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Part of Which UK retail media network is right for your brand?
Which UK retail media network is right for your brand?
A UK retail media network comparison of Tesco Media, Boots Media, Asda, Ocado and Amazon Ads, covering budgets, audience data and first tests.
What to take away
- Tesco Media, Boots Media, Asda, Ocado and Amazon Ads differ more in data access than in ad formats.
- Amazon Ads and Ocado usually allow a smaller first test than the grocery giants, though the retailer sets the floor.
- Ask how each network defines a sale before you ask for the rate card.
- Match the network to shoppers you already sell to, not to the largest audience on offer.
- In-store screens and off-site placements need different data checks from on-site sponsored products.
Compare the networks on what you control
Treat each network as a route to a defined shopper group, not as a channel. Amazon Ads reaches people already searching with a purchase in mind. Tesco Media and Asda reach shoppers whose grocery baskets the retailer can observe. Boots Media reaches a health and beauty audience. Ocado reaches an online-only grocery basket.
The formats overlap: sponsored products, display, off-site placements bought through a demand-side platform, in-store screens. What separates the networks is the audience data behind the placement and the reporting that comes back. Tesco Media against Boots Media is a category question before it is a format question.
| Network | Where it reaches shoppers | Ask first | Often suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesco Media | Grocery: retailer site and app, plus off-site placements | Which surfaces are live for your category, and how are they priced? | Brands already ranged by the retailer |
| Boots Media | Health and beauty: boots.com and app | How is consent captured for the audience you are buying? | Beauty, personal care and wellness brands |
| Asda | Grocery: site, app and store-based formats | What is the minimum commitment and what are the exit terms? | Brands in Asda ranges with store visibility goals |
| Ocado | Online grocery: site and app | How are results reported for a small range? | Smaller catalogues selling online grocery |
| Amazon Ads | Marketplace and Amazon-owned surfaces | Which attribution window applies to the ad product you buy? | Sellers and vendors already trading on Amazon |
Budgets and minimum tests
These networks quote against a brief rather than a published price list, so the only figure worth planning with is the one on your written quotation. Ask for the billing unit, campaign window and VAT position in one document, then keep those figures side by side using the method in retail media costs recorded before you add them up.
Check how each network invoices: delivered activity, a monthly minimum, or an up-front commitment. The cancellation clause matters as much as the rate, because a quarterly commitment is a budget decision rather than a media one.
Size the test to the decision, not to the network minimum. If the minimum sits above your budget, narrow the scope to one category, one surface and one measurement window. A small test that finishes beats a large one you stop early.
Check the category before you accept an audience claim. The ONS retail industry release carries sales volumes and the internet share of retail, published monthly, which makes it the fastest official check on whether a trend is real.
A shortlisting sequence you can run in a week
Run the exercise as an evidence file rather than a scorecard, following the approach in reviewing retail media suppliers on evidence.
- Write down the shopper group you need and the decision the campaign will inform.
- Request written quotes from all five networks, priced on identical events and the same campaign window.
- Ask each network how it defines a sale, over what window, and whether the figure is modelled or observed.
- Check the data terms: lawful basis, retention, and whether in-store screens sit inside the same privacy notice.
- Score each quote against your test budget and leave unknown values marked as unknown.
- Pick one network and one surface, then agree a stop rule and a review date before launch.
Data, consent and ad labelling
Shopper data used for targeting needs a lawful basis. The ICO's UK GDPR guidance sets out how consent, legitimate interests and contractual necessity differ. The retailer's privacy notice also has to cover the use you are buying, so read it against the campaign brief.
Sponsored placements must be recognisable as advertising. The CAP code, published by the ASA, requires marketing communications to be obviously identifiable, so review the rendered placement on the live page rather than the mock-up in the deck.
In-store screens raise a second question: who controls any audience measurement attached to the screen, and does the shop-floor notice mention it? Get the answer in writing before the install date.
Common questions
Which network suits a small UK brand?
Start with the network that already stocks your products, so listings and shopper data line up. If you sell on Amazon, Amazon Ads is usually the lowest-commitment route.
How long should a first retail media test run?
Set the window from your own repurchase data rather than a default. The test should cover at least one full purchase cycle for the category.
Can I compare Amazon Ads with Tesco Media directly?
Only on metrics defined the same way. If one network reports attributed sales over a different window from the other, the totals are not comparable.
Do I need an agency to buy these networks?
Amazon Ads is self-serve by default, and other networks vary. Managed routes usually carry a fee or a minimum, so decide by who will run the reporting.