“Would anyone miss your brand?” — Retail Marketing Day in seven quotes

Retailers can learn a great deal from other retailers, as was once again evident at RetailDetail’s Retail Marketing Day, which brought together more than 170 professionals at Trademart Brussels on September 24 for a day full of inspiration and networking.

“AI knows you better than you know yourself”

RetailDetail founder Jorg Snoeck, fresh off a successful RetailHunt trip to China, outlined the major impact of AI on the future of retail. The traditional marketing and sales funnel is giving way to connected ecosystems. “AI knows you better than you know yourself.”

That’s quite a statement: the video about a smart toilet that generates a daily health report based on your bowel movements really captured the imagination. At the same time, the retail supply chain is changing rapidly, driven by AI agents capable of performing tasks autonomously. Jorg has since built his own agent that provides him with a weekly health report. A new edition of that Chinese study tour will take place in April 2027—an unmissable eye-opener for retail managers who want to stay current.

“More plastic than fish”

“Plastic was a wonderful invention, but single-use plastic was a less-than-ideal idea: by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans,” said Ruben Renaer of Planet B, the company behind the microplastic-free brands Wondr and Powr. He illustrated how, as a small challenger in a hypercompetitive market, you can still try to hold your own alongside multinationals with massive budgets in the battle for mental availability.

The marketing strategy can be summarized by the acronym “OSEP,” which stands for“Owned, Shared, Earned, Paid.” First, focus on owned media; then aim for “shareability” on social media and free media coverage. “If those first three work well, only then do we invest in paid advertising.” The scale-up isn’t averse to guerrilla tactics, as evidenced by videos filmed in the offices of major rivals Unilever and L’Oréal. Another stunt that drew attention: an employee ran a marathon inside a Carrefour hypermarket.

“Would you be missed?”

“How can we become more relevant to Flemish consumers?” That’s the major challenge for Els Lagrou, marketing director at Albert Heijn Belgium. And she has to do it with minimal resources: 3,000 people work at the headquarters in Zaandam, while in Antwerp there are only 40, six of whom are in marketing. So it’s a matter of making choices and adapting the good ideas from the Netherlands to the local market.

The Dutch video series featuring supermarket manager Ilse became the web series “De wereld in het Kleijn” in Flanders, which follows store manager Lina and her colleagues. TV chef Jeroen Meus promotes the fresh produce packages. The Dutch concept “de schijf van vijf” was adapted into “de Kleijne Swap”—and that swapping has since found its way back to the Netherlands as well.

“The most important KPI in marketing is whether your brand would be missed if it were no longer around,” says Lagrou. The images of the massive turnout at the opening in Leuven—where Albert Heijn had been absent for years because it had to divest a store following the merger with Delhaize —spoke volumes.

The “refrigerator effect”

Publibox’s coupon boxes are a budget-friendly marketing tool for retailers: the concept bundles discount coupons from various retailers into a single box that is distributed door-to-door. Print media is indeed still relevant, says Gregory Gysel, who refers to the “fridge effect”: families pin the coupons that interest them to the refrigerator door, where they remain in plain sight for a long time. At the same time, there is a digital component, and the platform continues to expand nationwide.

Anse Rymenants, brand manager at Lago water parks, shared her experience of how it works. The key is to test and learn: after running a 30% discount offer in 2024, she opted for a 25% discount in 2025, and the response remained at the same level. The fact that Publibox takes all the worries and practical hassles off its advertisers’ hands—including distribution and municipal taxes on flyers—is an added bonus.

“Making big moments even bigger”

In a more than turbulent environment, the 70-year-old Ava took time for self-reflection: “Who are we? Who do we want to be? We used to describe our typical customer as a single archetype; today, we distinguish between different life stages with different celebratory moments,” said co-CEO Fay Van Weddingen.

A new experiential concept is being rolled out in all stores. With summer and Christmas pop-ups at the Wijnegem Shopping Center, Docks Bruxsel, Belle-Ile, Les Bastions, Knokke, and Ostend, Ava is seeking to build closer ties with its customers. A new urban store concept is the logical next step. “Leuven was still a blind spot. The City store got off to a great start there.”

An interesting marketing lesson: “We choose to make big moments even bigger.” Ava has always been strong during First Communion celebrations, the back-to-school season, and the end-of-year period. The chain continues to build on these strengths. However, its most important asset remains the “Avanturiers”—its enthusiastic employees.

“People live in moments, not in brands”

Life stages also formed a common thread in the story told by Bavo Vanhalst of the retail group of the same name, which oversees the brands Supra Bazaar, Dreambaby, Kabine, and Qiddo. “People live in moments, not in brands,” he stated. Thanks to its strong position in baby registries (as many as 20,000 per year), the retailer has been tracking customers even before they’re born, so to speak. Relevant key moments, captured through three million sales receipts, provide valuable data for targeted marketing automation.

Plans are now underway to roll out a group-wide loyalty program following the baby registries at Dreambaby. It’s an ambitious and bold plan designed to ensure the group’s continued growth. After all, physically expanding from West Flanders with large Supra Bazaar stores—which require 10,000 m² and 300 parking spaces—isn’t an option at the moment.

“Not rocket science, but common sense”

The conclusions, according to chairperson Gino Van Ossel? “Today we didn’t hear any rocket science, but plenty of common sense.” It’s all about the changing customer. There were no multinationals on stage, but plenty of local entrepreneurship, with presentations that demonstrated boldness, and creative thinking. “Local can be very successful. Look at Albert Heijn: it’s actually the only Flemish food retailer.” And building a genuine customer relationship requires much more than just offering discounts: “You have to be missed.”

Meanwhile, the next RetailDetail event is already in the works: on November 19, RetailDetail Night will bring the retail year to a festive close. Three engaging pre-events in the afternoon: AI in Retail, Gamechangers, and Category Management. Followed by a dinner and awards show in the evening featuring Gino Van Ossel’s retail year-in-review, a panel with retail leaders, and a keynote by Lieven Vanlommel of Foodmaker. Reserve a table for your group, or book individual seats. Each ticket grants access to both the pre-events and the evening program. More info via the button below.