4 Game Changers We Learned at FMI Midwinter and NGA
What the latest shifts in grocery retail mean for how brands show up, reach shoppers, and drive purchase.
Now that we are through January and February, we wanted to do a conference wrap-up.
Both events made one thing clear: the grocery retail landscape is shifting in ways that directly affect how CPG brands plan, activate, and measure retail media. The most successful strategies are rooted in making life easier for shoppers and staying true to what you specifically do best.
Across conversations, panels, and one-on-one meetings, several themes recurred.
Keep reading for four gamechangers that are shifting the retail landscape in 2026, plus what they mean for your marketing strategy.
#1 Shoppers Want to Feel Something
The buzzwords were everywhere at both shows.
Artificial Intelligence.
Retail media.
Agentic commerce
But what stood out most was a renewed focus on authenticity and human connection.
As Adsta Principal Shawn Tuckett shared during conversations at NGA, these events have changed dramatically over the years. Digital platforms are now table stakes for success.
At the same time, retailers are pushing back on the idea that technology alone drives loyalty. They’re leaning into what makes them different and focusing on being a great local grocer that knows its community.
For brands, this is an opening. When a retailer leads with warmth and trust, shoppers are more receptive. and that goodwill extends to the products on the shelf.
The brands that will win aren’t the ones with the loudest campaigns. They’re the ones whose products show up in the right context, at the right moment, in a way that feels like it belongs there.Technology definitely matters. But it works best when it supports the core experience, not when it replaces it.
#2 Inspiration Is the New Call to Action
One of the clearest insights from both FMI and NGA was simple:
Shoppers do not want more work. They want inspiration.
Retailers have spent years building digital tools like loyalty apps, digital coupons, e-commerce, but many now have disconnected experiences that frustrate shoppers instead of helping them.
That means:
- Coupons tied directly to the ingredients on sale
- Recipes that surface at the right moment, not buried in a content library
- The ability to move from a recipe to a shopping list or in-store action in just a few clicks
For brands, this means the placement of your product matters more than ever. It’s not just about an ad impression, it’s about whether your product appears when a shopper is already in a mindset to buy.
A cheese brand appearing alongside a recipe for a weeknight pasta dish, with a coupon one tap away, is a completely different kind of touchpoint than a generic banner ad.
The question to ask yourself, “is your brand showing up in the moments that actually move shoppers from inspiration to cart?”
#3 Using Social Media to Bring Shoppers Back
Social media has long been used to inspire grocery purchases, but now it's becoming a direct path to purchase. Platforms like TikTok Shop are driving billions in sales, with food ranking among the top-performing categories. Retailers know they will not out-engage TikTok or Instagram. Shoppers are already there, and they will continue to be.
What they’re doing instead is using social media as a bridge back to their own channels. There was a clear-eyed view of social media’s role in grocery marketing. What’s changing is how retailers use those platforms to their advantage.
We heard strong interest in ideas like:
- Coupons that clip directly from social media but are redeemable in-store
- Social content that lets shoppers add ingredients straight to a list on the retailer’s website
- Campaigns that use social discovery as a bridge back to owned channels
For brands, this creates a more measurable path from awareness to purchase. Social reach that ends at a ‘like’ is hard to tie to sales. Social reach that drives a shopper into a retailer’s ecosystem, and ultimately into the store, is a different story entirely.
If your social strategy isn’t connected to in-store activation, you’re leaving measurable impact on the table.
#4 Retail Media Is Entering Its Next Phase
In discussions with retailers and during Shawn’s conversation with Kevin Coupe of MorningNewsBeat, the focus was clear: move away from mass blasting and toward relevance.
Shoppers see hundreds of ads every day. Most of them are tuned out instantly. What cuts through is connection.
The retailers moving fastest are treating their in-store media inventory as a premium channel. One that connects the discovery moment to the buying moment. For brands, that’s a significant opportunity, but only if you’re partnering with retailers who are doing it thoughtfully.
The future of retail media is not about volume. It’s about creating experiences that begin online and lead to meaningful in-store moments that improve the shopping experience.
So, Where Do We Go Now?
Across both FMI Midwinter and NGA, a clear pattern emerged.
The brands that stood out in conversations at FMI and NGA weren’t talking about reach. They were talking about:
- Being present in the right context, not just the right category
- Creating shopper experiences that feel useful, not interruptive
- Connecting digital exposure to real in-store purchase behavior
The smartest retailers weren’t looking for shortcuts or breakthrough tools to solve everything at once. They were asking more practical questions. How do we make shopping easier? How do we show up in ways that feel helpful instead of distracting? How do we use digital touchpoints to strengthen the in-store experience rather than compete with it?
That mindset points to where retail is headed next. Not toward louder marketing or more complexity, but toward simpler, more thoughtful engagement that earns trust and keeps shoppers coming back.
What this Means for Retailers Today
Retailers understand that digital is part of doing business today. But what separated the teams gaining momentum from those feeling overwhelmed was how intentionally they applied what they already have.
The strongest retailers are asking practical questions. How do we make shopping easier? How do we show up in ways that feel helpful instead of distracting? How do we use digital touchpoints to strengthen the in-store experience?
That mindset points to where retail media is headed next: simpler, more thoughtful engagement that earns trust and keeps shoppers coming back.
At Adsta, we’re helping retailers bring their in-store media inventory online, connect the dots across the full shopper journey, and turn their store into a revenue-generating media channel without adding operational complexity.
In case you missed it, get a copy of Shawn’s presentation “2026 Engagement that Lasts” here.
If you’re a CPG brand looking to expand reach and drive measurable sales, it’s time to rethink retail media before the Q1 ends.
Want to activate your digital channels and make them work harder for you? Let’s talk.