Retail: 5 convictions for your acquisition strategies

At the European Tech for Retail event, France Digitale and FDJ United Ventures unveiled their Retail Mapping. Frak Labs is featured among the startups driving retail forward in France, and when you hear the news, you say a big yes.

Beyond the mapping, my main takeaway from those days is that retail is undergoing a profound transformation. Between keynotes, booths, and talks with retailers, e-merchants, and agencies, here are five convictions that emerge.

1. Social commerce is no longer a trend, it is second nature

This is the clearest takeaway, and it fundamentally changes the question.

We no longer wonder if consumers discover products via social media: that is a given. The way they discover brands has fundamentally changed: they discover them through friends, creators, communities, and social networks [1].

The question has shifted one level up: not “where” they discover, but “who” they trust.

And right now, social networks are noisy, but trust comes from those close to them.

The implication: activate your customers and your communities, not just professional influencers.

2. Brands want to understand, not guess

What 100 % of decision-makers repeat, without exception: “We want to know what actually works, and why.”

This is a demand for attribution, and it comes at the worst possible time for established channels. The end of third-party cookies, browser protections, multi-device journeys: last-click attribution is becoming a convention rather than a true metric. On major platforms, brands structurally lack transparency, data, and reliable attribution [1].

The implication: invest in channels with clear attribution, traceability, and actionable insights. This criterion is becoming a dealbreaker when choosing a channel, not a bonus.

3. Traditional acquisition is hitting a ceiling

Soaring CPCs, ad saturation, falling ROI. Customer acquisition cost has surged by over 60 % in five years [1], and consumers are increasingly ignoring ads, with ad fatigue and ad-blocking on the rise [1].

Two phenomena overlap, and their combination creates the ceiling: customers no longer want a “standard” experience, they want theirs. And they no longer believe in advertising, they want authenticity.

In other words, you cannot offset rising costs with more volume, since volume is precisely what degrades receptivity.

The implication: adapt acquisition to real journeys, and bring earned back into the mix: customers, communities, trusted creators. Earned is no longer the icing on the paid cake. It is becoming a full-fledged line item.

The topic is covered in detail in Customer acquisition is broken.

4. Immediacy changes engagement

A less expected, but highly operational conviction: deferred incentives no longer work.

Users want simple, immediate, and transparent rewards. A reward that arrives later, with conditions, on a future purchase, no longer delivers the intended effect. That is one of the main reasons why so many loyalty and referral programs stall.

The implication: prioritize instant reward mechanics, which are genuine engagement boosters. See Cash, points, or gift cards.

5. Retail media is looking for an alternative

Retail media exploded because it provided what social was losing: first-party data and proximity to the purchase. But it repeats the same logic: buying ad space on an audience you do not own.

The path emerging: an alternative built on authentic recommendation rather than mass media buying, with controlled acquisition costs.

The implication: think in terms of an owned channel, not just available inventory.

Where these convictions converge

These five points are not separate. They describe the same movement: retail is looking for channels that are credible, measurable, and under control.

This is also what emerges from the mapping trends, and why recommendation fits in quite naturally:

• Hyper-personalization: each acquisition campaign is tailored specifically to the brand’s industry, goals, and customer journeys
• Social commerce: turn every customer and community into a direct acquisition channel, without intermediaries
• Transparency: visible, trackable data, flows, rewards, and performance managed by the brand
• Retail media: an alternative built on authentic recommendation
• Payment and retail fintech: immediate, secure payouts with cash-reward mechanics tailored to each customer profile
• Predictive AI: smart mechanics to boost conversions and engagement

What this means for your plan

Yes, bringing AI into the picture is a given. But so is bringing trust, social proof, and smart automation.

And a reminder that holds true far beyond trade shows: your customers are formidable growth drivers. When technology powers it, this authentic influence becomes a cornerstone of modern retail.

What about you: how do you plan to tackle your acquisition challenges? Innovate by unlocking new channels, or keep optimizing the same ones?

Because running the same playbook while CAC keeps climbing on social networks… just saying.

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I am Virginie Maire, co-founder of Frak Labs, which turns your customers into a scalable, profitable, and authentic acquisition channel. A committed entrepreneur and mother of two, I have spent 20 years navigating media, social networks, influence, and e-commerce… and I am still having just as much fun!