How pre-CES announcements from Samsung, Disney will affect retail media

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) starts tomorrow, but companies have already begun announcing their latest consumer technology innovations. Here are two recent announcements and what they could mean for retail media.

From fridge to cart: Samsung said its Bespoke refrigerator models will identify low-stock items and enable consumers to reorder groceries on Instacart via the fridge screen.

• The fridge integrates Samsung’s AI Vision food recognition, which the company says can identify up to 37 items. It also uses Instacart’s product-matching API to link users to product listings on the delivery platform.
• The new service will roll out to existing Samsung devices with AI Vision via firmware updates throughout 2025.

What it means for retail media: While there’s no mention of how ads could or would be integrated into this experience, it’s easy to imagine sponsored product listings popping up alongside reorder prompts or product suggestions.

• But the real question is: will consumers use a fridge to order groceries? The tech enabling orders via appliances has existed for years, but it has yet to approach the popularity of traditional ordering methods.
• Until then, the fridge-to-cart retail media opportunity will stay limited.

Shop while you stream: Disney is beta testing its first native streaming shoppable ad format, Gateway Shop.

• Disney says streaming viewers will receive personalized prompts for products via mobile push notifications or email, enabling them to purchase items without disrupting the viewing experience.
• Unilever is one of the first brands to test the ad format.

What it means for retail media: These new streaming ads will enable brands to combine the wide reach of connected TV (CTV) with shoppable elements driving brand- and performance-based results.

• We expect US retail media CTV ad spend will grow 45.5% in 2025 to $4.99 billion.

This isn’t Disney’s first foray into the retail media space. The company has previously partnered with Walmart Connect and Kroger Precision Marketing on streaming solutions.

This was originally featured in the Retail Media Weekly newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.