Grocery marketers face a big challenge in winning over increasingly cost-conscious shoppers. Rising prices have driven consumers to chase discounts and deals, brand loyalty is eroding, and private labels are growing at the expense of national brands. Four in 10 Americans now display "value seeking” behaviors every single month.¹
At the same time, the path to purchase has splintered. Consumers are bouncing between in-store and online shopping, with distractions waiting at every turn. For grocery and CPG brands, the challenge is clear: collapse the funnel and move shoppers from inspiration to purchase as efficiently as possible.
That message came through loud and clear at Groceryshop 2025, where senior executives from grocers, CPGs, and tech gathered to chart the future of food retail. Roku was there, attending sessions and listening in as CPG and grocery marketers discussed their most pressing concerns. One theme cut across many of the sessions we attended: Digital touchpoints — including CTV — are now mission-critical for winning modern grocery shoppers.
Below, we share takeaways from Groceryshop along with Roku’s three-step recipe for collapsing the funnel, drawn from our comprehensive strategy deck for grocery and food & beverage marketers.
1. Reaching the deal-driven consumer at scale
Price sensitivity isn’t a passing trend; it’s the new normal. Roku streamers surveyed say they plan to try private labels to cut costs.²
Speaking at Groceryshop, Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Whole Foods’ Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer said that nearly all consumers are more mindful about spending. She described consumers walking into stores expecting a “sea of yellow” deals, and in turn lowered prices for nearly 25% of items. Affordability is a big reason its private label brand 365 grew over 50% in the past few years.
These shoppers’ focus on affordability extends to their entertainment choices. Many have already cut the cord with cable, embracing free or ad-supported programming to save money.
Streaming makes it possible to intercept those consumers as they plan shopping trips. Roku video and native ads keep your brand top-of-mind while shoppers stream their favorite shows. And because 74% of Roku users plan grocery purchases in advance³, brands can reach them while intent is high. Nearly half even say TV ads directly guide their product decisions.⁴ With “second screening” on the rise, you may even catch them placing a grocery order mid-episode.
Takeaway: Roku reaches the very audience Groceryshop leaders were talking about: value-driven, private-label-curious consumers who are making purchase decisions before they hit the store. Staying top of mind on the biggest screen in the home means winning their baskets.
2. Frictionless shopping, from couch to cart
Today’s shoppers demand frictionless convenience at every touchpoint, and they’re not just buying in-store. Only 40% of Roku users purchase groceries exclusively in person; the rest mix in delivery and pickup.⁵ For these streamers, convenience is king.
Uber’s Global Head of Delivery, Susan Anderson, highlighted how immediacy is now a grocery superpower. In her session, she shared how Sunday at 6 p.m. has become the busiest time for orders, and shoppers expect on-demand freshness — even for last-minute Valentine’s Day flowers delivered at 11 p.m. Meanwhile, leaders from Mars and Sam’s Club stressed the need for unified commerce: shoppers want digital inspiration to flow seamlessly into physical or delivery fulfillment.
That’s where Roku Action Ads come through. These interactive units let viewers shop instantly — adding a product to their cart with a remote click or scanning a QR code for more info. The impact is real: Action Ads drive an average 47% lift in purchase intent.
Imagine a cooking show displaying a recipe. With one click, the ingredients land in your digital cart. Roku makes such a “frictionless funnel” a reality.
Takeaway: Roku collapses the steps between “I want it” and “I bought it.”
3. Retail media on the biggest screen in the home
Retail media on CTV is rewriting the grocery playbook. By combining the storytelling power of TV with the precision of retail data, it allows brands to build awareness and close the loop in one motion.
The opportunity is massive: Retail media on CTV is projected to reach $5 billion this year and double by 2028, accounting for nearly a quarter of CTV spend.⁶ Roku is helping to enable that surge, partnering with Instacart, Kroger Precision Marketing, Walmart Connect, and others to deliver personalization, closed-loop measurement, and ROAS clarity. Brands can target competitor customers, win back lapsed shoppers, or drive new-to-brand buyers — then measure incremental sales.
No surprise: Retail media dominated the conversation at Groceryshop. Executives from Ferrero, Coca-Cola, and Bayer all emphasized that retail media efforts must now extend beyond bottom-funnel tactics and support brand-building. Meanwhile, an eMarketer analyst forecasted the next retail media battleground: offsite and in-store retail media, not just retailer websites.
Takeaway: The future belongs to brands that pair full-funnel storytelling with closed-loop results. Roku makes that combination seamless.
Be the living room endcap
In grocery, the endcap is prime real estate — the place that captures attention and drives impulse buys. On Roku, you can own the “living room endcap.” Streaming is already the #1-way Roku users learn about CPG products — ahead of social media, cable, influencers, and podcasts.
That means Roku isn’t just a channel; it’s part of daily life. For grocery brands, it’s the endcap that inspires, converts, and drives measurable growth.
Ready to collapse the grocery funnel?
Download our free resource, Collapsing the Grocery Funnel, to discover how Roku shortens the path to purchase for grocery brands and turns complexity into results.
¹ Deloitte: The value-seeking consumer
² Roku Lucid CPG Survey
³ Lucid + Roku CPG Thought Leadership, 2025
⁴ Lucid + Roku CPG Thought Leadership, 2025
⁵ Lucid + Roku CPG Thought Leadership, 2025
⁶ Media Post: Retail Media CTV Ad Spend Expected To Hit $5B In 2025
