01 / 13

GROCERYSHOP 2026 · DISCOVERY STAGE

FROM PROMPT
TO PURCHASE.

How AI Can Activate Consumers at Retail

Ryan Chen
Co-Founder & CEO · CRWD

02 / 13

FOR DECADES, CONSUMER MARKETING OPTIMIZED FOR ATTENTION.

THE GOAL WAS TO GET
PEOPLE TO LOOK.

BRAND→MEDIA→INFLUENCER→CONSUMER
REACH · IMPRESSIONS · VIEWS · CLICKS · ENGAGEMENT
But retail ultimately depends on something different:ACTION.
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INFLUENCE IS EVOLVING.

01

MACRO
INFLUENCER

One creator
Massive audience
Brands rent reach

→
02

MICRO
CREATOR

Hundreds of creators
Niche audiences
Distributed content

→
03

ACTIVATED
CONSUMER NETWORK

Thousands of real consumers
Targeted by location + relevance
Real-world action

The bigger shift isn't macro influencer → micro influencer.AUDIENCE → ACTION.
04 / 13

REACH ≠ ACTIVATION

REACH

SEE
WATCH
LIKE
SCROLL

Measures exposure.

ACTIVATION

VISIT
TRY
BUY
CREATE
REVIEW · ATTEND · RESPOND

Measures behavior.
WHAT PEOPLE DO IS BECOMING AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT PEOPLE SEE.
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REAL PEOPLE · REAL PARTICIPATION

YOUR MOST VALUABLE
INFLUENCER MAY ALREADY
BE YOUR CUSTOMER.

RETAIL PROXIMITYCATEGORY RELEVANCEREAL PURCHASE BEHAVIORPRODUCT TRIALAUTHENTIC ADVOCACYCONSUMER INSIGHT
Customer reaching for a product on a grocery store shelfTwo shoppers walking a grocery aisle with a cartCustomer reading a package label in a grocery aisle
“Brands aren't struggling to reach consumers. They can already reach millions of them. The harder problem is getting the right 1,000 people to actually do something.”— Ryan Chen, Co-Founder & CEO, CRWD
06 / 13

MEET CRWD

WHAT IF YOU COULD
PROMPT THE PHYSICAL WORLD?

CRWD interface on a laptop — Tell us what you want to make happen. Send 5,000 shoppers into grocery stores nationwide this weekend to discover our new frozen snack.

CRWD is an AI-powered consumer activation platform that turns brand objectives into coordinated real-world consumer action.

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BUILDING YOUR CRWD

ONE PROMPT.
A REAL-WORLD ACTIVATION TAKES SHAPE.

PRODUCT EXPERIENCE STORYBOARD · REPLACE WITH APPROVED CAPTURE
01

Understanding your activation...

→
02

Identifying 5,000 potential participants...

→
03

Mapping participating retailers...

→
04

Matching consumers to nearby stores...

→
05

Building product discovery actions...

→
06

Preparing verification requirements...

YOUR CRWD IS READY.

5,000CONSUMERS

NATIONWIDEREACH

GROCERYRETAIL

PRODUCTDISCOVERY

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WHAT BRANDS ARE ASKING CRWD
TO MAKE HAPPEN

Guinness logo

“Build me a CRWD to buy our new Guinness Steak Bites + a 6-pack of Guinness.”

Little Caesars logo

“Build me a CRWD to visit our new self-serve pizza storefronts and document the experience on TikTok.”

Suntory logo

“Build me a CRWD of 40+ fine spirits enthusiasts who regularly shop at BevMo.”

A BRAND ASKS. CRWD MAKES IT HAPPEN IN THE REAL WORLD.

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ONE CONSUMER.
MANY POSSIBLE ACTIONS.

buy consumer activation
BUYShopper · product · receipt
try consumer activation
TRYSampling · product experience
attend consumer activation
ATTENDCampus · event activation
create consumer activation
CREATECreator filming content
review consumer activation
REVIEWPost-purchase advocacy · research
discover consumer activation
DISCOVERShelf · product discovery

From the shelf to the screen, activation turns intent into observable behavior.

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FROM ONE PROMPT
TO THOUSANDS OF REAL-WORLD ACTIONS.

ONE COORDINATED NATIONAL NETWORK
01NATIONAL
02LOCAL
03RETAIL-SPECIFIC
04DEMOGRAPHIC
05INTEREST-BASED
06EVENT-BASED

Digital targeting principles applied to physical-world consumer action.

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REAL CAMPAIGNS · REAL CONSUMERS · REAL-WORLD ACTION

THIS IS ALREADY HAPPENING.

Crowd of shoppers lined up outside the American Eagle store during a mall activation
AMERICAN EAGLE

From Scrolling to the Mall

Kotex Rush Rally campus activation with mobile experience and product stations
KOTEX

From Campus Moment to Cultural Moment

JUNI sparkling adaptogen drinks in a cooler with ice, fruit and poolside background
JUNI

Creator Energy Meets Retail Growth

Carpe and JUUS deodorants stocked on a retail shelf
CARPE & JUUS

From Shelf to Shopper to Creator

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Westside Market NYC

CASE STUDY

HERE'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE REAL WORLD.

Kalshi free groceries flyer — Your $50 grocery tab is on Kalshi, Feb. 3, 84 3rd Ave. NYC
REAL-WORLD ACTION
01

THE ASK

Create a real-world consumer moment people would notice.

02

THE CRWD

Mobilize consumers around one clear, timely action.

03

THE ACTION

Free groceries brought people into the streets of New York.

04

THE IMPACT

The activation became a story people shared and press covered.

Behind the scenes: the Kalshi free groceries flyer wall lit at night on 3rd Ave, NYC
THE FLYER WALL · 3RD AVE
Behind the scenes: handing a free groceries flyer to a passerby in New York
HAND TO HAND, BLOCK BY BLOCK
Behind the scenes: pasting free groceries flyers overnight in NYC
POSTED OVERNIGHT
CONSUMER→ACTION→VERIFICATION→INSIGHT
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THE NEXT ERA OF CONSUMER MARKETING

DON'T JUST
REACH CONSUMERS.
ACTIVATE THEM.

Less impressions. More action.

Ryan Chen · Co-Founder & CEO, CRWD
Groceryshop 2026 · Discovery Stage