Fetch at CES: Our top 6 takeaways from the biggest week in tech

Last week, Fetch traveled to CES 2024 in Las Vegas to meet with partners, have conversations with new brands and learn about the hottest new innovations. The biggest week in tech brought together over 4,000 exhibitors, 130,000 attendees and innovative leaders to discuss the evolving capabilities and roles of technology.

Major topics included the rise of AI, retail media networks and the now-notorious loss of signal advertisers face in 2024. Here are our top 6 takeaways from the trade show: 

1. Transaction data is poised to replace cookies

Cookies are going away in 2024, and marketers are looking for a new signal to find and measure audiences. At CES, transaction data emerged as the most promising successor. The rise of zero-party data and transaction information is the best option for marketers yet. While only available with a partner like Fetch, zero-party transaction data will be able to provide all that cookies did–and more. 

2. AI is everywhere

If you closed your eyes and wandered around CES, you’d probably walk into a booth ready to talk about artificial intelligence. While AI has never been a stranger to this trade show, 2024 was the year where it took center stage. Dozens of companies flaunted their AI-powered products and capabilities, but those that stood out used AI to supercharge an already powerful product – like language model-powered voice assistants in automobile technology.

3. Customers want unique experiences – and tech is rising to meet that need

Any visitor to Las Vegas is bound to notice the Sphere, a multi-purpose entertainment venue located just off the strip that opened to much fanfare in late 2023. While the Sphere itself wasn’t officially a part of CES, there was a smaller-scale replica on the conference floor, and the concept is emblematic of another trend at the trade show: consumers’ love of unique experiences. Shoppers are looking for brands to branch outside of traditional ways of communicating, seeking out more personalized and tailored experiences.

4. Retail media is getting complex

Retail media is the third – and biggest – wave of digital marketing, and it’s growing even faster than anticipated. But many brands still need clarification about how to spend their ad dollars and achieve accurate measurement across disparate networks in this emerging field. Large retailers remain key players, but CES confirmed that the landscape is expanding beyond traditional RMNs, with mobile and ecommerce platforms entering the mix. These retail-agnostic media platforms are essentially RMNs on steroids, with the potential to give brands more data to inform how they communicate with consumers and better tools to measure results.

5. Brand loyalty remains top of mind

Millennial and Gen Z shoppers are less loyal than older generations, which has brands sweating. At CES, panelists and attendees discussed why creating products and experiences that customers love is the most effective strategy for fostering loyalty. Recent economic conditions and efforts to reduce margins have led many brands to cut back on loyalty programs. But in 2024, brands need partnerships that help them reach and deliver relevant content to the consumer. This will be the most effective way to forge meaningful connections and enable long-term engagement.

6. Tech has a responsibility to the consumer

Whether it’s sustainability, cybersecurity or privacy, CES hosted plenty of conversations about how tech can better protect consumers. Data security online is a concern for many Americans, especially members of younger generations, like Gen Z. As cookie deprecation reaches its final stage, brands need to ensure they choose partners who can protect consumer data and identity. Otherwise, they risk losing customers forever.

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It’s a big year for brands to connect with consumers. Amidst restricted ad spend and the changing data quality landscape, the stakes feel high. Marketing partnerships can’t just check most boxes—partnerships need to check them all.

Despite industry disruptions, Fetch is the platform that will help brands shift consumer purchase patterns in 2024. Millions of shoppers open the app every day specifically to engage with their favorite brands – and to discover new ones. The platform’s industry-leading receipt reading technology enables brands to deliver unique, personalized media and offers to shoppers. And since Fetch sees receipts from every kind of transaction, it’s the ultimate retail-agnostic media platform for CPG brands, restaurants, retailers and their agencies.

Ready to see what Fetch can do for your brand in 2024? Get in touch with the Fetch for Business team today.