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The event brought together nearly 400 C-level delegates from across the SPAR network from dozens of countries, offering everyone a front-row seat to the biggest development trends shaping the future of retail. SPAR also invited its partners to present their innovations, and Doohlabs was proud to attend as the preferred platform partner for retail media.
Held at the Westin Hotel, the congress was packed with SPAR delegates from all over the world. The speaker lineup featured voices from multiple SPAR countries, and retail media was a recurring theme throughout the program. One highlight for us was when Tobias Wasmuht, Managing Director of SPAR International, gave a shout-out to Doohlabs in his keynote—an honor we greatly appreciated.
It was also a pleasure to meet some familiar faces. Members of Tokmanni management team were present following their newly signed license agreement to represent SPAR brand in Finland. Doohlabs has worked closely with Tokmanni, partnering for an in-store retail media pilot last year.
One key takeaway from the congress was clearer than ever: for most retailers around the world, in-store retail media is becoming the most important media channel. While e-commerce sites, email marketing, mobile apps, and traditional touchpoints like customer magazines remain relevant, the most impactful customer interactions still happen in the physical store.
At Doohlabs, we call this philosophy 'in-store first.' It means every retail media solution is designed as the store in the core, while seamlessly integrating with each retailer’s unique channels, operations, and customer touch points—maximizing both business value and customer experience.
We’ve also been championing another important perspective: creating optimal solutions for multinational retailers that allow global brands to scale campaigns efficiently, while still addressing local advertisers' needs. SPAR’s multi-market approach makes them a perfect match for this vision.
All in all, it was an inspiring week. In-store retail media is possibly the hottest topic in the retail media world right now, and we’re thrilled to be in the middle of the conversation—discussing what’s next and how to build it together with retailers.
