As head of retail media and data at Ocado, Jack Johnson is at the forefront of how shopper insights are shaping brand strategy in 2025. He’s one of the key panellists at this year’s RetailMediaX Executive Brief, where he’ll be discussing “How to Use Retail Media and Shopper Data to Shape Your Brand Strategy”, exploring turning data into action with other industry experts. He spoke to InternetRetailing about how Ocado is using data to drive smarter, faster decisions – and why this year’s event couldn’t be more timely.
Q: How is Ocado using shopper data to inform and evolve your brand or retail strategy in 2025?
A: We approach this in a few ways. One of the main things we do is share a lot of shopper insights, primarily around how customers engage with Ocado.com. That includes where they’re spending time, what they’re searching for, how promotions are performing, and how baskets are built. We encourage brands to use these insights to shape their retail media strategies. We’re strong believers in data-driven marketing, and that’s really the spirit behind it.
Another thing worth highlighting is our recent thought leadership piece, State of Search. This explores how customers use search on Ocado, from common misspellings to the types of products they look for depending on how far out they are from their delivery date. There’s a huge amount of insight in there. We’re always encouraging brands to use shopper data to inform strategy – whether through ongoing insights or more structured pieces like this.
Q: What do you think the biggest challenges are in turning shopper data into meaningful action?
A: One of the main challenges is the sheer volume of data available through ecommerce platforms. That abundance is both a strength and a limitation. There’s so much information that it can be difficult to identify which insights are genuinely useful and which aren’t. Distilling that down into actionable insights that can actually influence marketing campaigns is a core challenge.
The second major issue is timeliness. We’ve been focusing a lot on reducing the lag between when data is generated and when it reaches the business users who need it. Retail moves fast, and decisions are made quickly – so the shorter that gap, the more likely it is that teams can respond in real time and align with customer expectations. For me, it’s really about managing scale and improving speed.”
Q: Why is it so important that shopper data is front and centre at RetailMediaX this year?
A: Shopper data is the unique selling point of retail media. There’s a lot of conversation and hype around retail media becoming a more prominent advertising channel – especially when compared to traditional formats like TV and print, or even newer digital channels like paid social and open web. What sets retail media apart is its proximity to the point of purchase and the rich data that comes with that.
Customer insight and the growth of retail media go hand in hand, so it’s essential that we talk about them together. It’s not just about promoting certain asset types, it’s about recognising that data is the engine driving these trends. That’s what makes retail media truly differentiated.
Q: What are you most looking forward to seeing or hearing at the RetailMediaX panel and event?
A: Firstly, I’m looking forward to meeting brands. It’s really important that the buy-side of the industry is well represented, and this event offers a great opportunity to connect with brands, understand their priorities, and hear what’s top of mind for them.
Second is something we’re very focused on at Ocado – what we call the power of partnership. We work with a wide range of partners across different use cases, and I’m keen to hear more examples of how businesses are collaborating to solve shared challenges and move the industry forward. So for me, it’s all about brands and partnerships – especially those driven by data.
Be part of the conversation
Want to hear more from Jack Johnson and join the conversation around data-driven brand strategy? Come along to the RetailMediaX Executive Brief, which takes on 8 October at Convene – 133 Houndsditch, London. It’s part of the Autumn Retail Festival, which sees five retail events going on in one day, under one roof. You can find out more about what to expect from the RetailMediaX Executive Brief here and get your tickets here. We look forward to seeing you on 8 October!
