Hanshow and CGF Launch DDVC Springboard EU Spotlighting Retail Media Networks and AI Innovations
Hanshow, a global leader in digital retail solutions, in collaboration with the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), hosted the Data-Driven Value Chain (DDVC) Springboard EU” workshop on August 28 at the Hanshow office in Amsterdam, preceded by a networking dinner on August 27. The curated program brought together over 30 senior decision-makers from the retail, consumer goods, media agencies, and technology sectors under the theme “Integration Power: Synergy of Shoppers, In-Store, and Retail Media to Drive Sales.
The events included an opening by CGF and Hanshow, a showroom tour, an expert panel on in-store marketing trends, a keynote from Microsoft on the role of AI in retail media, Hanshow use cases, an immersive Retail Journey Mapping Lab, and a co-working session led by Microsoft.
Promoting ecosystem collaboration through Retail Media Networks
Kicking off the day, Ruediger Hagedorn, Director of DDVC at CGF, set the tone for the collaboration and placed interoperability at the center. He positioned DDVC as the place where RMNs, shopper marketing, and in-store activation can be unlocked through seamless data flow and shared insights: “Interoperability is the key to seamless data flow and meaningful insights. It enables a pre-competitive, collaborative approach to connecting with consumers and ensures a unified customer experience online and in-store.”
Building on this strategic framework, Nate Pinkston, Global Head of Retail Media at Microsoft, outlined how AI is becoming the driver of transformation for retail media—agent-based commerce, real-time personalization, cross-platform data harmonization, and adaptive media—and added: “AI is changing the way people shop—it’s transforming the shopping experience and where discoveries happen. Retailers and brands must adapt now or risk being left behind.”
To translate the strategy into in-store results, Eason Tong, Dean of Hanshow’s Retail Research Institute, presented IoT-enabled scenarios, from ESLs to smart shopping carts, that transform physical stores into intelligent retail media environments: “I believe that physical stores are the last gold mine of retail media networks—capturing shelf attention is the key to a brand’s growth.”
Immersive Session: Transforming Stores into Intelligent Media Ecosystems
The Retail Journey Mapping Lab, co-led by Philippe Brochard, board member and CEO of Retail, and Eason Tong of Hanshow, and featuring leading retailers, CPGs, and media agency experts, was a highlight of the workshop. More than just a discussion, it offered a live experience demonstrating how in-store retail media connects online and offline channels into unified commerce ecosystems. Philippe emphasized that this integration transforms every customer touchpoint into a multiplier of sales and engagement, creating shared, measurable value for all stakeholders.
Attendees experienced firsthand how in-store retail media transforms every square meter into a performance-driven, monetizable asset. By merging online and offline behavior, physical stores become intelligent data hubs that deliver personalized engagement at the precise moment of decision.
The session also highlighted the collaborative nature of retail transformation:
- For retailers: unlocking new revenue streams and measurable ROI for infrastructure.
- For brands: Precise targeting and attribution from discovery to purchase in real time.
- For consumers: Seamless, personalized commerce at the moment of decision.
- For media and technology partners: programmatic buying, cross-channel orchestration, and new monetization models.
As Hanshow emphasized, nothing replaces the live experience. RMN is about creating value together in real time.
Practical innovation in the Hanshow showroom
In the Hanshow showroom, guests experienced how the company’s digital solutions transform stores into measurable media environments. From electronic shelf labels (ESLs) and entry displays to smart shopping carts, Hanshow showcased an integrated system that enables consistent campaign orchestration and real-time optimization of pricing, planograms, and on-shelf availability.
The demonstrations demonstrated how ESLs now serve not only as pricing infrastructure, but also as powerful in-store marketing touchpoints, connecting shelves, mobile devices, and customer journeys through NFC and AI-driven content delivery. These innovations enable retailers to unlock seamless promotions, customer engagement, and data-driven insights, transforming every store into a results-driven marketing environment.
The DDVC Springboard EU workshop highlighted how Retail Media Networks are becoming the new growth engine for retail, transforming physical stores into intelligent, data-driven ecosystems where every touchpoint is measurable and monetizable. By bringing together retailers, brands, media agencies, and technology leaders, CGF and Hanshow demonstrated the power of pre-competitive collaboration to build interoperability, define common standards, and unlock new revenue streams. This was a milestone in shaping a unified RMN community and accelerating the future of AI-powered omnichannel retail media.
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