Retail Media’s Remarkable Rise

Starting my career at Nectar360 is a time I remember fondly. An early memory that stands out vividly is my interview task, where I was asked to plan an integrated media campaign utilising the full suite of Nectar channels. At the time, these channels were almost entirely in-store touchpoints and in my eagerness to deliver a “full-funnel campaign” plan I made sure to include every single one of them in my proposal. From aisle fins and trolley panels to sampling stands and beyond! Looking back, I can’t quite remember which specific marketing objective I was tasked to achieve but what I do remember is meticulously aligning every element to showcase how it could contribute to the overall customer journey. Somehow, my limitless budget approach resonated, ROI figures stacked up and I walked away with an exciting job offer that marked the beginning of my journey in retail media. 

The retail media landscape has transformed dramatically over the past eight years and so have the roles and teams within Nectar360. When I first started my career, retail media was largely focused on the in-store environment. As the UK’s largest coalition loyalty program, Nectar360’s biggest strength has always been our rich customer insights. Back then, we used it primarily to select specific stores for media touchpoints or to reach shoppers through targeted channels such as email, in store coupons, and even SMS. 

These more traditional targeted channels allowed us to rapidly advance our planning skills by testing audience targeting across various categories, seasons, and events. I remember working on in store print coupon campaigns, where I had to print out the entire product list (at least 5 A3 pages long) and review it line by line in meetings to ensure every product aligned with our targeting criteria. And if you think that was challenging, the planning process itself took months, coordinating with countless teams, navigating multiple approval stages, and ensuring every detail was just right. Targeted in store coupons were one of our most popular channels at the time…   

Looking back, it’s clear how seriously we’ve always taken targeting audiences grounded in a deep understanding of shopper behaviour. Those early days laid the foundation for the data-driven, omnichannel strategies that define retail media today.

So, what is retail media today? In today’s digital first world, retail media is largely centred around online and programmatic advertising; both onsite and offsite. It’s those carefully placed ads you see when searching for your favourite chocolate on Sainsburys.co.uk or scrolling through social media while watching TV. These ads aren’t random, they’re highly targeted and relevant to you because, well, you’ve likely bought chocolate before and maybe even recently. 

Relevance is everything in retail media. Brands want more than just impressions; they want measurable impact. Ensuring that marketing spend translates into actual purchase behaviour is critical, and that’s where customer data becomes so valuable. By leveraging rich shopper insights, brands can engage the right audiences at the right time, increasing conversion rates and maximising return on investment. 

At Nectar360, we’ve evolved alongside the industry to meet these new demands, positioning ourselves as market leaders in the space. One of our biggest advancements has been the development of our in-house Digital Trading Platform (DTP), which empowers brands and agencies to seamlessly plan, optimise and measure performance for digital ad placements. This, combined with the Sainsbury’s Insight Platform, allows us to craft highly targeted campaigns based on rich first-party data ensuring ads reach the shoppers most likely to purchase. 

Expertise and relationships are just as vital as technology. The rise of digital retail media has driven the need for specialist teams, which led to Nectar360 building its own Digital Offsite Media Team in which I currently sit. This team of experts are dedicated to building deeper connections with leading digital agencies, embedding Nectar360 even further into the marketing strategies of the UK’s biggest FMCG brands. 

To ensure brands can reach shoppers across the entire marketing funnel, we’ve also developed strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as Meta, Google, Sky, Channel 4, and The Trade Desk. These collaborations allow us to extend the impact of retail media beyond retailer owned channels, reaching audiences wherever they consume content. 

 Retail media has undergone a remarkable transformation. What started with in store print media and coupon offers has grown into a powerful, omnichannel ecosystem and this is only the beginning.