Competing with Retail Giants: Steven Dietch Explains How Grocers Can Unlock Retail Media Power

Written By George Goodwin

Updated Septmber 25, 2025

The grocery industry is shifting fast, and one of the biggest drivers of change is retail media. Big players like Walmart, Amazon, and Target are leading the way by turning customer identity data into powerful marketing opportunities. But here’s the real question: how can regional and independent grocers keep up?

I sat down with Steven Dietch, Chief Revenue Officer at Bridge, who’s spent 25+ years in global leadership across Silicon Valley, startups, and now retail media. We dove deep into how smaller grocers can unlock the power of identity solutions to compete with the giants—and why this transformation matters more than ever. You heard us dive deep into the seismic shift happening in advertising: Retail Media. The numbers don't lie—this market is projected to hit $166 billion by 2025, surpassing even traditional TV ad spending. This isn't just a trend; it's the new reality.

The core reason for this massive growth? Purchase data. Brands are flocking to retail media because it moves beyond broad demographics and allows for precision targeting based on what customers actually buy. After all, past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.

Why Retail Media Is Exploding

Retail media isn’t just a buzzword. According to industry projections, retail media ad spend is expected to hit $166 billion by 2025—surpassing even TV advertising.

That growth comes from one simple advantage: retailers can now target customers using real purchase data, not just broad demographics or surveys. Instead of guessing who might want diapers, you can market directly to parents who already buy diapers.

As Steven explained:

“The best prediction of the future is what people have done in the past.”

This is why companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Target are cashing in—they know their customers down to the last item in their cart.

The Challenge for Regional Grocers: Closing the Blind Spot

When it comes to retail media, the big players—Amazon, Walmart Connect, and Target—currently dominate. They have the scale and the identification tools to give CPG companies what they want.

But here’s the critical challenge facing every brick-and-mortar grocer outside of the top few: the in-store blind spot.

For e-commerce, customer identity is perfect—you log in to buy. For physical stores, however, a huge percentage of transactions are anonymous. Customers might not use their loyalty card, or they might not be part of the loyalty program at all. This means grocers are missing out on mountains of valuable first-party data.

The Actionable Solution: Identity Resolution

This is where the power of identity resolution and what companies like Briggs are doing comes into play. It's the technology that is leveling the playing field.

Identity resolution eliminates that in-store blind spot. By taking raw Point-of-Sale (POS) transaction data and running it through sophisticated technology, these solutions can match the anonymous transaction to a privacy-safe individual profile.

What This Means for Your Business:

  1. Massively Expand Your Audience: You instantly convert those "faceless transactions" into a much larger, addressable first-party audience. This scale is what CPGs demand.

  2. Unlock Profitable Media: With a complete view of all customer transactions, your business can build a robust retail media network. This turns your data—your most valuable asset—into a high-margin, revenue-generating product.

  3. Compete with the Giants: By offering CPGs precise, measurable targeting on an expanded audience, you can successfully compete with the Walmarts and Amazons for those massive national ad dollars. You move from being a regional player to a formidable competitor in the retail media landscape.

The Role of Identity Solutions

So, what about independent grocers who don’t have Amazon’s scale? This is where identity resolution comes in.

Identity solutions allow grocers to recognize and connect with shoppers whether they’re buying online or in-store. For most retailers, this happens through loyalty programs—customers join, share information, and in return, the grocer builds a clearer picture of buying behavior.

Steven broke it down:

  • Amazon doesn’t need loyalty programs—everyone logs in.

  • Walmart has gaps in in-store data, but they’re closing them fast.

  • Regional grocers must lean on loyalty programs and identity solutions to understand their shoppers and compete.

Once that data is captured, it can be turned into retail media opportunities—new revenue streams for grocers and better targeting for brands.

Lessons from Startups to Scale

Steven’s career path also carries an important lesson for entrepreneurs and grocers looking to innovate. After years in Silicon Valley and a few failed startups, he only joined Bridge when he could answer one key question honestly:

“Are we solving a real problem that people must fix right now?”

For grocers, this mindset applies too. Competing with Walmart isn’t about copying them—it’s about solving a real problem for your shoppers: personal, local, and data-driven service that big-box stores can’t match.

Key Takeaways

  1. Retail media is booming—$166B by 2025. Independent grocers can’t afford to sit this out.

  2. Identity is the key—loyalty programs and data tools help grocers understand shoppers like Amazon does.

  3. Target real behavior, not guesses—past purchases are the best predictor of future ones.

  4. Solve real problems—focus on shopper needs that big chains overlook.

Final Thoughts

Independent and regional grocers can compete with Walmart and Amazon. The secret is unlocking first-party data and transforming it into new retail media opportunities. With the right identity solutions, grocers can boost loyalty, attract brand dollars, and grow profitably in a highly competitive market.

Learn More & Reach Out

🚀 Ready to explore how retail media and identity solutions can transform your grocery business? Let’s talk. Connect with us and take the first step toward competing with the giants.


George Goodwin
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