NEW YORK — Physical shopping experiences are far from dead for younger consumers, despite the view that Gen Z lives are primarily lived within the confines of TikTok. That realization is reshaping how brands think about the consumer journey. But there’s a sticking point: how can brands tap into authentic discovery moments that balance digital feeds with real life?
“After all these years of ‘digital, digital, digital everything,’ people are creating that experiential time in store, browsing behavior, all of that is coming back,” Kristina Lutz, CMO of GSTV, told Beet.TV Editorial Director Lisa Granatstein at the IAB Commerce Summit. “Our research shows that Gen Z is really interested in discovery outside of social, outside of their digital lives in the real world.”
This behavioral shift creates opportunities for gas station advertising networks like GSTV to capture consumers during transitional moments before they enter retail environments.
Pre-purchase touchpoints expand ecosystem
GSTV targets the gap between traditional retail media-owned assets and actual purchase decisions by reaching consumers at fuel stations who are actively considering their next destinations.
“Commerce media has been really built on the back of owned assets. What we’re seeing is that brands and retailers are realizing they need to expand that ecosystem,” Lutz said.
The platform positions itself one step ahead of store visits, where messaging can influence immediate purchase intentions rather than relying solely on in-store activation.
Compressed timeframes
Modern consumer journeys involve rapid decision-making that requires brands to maintain presence across multiple touchpoints rather than assuming single-moment conversions drive outcomes.
Brands that integrate these transitional moments with broader campaign strategies gain advantages by addressing the complete purchase path rather than isolated segments of consumer behavior.
Multi-touchpoint attribution challenges persist
Commerce media’s future depends on overcoming current planning and measurement silos that separate brand performance, retail media, and physical experience optimization across fragmented vendor ecosystems.
The complexity stems from walled garden environments that make holistic attribution difficult despite clear benefits from integrated approaches that connect digital strategies with physical decision points.
Physical experience’s strategic importance
Convenience channel research particularly highlights young consumers’ appetite for real-world discovery, suggesting brands may be underestimating offline behavior patterns that complement rather than compete with digital engagement.
“I do think we will see brands really focusing again on that physical part of the experience in the consumer journey and how they can serve a message at a moment of decision, which is really powerful,” Lutz said.
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