# Flipping the playbook

> Brands shift focus to checkout counters as retail media grows.
- Title: Flipping the playbook · Financialexpress | Shortify
- Summary: Brands shift focus to checkout counters as retail media grows. Brands now prioritize checkout counters and quick commerce to drive sales amid fragmented…
- Keywords: brand, checkout counter, quick commerce, retail media, marketing, advertising, consumer touchpoints, festival season, business, money, news, Flipping
- Source: Financialexpress — https://financialexpress.com/business/brandwagon-flipping-the-playbook-4362690
- Author: Christina Moniz
- Published: 2026-10-16T01:47:12+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: brand, checkout counter, quick commerce, retail media, marketing, advertising, consumer touchpoints, festival season, business, money, news
## Consumer touchpoints double
The number of consumer touchpoints influencing 80% of purchase decisions has nearly doubled from 12 in 2018 to 21 in 2024.
## Retail media as full-funnel channel
59% of marketers surveyed by MMA Global India now view retail media as a full-funnel channel.
## Checkout counter focus
Brands increasingly target checkout counters and quick commerce to drive measurable sales outcomes.
## Brand building shift
Brand building used to be a megaphone; now it’s a dinner party where brands must be good guests in small conversations.

> Brand building used to be a megaphone. You bought the prime-time slot and hoped the whole country heard.
## Checkout counter strategy
The checkout counter is the brand’s last opportunity to increase basket value before a customer leaves.
## Festive season spending
Many brands divert more budgets this festive season towards retail media, quick commerce placements and gifting bundles.
## Mass media re-sequenced
Mass media hasn’t been replaced; it’s been re-sequenced for scale by digital-first brands.
## Checkout counter benefits
Impulse purchases sit at the heart of strategies to increase basket value at checkout counters.
## Retail media growth
Retail advertising grows at 25-30% annually, much higher than overall advertising expenditure at 8-10%.
## Measurement challenges
A sale recorded after an advertisement may not be caused by it; brands must measure basket value impact.

> Brands should examine whether checkout advertising is increasing basket value, encouraging additional purchases or bringing new products into consideration.
## Key takeaway

Brands now prioritize checkout counters and quick commerce to drive sales amid fragmented consumer touchpoints.