Retailers are expanding into advertising, fintech services, and data monetisation as intensifying competition puts pressure on product margins.

FairPrice Group has deployed about 3,000 smart trolleys across selected stores ahead of a wider rollout planned for 2027, linking carts to shopper app accounts to personalise ads and offers.

Speaking at the Retail Asia Summit 2026 in Singapore, Sanjay Singh, senior vice president for the Investor Transformation group at Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific, said retail media can become a profit engine for physical stores by connecting demand, inventory, payments, and fulfilment.

Grocery operators are using point-of-sale data to sell brand campaigns inside physical aisles. Rajiv Singh, head of the retail media network at FairPrice Group, said an in-store initiative run with Singapore’s Health Promotion Board shifted 12 percent of approximately 500,000 targeted shoppers toward lower-sodium product alternatives. The state health agency is now doubling the budget and scale of the campaign.

Ad deals are benchmarked on incremental return. The grocer measures exact sales generated per marketing dollar spent. Linking smart shopping trolleys directly to the FairPrice mobile app allows the chain to trigger personalized promotions as shoppers navigate aisles.

Packaged goods manufacturers gain direct access to verified purchase histories through these retailer-owned networks. Brands pay premiums for verified basket conversions rather than broad digital impressions across open web platforms.

Duty-free and department store operators are adjusting checkout rules to capture spending outside physical premises. The Shilla Duty Free now allows travelers to purchase merchandise via the iShopChangi platform up to 30 days after their trip, according to Joanne Soh, head of consumer marketing and e-commerce at the travel retailer.

Source link