We’re proud to share that Code3 has been recognized as a finalist for the Skai Celeste Pioneer, an award honoring teams pushing the boundaries of AI-powered retail media.
And while we’re thrilled and honored, this recognition isn’t about a single campaign or moment. It reflects a broader transformation: one that’s redefining how we approach data, decision-making, and growth for our clients.
This shift isn’t theoretical; it’s already delivering results for Code3 clients. From increasing time in budget by up to 50% to identifying nearly $1M in incremental revenue opportunity, we’re seeing firsthand what happens when AI moves from a tool to a true intelligence layer. The impact is clear: faster insights, stronger acquisition, and measurable revenue growth across our client portfolio.
The Challenge: Scaling Smarter, Not Harder
As retail media grows more complex, so do the challenges facing brands. Across our client portfolio, we were solving for a common set of issues:
- Manual, assumption-heavy forecasting in budget decisions
- Fragmented insights across business units slowing down strategy
- Limited visibility into what actually drives new-to-brand (NTB) growth
- Reporting that explained what happened, but not why or what to do next
At scale, these challenges don’t just create inefficiencies, they cap growth. We knew we needed a fundamentally different approach.
The Shift: AI as an Intelligence Layer
Among other strategic moves (have you learned about Helix, our full measurement ecosystem yet??), Code3 leveraged Skai’s Celeste AI, allowing us to transform how our teams analyze, forecast, and activate media strategies.
Instead of using AI as a supporting tool, we embedded it as a central intelligence layer across workflows.
Here’s what that looked like in practice:
1. Smarter Budgeting with Predictive Forecasting
We moved to data-backed investment strategies. Using Celeste, our teams:
- Identified out-of-budget inefficiencies across campaigns
- Optimized dayparting and allocation to extend time in budget
- Generated granular budget recommendations tied to forecasted revenue impact
The result: more confidence in where and how to invest for growth.
2. Scaling Insights Across Complex Accounts
Manual audits were replaced with AI-driven gap analysis. We could instantly:
- Identify underleveraged tactics across business units
- Prioritize optimizations based on performance trends
- Standardize strategy across teams and accounts
This didn’t just improve performance, it made our expertise scalable.
3. Unlocking What Drives New-to-Brand Growth
Understanding acquisition is one of the hardest challenges in retail media. By combining structured data with AI-driven analysis, we:
- Isolated NTB performance drivers across campaigns and tactics
- Identified which strategies truly drove customer acquisition
- Turned fragmented insights into clear growth levers
4. Turning Reporting Into Decision-Making
We reimagined reporting entirely. Instead of static summaries, we built a prompt-driven framework that delivers:
- Executive-ready insights
- Deep-dive diagnostics
- Clear explanations of what happened, why it happened, and what to do next
This shift transformed reporting from a deliverable into a strategic tool.
5. Bridging the Gap Between Insight and Action
AI didn’t stop at analysis, it powered execution. By aligning recommendations with business KPIs, we:
- Generated actionable optimizations across bids, budgets, and targeting
- Modeled scenarios to hit performance goals
- Enabled faster, more confident decision-making
The Impact: Measurable Growth at Scale
This transformation delivered real, quantifiable results:
- +17–50% increase in time in budget, unlocking incremental revenue
- $839K in identified revenue opportunity across clients
- +25% faster insight generation for reporting
- +$240K to $661K revenue lift, with NTB contribution increasing 12–19%
Beyond performance, we also:
- Standardized workflows across teams
- Reduced reliance on manual analysis
- Accelerated onboarding and scalability
Why This Matters
Retail media is entering a new phase. The competitive edge is no longer just access to data: it’s the ability to turn that data into decisions at speed and scale.
By embedding AI into every stage of the workflow, we’ve shifted from:
- Reactive → Predictive
- Manual → Scalable
- Insight → Action
For us, that’s what this award represents. Being named a Skai Celeste Pioneer validates the work, but more importantly, it reinforces where the industry is going.
We’ll continue pushing forward: Expanding AI-driven strategies across clients, building more scalable frameworks for insight and execution and helping brands unlock growth through smarter, faster decision-making.
Because the future of retail media isn’t just data-driven; it’s AI-powered.