Europe’s Untapped First-Party Data Economy

What is retail media really? And can it be a game-changer for safeguarding privacy and driving European competitiveness? Retail media refers to advertising based on first-party data held by retailers, where ads are shown at the point of sale, both on- and off-site and in physical stores. A synonym for responsible growth for many and a signal of the urgent need for standardisation for others. As new European regulations, such as the digital omnibus and the digital fairness act, are being drafted, it is crucial to fully understand how these new solutions work, their opportunities and limitations.

The Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Roundtable on ‘Beyond the Privacy-Competitiveness Paradox: Scaling European First-Party Data Economy,’ exploring the benefits and trade-offs of retail media by hearing the perspectives of retailers, advertisers and decision-makers shaping the market. Werner Stengg, member of the cabinet of Executive Vice-President and Commissioner Henna Virkkunen, opened the conversation. The discussion also featured the leading voices of a group of high-level participants, including Valda Beizītere, legal and policy officer, data protection, directorate-general for justice and consumers, European Commission; Victoria de Posson, secretary general, European Tech Alliance; Alberto Ferrari, CEO, Sabbiarelli; Mathilde Fiquet, special advisor, European Publishers’ Council; Annalaura Gallo, senior manager, European Union public policy, Wolt; Horst Heitz, executive director, SME Europe; Daniel Knapp, chief economist, IAB Europe; Anna Lachambre, legal and policy advisor, Ecommerce Europe; Anna Mazur, director, Brussels policy office, Allegro; Stefan Moritz, secretary general, European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME; Greg Mroczkowski, public policy manager, ads and international public policy, Amazon; Gadiza Saaidi, retail media lead, Unilever; and Wout van Wijk, executive director, News Media Europe.