Unravelling the Last Mile: Why the Shelf Still Defines Brand Success
Unravel & Recode Shopper Marketing 2026 Gallery
24/04/2026
IAA Learnings from Spikes
10/05/2026
IAA Malaysia – Unravel & Recode | 24 April 2026
On Friday, industry leaders gathered at the Royal Lake Club for IAA Malaysia’s first quarterly knowledge session of 2026, bringing together marketers, researchers, and platform leaders to unpack a question many brands still underestimate:
What really happens at the shelf and why does it matter more than ever?
As highlighted in the opening address, the session set out to “unravel and recode shopper marketing” in a landscape where retail, technology, and behaviour are rapidly converging.
With over 50 attendees across 30 organisations, the session saw strong participation from FMCG brands, agencies, and platform leaders — underscoring the increasing industry focus on the role of in-store influence in driving conversion.
As the session sponsor and a key voice in the space, Retail Media Network played a central role in driving the conversation around in-store influence and shopper conversion.
Despite the rapid growth of digital channels, the session reinforced a clear reality: the final purchase decision remains firmly rooted in the physical retail environment, where conversion ultimately takes place.
Professor John D. Chacko, IAA President
The session began with Professor John Chacko, President of IAA Malaysia, who welcomed attendees and set the context for the discussion ahead.
Highlighting IAA Malaysia’s growing and increasingly diverse membership base, he emphasised that retail is no longer a standalone function, but a critical intersection of marketing, technology, and consumer experience. As shopper journeys become more complex, understanding what happens at the point of purchase is more important than ever.
The keynote by Santharuban Sundaram (Former CEO, Etika) brought immediate focus to the core issue — where marketing truly delivers results.
Santharuban Sundaram, Former CEO Etika
He challenged the traditional view of the purchase journey, noting that while brands invest significantly in building awareness and driving consideration, the decision is not fully made until the shopper reaches the shelf.
In this final moment, factors such as product visibility, pricing, and relevance often outweigh prior intent, reinforcing the importance of execution within the retail environment.
Building on this perspective, Rozina Mat Rawi (Metrix Research) presented a comprehensive view of Malaysian shopper behaviour.
Her data-driven insights highlighted that:
- More than 70% of purchase decisions are made in-store
- Shoppers typically decide within 3 to 7 seconds
- 77% of Malaysians continue to prefer physical grocery stores
She further explained that shopper decisions are shaped by context, including shopping missions, price sensitivity, and habitual behaviour rather than purely by brand preference.
Rozina Mat Rawi, Metrix Research
Melinder Virk, Country Head of GrabAds Malaysia
Her session reinforced the importance of the First Moment of Truth (FMOT), where brands must capture attention and convert within seconds.
Expanding the discussion into the broader ecosystem, Melinder Virk, Country Head of GrabAds Malaysia, explored the growing role of Retail Media Networks (RMNs) in Southeast Asia.
She highlighted several key developments:
- RMNs are among the fastest-growing segments in advertising
- They allow brands to engage consumers at high-intent moments
- A significant proportion of Southeast Asian consumers now operate across both online and offline channels simultaneously
Her presentation underscored the need for brands to adopt a more integrated approach, where digital engagement is directly linked to physical retail outcomes.
Following this, Lorraine Capel, Strategic Media Advisor to Retail Media Network, brought Retail Media Network’s perspective to the forefront, highlighting the imbalance between media investment and actual conversion points.
She noted that while brands continue to allocate significant budgets to digital channels, most grocery purchase decisions still occur in-store, with in-store media receiving only a small share of total investment.
Her session emphasised that without strong in-store execution, even the most effective upstream marketing efforts risk underperforming at the point of purchase.
The session concluded with Siva, Business Partner at Retail Media Network, who brought the discussion from strategy into practical application.
He shared how in-store media solutions, particularly within retail environments such as AEON Big, can be deployed to influence shopper behaviour across key touchpoints from entrance displays to shelf-level engagement.
His segment reinforced the importance of integrating media, placement, and shopper context, ensuring that brands are not only visible, but impactful at the moment of decision.
Lorraine Capel, Strategic Media Advisor to Retail Media Network
Across all sessions, a clear and consistent message emerged:
Effective shopper marketing requires bridging the gap between intent and action.
While digital channels continue to play a critical role in shaping awareness and consideration, the ability to influence decisions at the point of purchase remains fundamental.
“Unravel & Recode” ultimately reinforced a simple but critical truth:
marketing does not end at visibility, it is realised at the point of choice.
In today’s landscape, that moment still happens most decisively at the shelf.
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