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4 Big Lessons We Learned About Data & Personalization at the Criteo Commerce Forum

Best Buy, DICK'S Sporting Goods, Peapod, and more talk about using shopper data to create hyper-relevant experiences on every channel.

Updated on September 26, 2023

Yesterday, 250 leaders and innovators from top retailers, brand, and agencies gathered at Union West in New York for the eighth annual Criteo Commerce Forum.
The day was full of discussions and experiences that brought it back to our theme—how to unleash your data’s potential. Executives from companies like Best Buy, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Chobani, Lego, Peapod, Etsy, Forrester, and of course, Criteo talked about acquiring and activating shopper data to create hyper-relevant experiences for consumers on every channel.

Consumer behaviorist Ken Hughes was our MC for the day and kept everyone focused on what matters—the customer—while surprising us with four outfit changes. And our keynote speakers, including Sterling Hawkins, Forrester’s Sucharita Kodali, and Best Buy’s Frank Crowson, all gave valuable takeaways on how to be less transactional and more human when using your customer data for hyper-personalization.

To learn more about using data to create hyper-relevant experiences for your customers, download Criteo’s Ultimate Guide to AI-Powered Ads.

1. The next big opportunity is data collaboration

Retailers and brands can do a lot with their own data today. But when they form data partnerships, that’s when the magic happens.

John Roswech, Criteo’s EVP of Retail Media, kicked off the forum with a look at the state of commerce and explained that though retailers and brands are still very siloed, retailers are starting to share real-time point-of-sale data with their brand partners. This allows brands to see consumer activity beyond their own ecommerce sites.

Bill Noel, manager of digital media at DICK’S Sporting Goods, explained that retailers ultimately benefit from data collaboration, too. When brands have a complete view of the customer, they can execute campaigns more effectively and drive more sales through their retail partners.

2. Customer data should inform everything you do

Retailers and brands are using data to personalize different touchpoints in the customer experience. But soon this strategy will be outdated.

It’s not about who does personalization well—it’s about who does data well, Sucharita Kodali, VP and principal analyst at Forrester, said in her keynote presentation. Data should drive marketing, merchandising, and operations; all of this together will enable retailers to get the gains they need to stay competitive.

3. But don’t forget to humanize your data

Even though you can scroll through someone’s entire Instagram feed and see what they were up to three years ago, you wouldn’t bring it up in conversation. That’s exactly how retailers and brands should think about using data, Frank Crowson, SVP and head of US marketing at Best Buy, told us in his closing keynote.

4. It’s time to get “phygital”

After Hughes used the term “phygital” in this opening remarks, our presenters and attendees couldn’t stop saying it throughout the day.

Sure, it’s catchy, but more importantly, it represents the blending of physical and digital shopping in shoppers’ minds. Consumers, especially millennials and Gen Z, don’t think about shopping on different channels—they just have one experience with your company.

Anna Kruse, senior director of the Best Buy Media Network, spoke on The New Rules of Retail panel and said that in the phygital age, every interaction with the customer has to be great—even perfect—to keep people loyal to your company.

That’s a wrap! Thank you to everyone who made this year’s New York Commerce Forum a success.