Retail media is exploding across Europe, but few retailers have moved as deliberately as Coop Norway. Over the past two years, Christian Skaarud has built a retail media business from scratch inside one of Norway’s largest grocery retailers. In this episode of Data Driven Voices, Christian shares the startup journey within an established company: selling something that didn’t exist yet, convincing media agencies to shift budgets from Google and Meta, and navigating internal change management while building a new revenue stream.
In this blog, we summarize some of the key takeaways from the episode.
What retail media actually is
Retail media allows suppliers to advertise close to the purchase point using the retailer’s first-party customer data. Christian explains:
“First of all, retail media is a possibility where you can advertise really, really close to the purchase point. So we open up our own channels and our stores for our suppliers to be advertisers in the actual moment of purchase. Then we know a lot about our customers so we can help you be even more targeted on that placement.”
The value proposition works across the funnel. In-store screens provide high-impact formats where products are already top of mind. Digital placements on homepages and search enable precise targeting. The crucial difference from other channels: Coop can report who saw the ad and whether they purchased. This closes the loop from exposure to conversion in ways Google and Meta cannot match for grocery.
From personalization expert to retail media salesperson
Christian’s background isn’t media. He spent 15+ years in insurance building CRM programs and using data models before joining Coop seven years ago to build their CRM team. Understanding personalization and data made the transition to retail media logical, but the sales aspect was new territory. He found himself pitching a product that didn’t exist yet, asking for premium prices, and learning to use a CRM system himself just to track sales meetings:
“I didn’t have the brand, I didn’t have an example of how it would look – everything was theoretical. It was take-it-or-leave-it: this offer or nothing. We were just trying to figure out who to talk to in each organization.”
The pressure was intense. But going through it taught him how critical sales is. Now the entire marketing organization celebrates each sale together. Building that sales culture in a traditionally non-sales environment became part of the transformation.
Competing against Google and Meta for media budgets
Coop deliberately positioned retail media as a competitor to external media channels, not trade marketing. The target: budgets currently going to Google, Meta, and TV. Christian’s sales manager visits media agencies, not just suppliers directly. This strategic choice reflects where the new money lives. As Christian notes, different retailers solve this differently. UK retail media leans heavily on trade marketing budgets, but Coop wanted net new revenue. Media agencies are eager to understand retail media because they know it’s coming to every market. Being first in Norway gives Coop an advantage in getting meetings and educating the market.
The product helps too. Being able to provide attention metrics, targeting data, and conversion reporting in physical stores differentiates from traditional media. At NRF in New York, the big topic was in-store retail media because even in the US where e-commerce is more developed, over 80% of shopping still happens in physical stores.
In-store technology: Bluetooth sensors and privacy balance
Coop’s in-store screens use 86-inch formats mounted at entry points and throughout their hypermarket stores. The unique element: Bluetooth sensors mounted on every screen that ping mobile phones to count impressions. The system tracks that a unique phone was present when an ad played, then won’t count that phone again for 15 minutes. No personal data collected, no tracking of individuals:
“What we know is how many people that actually watched each ad on each screen. And that’s quite unique. We can actually provide the same kind of data that the digital channels can, but on a physical format.”
Christian acknowledges the privacy considerations. They chose Bluetooth over cameras precisely because it’s less invasive. Future technologies like camera-based demographics, smart shopping carts, and store surveillance will push boundaries further. The key is value exchange: if technology makes shopping easier (like personalized recommendations in online shopping), customers accept data collection. But surveillance without benefit won’t hold.
The hardest battle was internal change management
Building retail media technology and sales capability was challenging. But the most surprising difficulty was internal. Getting an established organization onboard with something new required constant education. Christian estimates 5-10 meetings per topic to get stakeholders aligned:
“The amount of time we used on internal meetings and getting people on board was perhaps one of the most surprising things. For each topic, you need to have multiple meetings. You need to talk more than once to everybody to get them on board.”
Examples: Explaining why they needed different CMS technology than existing screens. Why the sales process targets media agencies instead of suppliers. Why support teams need different processes. A screen isn’t just a screen when it’s an advertising space. The CMS isn’t just CMS when it needs programmatic capabilities. This took months but paid off. Today the organization is 100% behind them. They were named team of the year at Coop Norway.
The startup mentality: Sell first, build later
Christian admits to selling things before being certain they could deliver. This startup approach worked because it created urgency and forced the organization to move:
You have to because it pushes you and pushes the organization. You need to prove internally through sales that there’s a market. That earns your position, then you prove to the market you can deliver.
Having top management support was critical. But beyond that, the team moved fast and figured things out as they went. Technology proved more complex than expected. The initial assumption that you can just buy a retail media platform and everything works out turned out false. Every retailer does this differently, so out-of-box solutions don’t fit. CMS providers try to become retail media platforms. Retail media platforms try to become CMS systems. Everyone wants a share, making it expensive. Testing real solutions before committing helped them understand actual needs versus theoretical requirements.
What’s next for Coop? Scaling to more store formats, launching in their everyday low price banner, expanding digital advertising in the app and DIY web shop. The balance now: deliver commercially while continuing to innovate.
Key takeaways for retail media
Christian’s two-year journey reveals what works when building retail media from scratch:
- Target media budgets, not trade marketing: Position against Google and Meta for net new revenue by going through media agencies who control those budgets.
- In-store is critical: Even with e-commerce growth, 80%+ of grocery shopping happens in physical stores. Solving in-store advertising is essential.
- Internal change takes longest: Expect 5-10 meetings per topic to get established organizations onboard. This work cannot be skipped.
- Sell first, build later: Startup mentality works within established companies. Selling creates urgency that forces the organization to deliver.
- Technology is complex: Don’t assume platforms solve everything out-of-box. Test manually first to understand real needs.
- Learn from other markets: Retailers globally share openly about retail media. Reach out and learn from others who’ve done it.
For retailers considering retail media, Christian’s advice is simple: get started. Test. Learn. The biggest barrier is just beginning. And reach out to others who’ve done it, because the retail media community shares generously across markets.
Inspiration for marketing, sales, and data professionals
Data Driven Voices is a podcast where Avaus together with industry experts, thought leaders, and partners discuss how to harness data, technology, and strategy to drive meaningful change and business results in primarily marketing and sales. The podcast shares actionable insights, success stories, and thought-provoking challenges to help professionals with new perspectives.