retail Media Breakfast Club. “Discovery still happens in day-to-day life and across a lot of other media.”

That’s why marketing continues to matter as discovery unfolds across platforms. “Marketing primes and drives discovery,” Witmer said.

To complement their digital media strategies, brands are increasingly turning to experiential in-store retail media to reach consumers inside the physical store. But succeeding in-store requires a mindset shift that treats the physical aisle like a creative canvas, not just a point of sale.

Creativity reshapes the in-store experience

In his previous roles at Hershey, Stanley Black & Decker, and Kenvue, Witmer admitted that his own focus had long been elsewhere.

“To tell on myself a little bit, I didn’t think about it at all,” he said. “In my role, I was focused on ecommerce. How do I win a search result?”

Now, the rise of in-store retail media is pushing brands to apply the same craft to in-store campaigns as they do to digital ones.

“Bring that same level of energy that you put into developing a 30-second ad that you put into developing like a big campaign idea, bringing that level of energy to planning for in-store,” urged Witmer. “It completely changes what you can actually accomplish.”

By combining the creativity of digital advertising with the scale and sensory power of physical retail, brands can create more experiential shopping moments for consumers.

And these moments can drive both performance and brand-building results.

• 77% of consumers say a physical, in-person branded store experience has driven them to make an immediate in-store purchase, while 71% say physical store experiences deepen their connection to a brand, according to Harris Poll data.
• “By turning that into a different level of experience we start getting some of the best of both worlds,” Witmer said. “We’ve seen massive spikes in [sales] during activations, but some of the secret sauce is the after effect. It’s how long a consumer remembers a unique experience.”

Witmer pointed to Salt XC’s work with Unilever as an example. At select Costco locations, the agency created double-sided printed air fresheners infused with Dove Men+Care deodorant scents.

“Spray deodorant or shampoo and conditioner do not sample well,” Witmer said. “You can’t just go around spraying all day in a retail environment. You also can’t wash somebody’s hair in the middle of a Costco.”

Instead, the focus shifts to removing friction and reducing uncertainty. “Do I like the scent? Does it last the 72 hours that it claims it’s going to last?” he said. “It helps [consumers] leap over that barrier.”

The struggle to scale

As in-store activations gain momentum, brands face practical constraints, from measurement systems built for digital media to organizational structures that limit funding and scale.

“You’ve got to measure these [in-store activations] in multiple ways,” said Witmer. “When you’re measuring short-term ROI, it’s a lot less about impressions and it’s a lot more about match, market, sales, lift. It’s about year-over-year growth.”

Longer-term measurement is even more difficult. “How we measure that in a longer-term ROI, where most of our measurement systems are built for impressions…that’s where it tends to get really complex inside of brands.”

Operational constraints add another layer of friction.

“The majority of funding for these types of activities sits in shopper budgets right now,” he said. “The hurdle has not largely been cleared to create that idea that this is investment that is truly brand building activity.”

Still, Witmer expects tension to ease over time. Just as brands eventually made room in their budgets for off-site retail media, he believes in-store investment will follow a similar path.

“If you look at the Amazon budget for any major brand, you’re going to see the traditional retargeting and sponsored products, but you’ll also see huge chunks of streaming,” he said. “There are many brands out there, [particularly] larger ones, where the investment makes it worthwhile to figure this out.”

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