In retail and commerce media, being early doesn’t always mean being ahead. European commerce media networks entering the market now face fewer infrastructure constraints than their more established counterparts. This creates a strategic opening. Where legacy operators are managing years of accumulated tech debt, newer entrants can build with modern tooling, AI-enabled reporting, and leaner data operations from day one. This session examines what it means to leapfrog: which capabilities matter most to get right early, where shortcuts today create problems tomorrow, and how established European networks can modernize without dismantling what works. The conversation will draw on real-world experience from the UK and France to newer entrants across Central Europe. The speakers will dig into the full spectrum of commerce and retail media maturity: from operators still defining their models to those already navigating scale. The question isn’t where you started. It’s whether your architecture is ready for where commerce media is going.