Retail Media’s Buffet Problem: Why Brands Are Losing Their Appetite (2026 Outlook)

Retail Media Breakfast Club · Feb 4, 2026 · 8m · transcript

I start this episode with a story from a breakfast buffet in Taipei that was so over-the-top indulgent it felt surreal. Sushi, dim sum, pastries worthy of Paris. But by day four? I suddenly became picky, critical, and began to calculate value. And in my opinion, this is the mode of retail media today.

In this episode I unpack how hedonic adaptation explains the shift we’re seeing in retail media investment heading into 2026. The early excitement is gone, budgets are tightening, and brands are asking harder questions about performance, transparency, and whether the premium is actually…