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- Shoptalk Europe 2025 Is Approaching!
Shoptalk Europe 2025 Is Approaching!
What to expect, what’s changed, and what’s coming to the stage this June in Barcelona.
Zihan Lyu
May 10, 2025
Hi there,
We're back — and this time, it's Barcelona.
New here? Welcome to Unofficially Shoptalk — the official insider's take on what’s shaping the future of retail. We're here to bring you closer to the conversations, strategies, and signals that matter most before, during, and after the event.
Shoptalk Europe 2025 is around the corner, and the signals are getting louder. From last year’s pivot toward execution in unified commerce and loyalty to this year’s US edition spotlighting AI, predictive planning, and retail media’s pressure points — the themes are converging.
In this issue, we recap what’s still echoing from Vegas, revisit the shifts that shaped 2024, and surface what to watch — and why it matters — as Europe takes the stage.
🔁 What Last Year Taught Us
🤖 AI in retail moved into production
IKEA said 46% of its customer service interactions are now handled by AI, freeing staff to focus on sales. Zalando and Amazon used AI assistants for search and discovery, while Pandora used data-driven rules to optimize product recommendations across channels.
📺 Retail media became a core strategy
PepsiCo launched full-funnel campaigns that linked in-store and digital activations. Kraft Heinz reported measurable sales lifts by automating campaign workflows. Sonae and Miravia opened up seller dashboards, showing how retailer-side collaboration is starting to catch up to demand.
🔄 Unified commerce became operational
Currys used RFID and fulfillment data to close availability gaps and avoid lost sales. Picnic negotiated consistent cross-border pricing to simplify customer journeys. For many retailers, omnichannel wasn’t the strategy — execution was.
💳 Customer loyalty depended on value, not gimmicks
RMS Beauty shared that 83% of customers return when they feel recognized. Retailers saw stronger repeat behavior when loyalty programs focused on cash-back, embedded services, or meaningful incentives instead of points.
🧠 Personalization was defined by infrastructure, not messaging
Zalando highlighted the challenge of recommending across 100 million SKUs. Pandora’s personalization engine used structured logic to deliver reliably. The real constraint was rarely ambition — it was legacy systems and disconnected teams.
Missed it? Watch the energy and key moments from Shoptalk Europe 2024 👇
🇺🇸 Questions from Shoptalk US 2025 the industry is still answering
What just wrapped up in Las Vegas was less about unveiling the next big thing — and more about pressure-testing what's already in motion. The questions that surfaced in the US are the same ones echoing in European boardrooms.
❔ Is measurement finally ready to deliver clarity — not just dashboards
Attribution dominated discussions, but this time it came with pushback. Clean room fatigue is real, and brands are pushing for models that help them make trade-offs, not just track activity. The focus is shifting from reporting to decisions.
Solutions like Fospha are emerging to provide marketers with clear visibility on where ad spend drives real business impact.
❔ Can merchandising get ahead of demand instead of reacting to it
Walmart and Aritzia are rebuilding their planning processes around predictive signals. It’s not about one AI tool — it’s about embedding forecasting into how teams buy, plan, and move inventory across channels.
❔ Are loyalty programs becoming the engine behind media performance
Retailers like Ulta and Kroger are linking loyalty data directly to retail media delivery. Offers, spend, and targeting are increasingly driven by behavioral signals. That’s creating pressure to break silos between media, CRM, and analytics.
❔ Is GenAI part of the workflow or still on the wishlist
This year, GenAI moved past prototypes. Retailers shared how it’s powering PDP copy, live chat, and internal tools. The difference now? It’s being judged on how well it fits into real work — not on how futuristic it sounds.
These questions aren't new for Europe — but the urgency is growing. So how are retailers on this side of the Atlantic preparing to answer them?
💬 Share your ideas with ClickZ
Got a perspective on how these challenges are playing out in your team or market? We’re always looking to include voices from across the ecosystem.
*Want more insights for Shoptalk US 2025? Check our website.
🔮 What to Watch at Shoptalk Europe 2025
The questions raised in the US are taking shape in Barcelona — but with different constraints, different players, and regional nuance. Here’s what the European agenda is signaling:
Theme | What to Watch |
|---|---|
🛍️ Unified commerce as margin strategy European retailers are moving unified commerce out of the experience bucket and into the P&L. In sessions spanning stock visibility, assortment planning, and fulfillment architecture, execs explored how better orchestration can protect margin. | Sessions to Watch: |
💡 Retail media goes physical The in-store moment is getting smarter. From Tesco and REWE’s media plays to conversations on real-time activations, retailers are pushing retail media deeper into physical environments — and proving its value to suppliers. | Sessions to Watch: |
🧠 AI enters the decision loop AI is showing up in pricing, planning, and PDPs. But the sessions weren’t about tech-first innovation. The focus was on adoption, accountability, and guardrails. | Sessions to Watch: |
And here’s where Fospha can help: the platform gives DTC marketers full-funnel clarity on what’s actually driving growth — across channels like TikTok, retail media, and performance spend. As budgets tighten and AI accelerates experimentation, brands need this kind of attribution built for decision-making, not just reporting.
Curious what that looks like in practice?
🧾 Personalization is becoming infrastructure Brands are scaling personalization beyond UX tweaks — and making it core to loyalty, growth, and organizational design. This year’s sessions focused on operationalizing data-driven CX, not just A/B testing it. | Sessions to Watch: |
🏪 Physical store rethink Teams explored how store ops, labor, and tech come together to support the modern store. | Sessions to Watch: |
📲 Like what you’re seeing?
And that’s just the beginning. We’ve got exclusive insights and game-changing ideas coming your way in the next few weeks — all designed to keep you ahead of the curve. Stay tuned, because Shoptalk Europe 2025 is about to get even more exciting!
The Unofficially Shoptalk Team
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