Cannes 2025

Over a month on from Cannes and our reflections are clear: retail media isn’t just trending, it’s transforming. Along the Croisette this year there were two words that were ever present: “retail… media”. No longer a buzzword, now a business critical channel that’s reshaping the advertising landscape at speed. Over the past year, it’s not just held its ground, it’s proved to be groundbreaking. 

The IAB UK’s bold prediction that “all media will be retail media by 2030” set the tone for Nectar360’s Retail Media Summit 3.0 this year, hosted at the iconic Carlton Hotel. Providing a hub of innovation, insight and industry leadership, our summit poked at the question: Could this actually be possible? 

Striking the balance between AI and the customer experience

AI was everywhere in Cannes and rightly so. But the real conversation was about how we can use it effectively. The challenge? Balancing automation with authenticity. 

“In an AI-dominated age, there’ll be greater demand for human connection and wonder,” said our first keynote speaker Kate Ancketil, CEO, GDR Creative intelligence. 

Her message was clear, AI agents are coming and they will revolutionise workflows, drive efficiency and reshape customer engagement but they must do so with human creativity, not instead of it. The future isn’t less human, it’s more strategic, more personalised and more connected. 

What stood out across panels and conversations was a shift in mindset. AI isn’t just a tool for cost-cutting or speed, it’s become a creative partner helping brands unlock new levels of insight, storytelling and relevance. 

We heard examples of AI being used to predict customer behaviour with greater accuracy, personalise content at scale, optimise media spend in real time based on live performance data and generate creative concepts that spark human-led campaigns. 

AI must serve the customer experience, not override it. The brands winning in this space are those using AI to enhance empathy, build trust and create moments of magic not just efficiency. 

Nectar360 Pollen marks a major development for retail media 

One of the biggest moments for us? The launch of Nectar360 Pollen, our proprietary built, AI powered, unified retail media platform that is set to redefine the future of retail media in the UK. 

Retail media has grown fast and been eagerly adopted by the industry but with growth comes complexity. Brands and agencies are asking for standardisation, simplicity and a unified approach to media planning, activation and measurement.

Nectar360 Pollen is a first of its kind platform in the UK that connects in-store, online and offsite media campaigns into one seamless, omnichannel experience. Audience insights, media planning, activation, optimisation and measurement all in one place. 

Pollen leverages AI and machine learning, this intelligence powers multiple different areas from audience building, creative compliance to measurement and multi-touch attribution. This isn’t just a milestone for Nectar360, it’s a leap forward for the industry, unlocking retail media’s full potential in smarter targeting, better ROI and more meaningful connections between brands and their customers.

Retail media – for today and tomorrow

At Nectar360, we bring deep expertise and a proven track record in retail media, built on years of driving innovation and delivering results for brands. What’s exciting now is how the industry is catching up. That was clear in Cannes, where even panels not focused on retail media couldn’t help but bring it into the conversation. Why? Because it’s no longer a niche channel, it’s a strategic element of a modern marketing mix. 

“Retail media needs to be at the heart of your marketing strategy,” said Emma Magliocchi of Nestlé at our Retail Media Summit 3.0 and that sentiment resonated across the Croisette.

Retail media is central to how brands reach high-intent audiences, leverage first-party data, drive measurable outcomes and bridge the gap between media investment and sales. 

Over the next five years, retail media is set to become the cornerstone of marketing. If Cannes 2025 proved anything, it’s that retail media isn’t the future, it’s the present and it’s only going to get bigger. And maybe, just maybe all media will become retail media…