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Part of UK retail media screen networks and buying checks
UK retail media screen networks and buying checks
UK retail media screen networks: named grocery and forecourt options, buying routes, audience-data questions and consent checks for advertisers.
What to take away
- UK retail media screens carry brand messages inside supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores and shopping centres.
- Retail media networks sell by venue, audience segment or programmatic impression rather than one national rate card.
- Audience data mixes till data, loyalty data, footfall counters and camera-based measurement.
- Consent and ad content rules apply, so check the ICO and CAP guidance before briefing creative.
- Test one chain, one region or one screen type before committing a full budget.
How retail screens differ from roadside OOH
A roadside billboard sells reach against a broad audience. A screen above a till or at a pharmacy counter sells proximity to a purchase. The viewer is already in a retail mindset, often holding a basket or waiting in a queue.
That difference changes the brief. You have seconds, not minutes. The message should name the product, price or offer without relying on a long brand story. Repeat exposure matters because shoppers return weekly.
Motion and sound are optional on many in-store networks. A silent loop with subtitles often works better in a pharmacy queue.
The main UK retail media networks
Boots Media Group, Tesco Media and Insight Platform and Co-op Media Network are three established examples. Each rents screen space to brands and agencies, but their venue mix differs. Boots leans on pharmacy and health audiences. Tesco covers large grocery stores and convenience formats. Co-op focuses on community convenience stores.
Asda Media Partnerships, Sainsbury's Nectar360 and Morrisons Media Group are the grocery networks to check next. Each sells screen and in-store space with its loyalty or transaction data behind the targeting, so a campaign can be planned around actual shopping behaviour rather than footfall alone. Forecourt groups such as Motor Fuel Group and Shell also carry digital screens at fuel sites, which reach drivers rather than weekly grocery shoppers. Coverage is rarely UK-wide, so ask each network for its venue list before you plan media weights.
UK retail media networks compared
Boots Media Group
- Typical venues
- Pharmacy and health
- Audience signal
- Health and beauty
- Buying route
- Direct or agency
Tesco Media and Insight Platform
- Typical venues
- Grocery and convenience
- Audience signal
- Loyalty-linked grocery
- Buying route
- Direct or programmatic
Co-op Media Network
- Typical venues
- Community convenience
- Audience signal
- Top-up and local
- Buying route
- Direct or agency
Venue coverage varies by nation and region, so ask for a store list rather than assuming a UK-wide footprint.
The wider retail sector is tracked in the ONS business, industry and trade data, and the monthly retail sales index gives category-level figures, which can help you size a category before you buy.
| Network | Typical venues | Audience signal | Buying route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boots Media Group | Pharmacy and health | Health and beauty shoppers | Direct or agency |
| Tesco Media and Insight Platform | Grocery and convenience | Loyalty-linked grocery | Direct or programmatic |
| Co-op Media Network | Community convenience | Top-up and local shoppers | Direct or agency |
| Other grocery and forecourt networks | Supermarkets and fuel | Weekly shop and fuel | Direct or programmatic |
What audience data is available
Retail media networks rarely publish a single audience number that covers every screen. They can share venue footfall, dwell time, category sales uplift or loyalty-segment reach. Some data is modelled, some is observed.
Ask for the method behind each figure. A footfall count from a door sensor is not the same as a verified impression. A sales uplift from a matched store test is stronger than a simple before-and-after comparison. Route audience measurement explains how outdoor panels are validated.
Programmatic buying adds another layer for larger campaigns. You can target by time of day, store type or audience segment, usually through a programmatic guaranteed or private marketplace deal rather than the open exchange. That makes measurement more precise but also raises data protection questions.
Compare like with like: a modelled impression is not the same as a till-verified sale.
A buying sequence for retail digital screens
Use a short sequence to keep the process commercial.
- Define the shopper missiontop-up, weekly shop, pharmacy visit or food-to-go.
- Choose the venue type and chain that matches that mission.
- Contact the network's sales team for venue-level audience data, screen sizes, loop length, minimum spend and the booking route.
- Book a small test with a control store group if the network offers one.
- Review sales, footfall and brand metrics, then scale only the formats that worked.
If you want to add programmatic buying to the plan, our guide to buying programmatic digital out-of-home sets out the deal types and data checks.
Rules, consent and measurement
Screen advertising in a shop is still advertising. The CAP Code applies to the content, including price claims and promotions. The ASA publishes the advertising codes that cover non-broadcast ads.
If a network uses cameras or loyalty data to measure audiences, data protection law applies. In the UK that means the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and the ICO guide for organisations sets out the duties that come with personal data.
Ask whether the network uses anonymised counts, modelled panels or personal data. Get that in writing before you sign.
Keep creative files in the aspect ratio each network requests, or you may pay for a re-edit.
Common questions
What is retail digital screen advertising?
It is paid advertising on screens inside shops, pharmacies, convenience stores and shopping centres. It can be bought directly from a retail media network or through a programmatic platform.
How much does it cost?
Rates vary by chain, venue, screen size, loop length and season. Some networks sell by a four-week burst, others by impression. There is no single national rate card: each network quotes per venue or per thousand impressions and may set a minimum spend for a campaign, so ask for a rate card and a test budget before comparing quotes.
Which data should I request?
Ask for footfall, dwell time, verified impressions and any sales lift test results. Request the method and sample size behind each number. Do not accept a single modelled figure without context.
