GROCERYSHOP 2026 · DISCOVERY STAGE
FROM PROMPT
TO PURCHASE.
How AI Can Activate Consumers at Retail
Ryan Chen
Co-Founder & CEO · CRWD
FOR DECADES, CONSUMER MARKETING OPTIMIZED FOR ATTENTION.
THE GOAL WAS TO GET
PEOPLE TO LOOK.
MARKETING KEEPS MOVING
CLOSER TO THE TRANSACTION.
The closer marketing gets to the transaction, the more valuable measurable consumer behavior becomes.
INFLUENCE IS EVOLVING.
MACRO
INFLUENCER
One creator
Massive audience
Brands rent reach
MICRO
CREATOR
Hundreds of creators
Niche audiences
Distributed content
ACTIVATED
CONSUMER NETWORK
Thousands of real consumers
Targeted by location + relevance
Real-world action
The next evolution isn't simply smaller influencers. It's activating the actual consumers brands want to reach.
REACH ≠ ACTIVATION
REACH
SEE
WATCH
LIKE
SCROLL
ACTIVATION
VISIT · TRY · BUY · CREATE
REVIEW · ATTEND · RESPOND
YOUR MOST VALUABLE
INFLUENCER MAY ALREADY
BE YOUR CUSTOMER.
Everyday consumers bring proximity to retail, genuine product experience and measurable real-world behavior at scale.
WHAT IF CONSUMERS
BECAME AN ADDRESSABLE CHANNEL?
Age
Interest
Location
Purchase intent
Same targeting intelligence
+ PHYSICAL ACTION
What if you could activate 5,000 shoppers?
THE STORE IS BECOMING
A MEDIA CHANNEL.
The most valuable marketing isn't always what consumers see before they shop. Increasingly, it's what causes them to take action once retail enters the equation.
MEET CRWD
WHAT IF YOU COULD
PROMPT THE PHYSICAL WORLD?
CRWD is an AI-powered consumer activation platform built to turn brand objectives into coordinated real-world consumer action.
ONE CONSUMER.
MANY POSSIBLE ACTIONS.
From the shelf to the screen, activation turns intent into observable behavior.
FROM ONE PROMPT
TO THOUSANDS OF REAL-WORLD ACTIONS.
Digital targeting principles applied to physical-world consumer action.
THIS IS ALREADY HAPPENING.
Real campaigns. Real consumers. Real-world action.
Image positions are ready for supplied CRWD campaign photography.
THE ACTION CREATES
A NEW DATA LAYER.
Activation connects marketing investment to observable consumer behavior in the physical world.
THE NEW CONSUMER
ACTIVATION PLAYBOOK
TARGET FOR ACTION
Start with the exact consumers you ultimately want to move.
DESIGN THE BEHAVIOR
Define what you want consumers to actually do.
VERIFY THE REAL WORLD
Connect participation to observable action.
LEARN + SCALE
Turn every activation into intelligence for the next one.
A NEW ERA OF CONSUMER ACTIVATION
LESS IMPRESSIONS.
MORE ACTION.
More participation.
More real-world behavior.
More measurable consumer relationships.
AI gives brands the ability to coordinate increasingly complex networks. The opportunity is to use that capability not only to automate digital work — but to mobilize people in the physical world.
DON'T JUST
REACH CONSUMERS.
ACTIVATE THEM.
Ryan Chen · Co-Founder & CEO, CRWD
Groceryshop 2026 · Discovery Stage