AdLink highlighted the new opportunities Retail Media is creating for brands and retailers, redefining the way advertising connects with consumers, through its sponsorship and participation in the Consumer Behaviour Conference 2026, held on Thursday and Friday, 1-2 October 2026.
As part of the conference, Thanos Troupkos, Managing Director of AdLink, and Giorgos Alexakis, Media & Performance Marketing Director at Kotsovolos, took part in a fireside chat titled
Retail Media: Where Advertising Meets the Moment of Decision
moderated by Robert Pefanis, Conference Host and Business Development & Communication Consultant at Mediterranean College.
Starting from the transformation of the modern customer journey, the discussion focused on the role of Retail Media in connecting advertising with purchase intent and the deeper consumer need.
As the boundaries between physical and digital retail become increasingly blurred, Retail Media creates new opportunities for brands to reach consumers at the critical moments when purchasing decisions are being shaped.
Any brand now has the opportunity to go beyond the immediate purchase and connect with deeper consumer and human needs, as a purchase can signal a change, a goal, a problem to solve or a new stage in someone’s life.
- Someone purchasing large home appliances to equip their home is likely to be at a stage where they will also need energy, internet and insurance services, making them particularly receptive to relevant communication around those needs.
- Similarly, someone buying a lawn mower clearly has a garden.
- Or someone who regularly visits a gym is clearly investing in their health, caring about fitness and self-improvement.
These are the kinds of consumer signals and needs that brands can now act on, and through AdLink, these opportunities are now accessible to every brand and its representatives.
By understanding the wider context behind these moments, any brand can become relevant before, during and after the transaction, addressing human needs and consumer intent, not just a specific product.
The discussion also focused on the use of data and the importance of understanding consumers’ real needs. A key point was the need to move beyond simply delivering advertising messages and towards creating meaningful touchpoints, with content that is relevant to the consumer’s context and delivered at the right moment.
The conversation explored the opportunities available to both endemic brands, whose products are sold by the respective retailer, and non-endemic brands, which can use the retail environment to connect with broader consumer needs.
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- Robert Pefanis, Conference Host and Business Development & Communication Consultant at Mediterranean College.
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- Thanos Troupkos, Managing Director, AdLink
“Retail Media is not limited to the point of purchase or the discovery phase, when consumers are searching and comparing prices. What matters even more is that Retail Media continues to play a significant role after the purchase, when the retailer knows exactly who purchased what.The discussion concluded by looking at the growth prospects for Retail Media in both the Greek and international markets, as well as the conditions that will shape its further development. AI is set to play a significant role in the future evolution of Retail Media. As the ecosystem is increasingly built around consumer events, first-party data and technology platforms that support targeting and ad serving, AI can help connect these layers — interpreting signals, identifying relevant consumer needs and determining which message should be delivered, to whom, at what moment and in which context. We would like to thank Boussias Events for the opportunity to be part of the 2026 Consumer Behaviour Conference and contribute to the conversation around the evolving relationship between consumer behaviour, Retail Media and the future of advertising in Greece.This means that, through Retail Media, a message can become relevant and meaningful throughout the entire journey and beyond its completion — before, during and after the purchase.”
