News Briefs

Walgreens Advertising Group (WAG), the drugstore giant’s retailer media network, is focusing on “a summer of upleveling” when it comes to brand solutions, the retailer said in a media release shared with the Path to Purchase Institute.

The first move: piloting digital in-store signage in select stores across 30 states this fall.

The announcement came just after Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth said in a June 27 earnings webcast that a “significant” portion of underperforming stores would close over the next three years. 

“Currently, 75% of our [approximately 8,700] U.S. stores contribute roughly 100% of our segment AOI (adjusted operating income),” Wentworth said in the webcast. “For the remaining 25% of the stores in our network which are not currently contributing to our long-term strategy, changes are imminent. … For the remaining portion of this cohort, we are taking action to improve profitability.”

Walgreens’ stores will continue to play a pivotal role in the company's strategy as it bolsters its digital signage/offerings, customer experience and brand opportunities.

[P2PI members can view Walgreens extensive Retailer Profile, including its Retail Media strategy, Store Formats/Growth, Displays and Signage and more]

Abi Subramanian, group vice president, customer loyalty and media monetization, Walgreens, says the company believes the introduction of “Digital In-Store” will help raise adoption of its key programs, such as one-hour delivery and buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS), plus drive cross-category shopping and impulse purchasing by influencing customer decisioning.

"The next six-plus months will be a key learning period to test and learn from our 'Digital In-Store' technology and find the ideal mix of placements and messaging that resonates with our customers,” Subramanian said in the release.

Independent ad technology company PubMatic has hired two executives from Criteo and Walmart Connect to its commerce media team. These strategic hires will play a crucial role in advancing PubMatic's unified self-service ad platform, Convert, and expanding its impact across the commerce media landscape, according to a media release.

Tim Rogers, vice president of commerce media, leads PubMatic’s global commerce media strategy, focusing on revenue growth and strengthening the company’s market position. He reports to Amar Goel, the company’s founder, chairman and chief innovation officer. 

Rogers’ experience spans more than 20 years, previously serving as the SVP of enterprise go-to-market strategy at Criteo, where he brought demand and supply solutions to market for retailers, brands and agencies, and was key in the company’s focus on commerce media.

Somesh Bindu, vice president of commerce media product management, leads product strategy and ensures strong execution across Convert and PubMatic’s commerce and retail media product portfolio. He reports to Nishant Khatri, the EVP of product management. 

Bindu previously held product-focused leadership roles at Amazon Advertising and, most recently, Walmart Connect, where he developed products like Walmart’s self-serve platform and Advertising APIs.

“With Rogers leading [PubMatic’s] global strategy and Bindu spearheading product management, we are well-positioned to unlock new opportunities and deliver exceptional value to our partners and clients,” Goel said.

PubMatic’s Convert, launched in July of 2023, enables commerce companies, such as recent partners Instacart and Klarna, and advertisers to use one platform to upload, share, execute and measure onsite and offsite full-funnel campaigns.

Target has teamed up with global commerce platform Shopify to offer products from new and trendy merchants on Target Plus, the retailer's third-party, invite-only digital marketplace. 

As of June 24, U.S. companies that work with Shopify can apply to join Target Plus through Shopify’s Marketplace Connect app. The partnership enables the Minneapolis-based retailer to hand-select popular and emerging Shopify products and brands, such as those from True Classic and Caden Lane. 

Target also will be the first mass retailer to offer select Shopify products in its physical stores in the months to come, according to a media release. 

[Also Read: Why Target’s Website is Invite Only to Outside Retailers]

"Target Plus invites consumers to explore a curated collection of products from vendors we trust, so they can shop our assortment with confidence," Cara Sylvester, executive vice president and chief guest experience officer, Target, said in the release. "Our partnership with Shopify extends the breadth of thoughtfully designed and affordable items available to discover and enjoy as part of Target's distinctive mix of brands shoppers love." 

