Swiss Retail Media Day addresses lack of industry standards

The second Swiss Retail Media Day, held in Zurich, brought together retailers, technology providers, agencies, and brands to discuss the evolving landscape of advertising at the point of sale. While there is significant interest in the sector, industry leaders identified structural challenges that outweigh technological ones.

Roger Baur, President of IAB Switzerland, highlighted a critical lack of common standards. He noted that stakeholders are currently attempting to build individual proprietary systems rather than finding a common denominator, both nationally and internationally. This fragmentation results in varying definitions, measurement metrics, and technological stacks, making it difficult for agencies to plan effectively and for brands to track KPIs.

Discussions also addressed the need for concrete business cases over artificial intelligence hype. Daniel Knapp, Chief Economist at IAB Europe, emphasized that the market requires measurable results rather than buzzwords. A central question facing the industry is whether retail media will generate new value or simply shift existing classic media budgets.