Launched in 2019, Target Plus leverages in-house “curation experts” to hand select and invite trending, premium, direct-to-consumer and national brands to sell on the third-party marketplace within Target.com. The marketplace now features more than 2 million products from 1,200-some suppliers, such as Crocs, Maui Jim and Timberland.

"Partnering with Target helps high-growth brands like Caden Lane and True Classic reach millions of new loyal customers and take their business to the next level," added Harley Finkelstein, president of Shopify. 

Dollar General has appointed Tony Rogers as senior vice president, chief marketing officer. 

Rogers will lead the development and execution of the retailer’s marketing, brand, media and personalization strategies across all channels, including digital properties and the DG Media Network, Dollar General’s retail media business.

[ALSO READ: Dollar General Bolsters Omnichannel Ad Offerings, Insights]

Rogers has more than 25 years of experience and held several senior executive roles prior to joining Dollar General, most recently as CMO at Signet Jewelers. Prior to that, he spent more than 17 years at Walmart serving in a number of positions, including chief member officer at Sam’s Club, CMO at Walmart (China and then U.S.) and senior vice president of marketing.

“I am excited to welcome [Rogers] to Dollar General,” Emily Taylor, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, said in a media release. “His proven ability to drive innovative personalized marketing strategies that enhance brand positioning, connect with consumers and drive growth will elevate our customer engagement and support our key initiatives here at Dollar General.”

Rogers earned both his Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and Master of Business Administration in marketing from The University of Texas at Austin.

Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM), the retail media arm of Kroger’s 84.51 data science and loyalty subsidiary, has introduced new Meta (i.e., Facebook and Instagram) advertising capabilities that personalize product recommendations and enhance online sales reporting. 

Applying KPM’s retail insights to Meta ads allows brands to serve a list of recommended products within an ad unit, according to a media release.

In addition to traditional media metrics, advertisers see aggregated reporting on retail sales metrics, including online purchases. 

The capabilities will be available to all advertisers later this summer and feature:

• Custom Product Catalogs: Personalized ads for relevant users with products dynamically selected from the advertiser’s catalog.
• Shoppable Ads on Meta: Consumers see a product list curated by the brand and then click to directly enter the Kroger shopping experience.
• Conversion-Based Optimizations: Ads are optimized for specific online conversion events such as add-to-cart and checkouts.
• Product-Level Reporting: KPM will report online sales at the promoted product level. Offline sales are expected to be added to the reporting later this year.

“We’re excited to bring this retail media capability to life with Meta,” Cara Pratt, senior vice president, KPM, said in the release. “By working with Meta, Kroger Precision Marketing can customize product recommendations and fuel conversion campaigns through sales-optimized media."

“Media optimizations rooted in retail sales are essential for brand growth,” Pratt added. “This collaboration with Meta is one more way we are enabling relevant reach, actionable content, and measurable performance across the media landscape.”

Albertsons Cos. has added a new method to deliver in-store discounts digitally through a partnership with San Diego-based Vizer. 

The capability enables brands to send shoppers mobile offers via email after they scan a code in stores. The offers don't involve the retailer’s For U loyalty program.

Vizer tested its first Albertsons offer with Health-Aid kombucha, offering shoppers a BOGO deal. 

Co-founder and CEO Samantha Pantazopoulos demonstrated how to redeem the deal in a video posted on LinkedIn on June 12. At the dedicated “Specialty Drinks” refrigerator at her local Vons, she scans an at-shelf code using a smart device, which directs to a landing page prompting users to enter an email, then delivers the discount bar code to use at checkout.

The offering is available at select banners, including Safeway, Vons, Pavilions and Albertsons.

Vizer (short for “incentive”) originated as a consumer-facing fitness app leveraging incentives and behavioral economics to encourage healthier habits, according to the company website. But in 2024, the company shifted to an enterprise platform, and it now works with retailers and brands to deliver special offers.