Sainsbury’s Group-owned Nectar360 has made a “significant step forward” for the entire UK retail media industry after becoming the first British network to be certified under IAB Europe’s Retail Media Certification Programme.
The UK market has witnessed exponential growth over the past few years, driven by the ecommerce boom, the strategic use of first-party data, and a demand for measurable ROI, which has fundamentally repositioned retailers as formidable media owners and created an entirely new ecosystem.
In the UK alone, advertiser spend on retail media is expected to top £4.8bn this year – up from an estimated £4bn in 2025.
The certification comes after an independent audit by ABC, and follows Dutch retailer Albert Heijn becoming the first organisation recognised under the programme in 2025.
The programme covers Nectar360’s display and video ad products for off-site properties, including Meta (Instagram and Facebook), Google DV 360, and Google YouTube.
As part of the audit, ABC reviewed media metrics, attribution methodologies and insight reporting, and tested campaign data and reporting outputs to verify that key metrics were being calculated and reported in line with the standards.
The audit also included validation of a sample of campaign reporting covering metrics such as impressions, clicks, viewability, video completion rate, return on ad spend (ROAS), new-to-brand reporting and sales uplift.
ABC audit director Clare Langstaff said: “This is an important milestone for the UK market and a positive step towards greater confidence in retail media measurement. Independent audit helps provide advertisers and agencies with greater assurance that reported metrics are aligned to industry standards and can be compared more consistently across the market.”
Nectar360 managing director Amir Rasekh added: “As the industry continues to scale, standardisation in measurement is critical. It underpins trust, enables better investment decisions, and ultimately drives stronger outcomes for our clients. We’re excited to be working alongside IAB Europe to help shape a more consistent and credible future for retail media.”
In the UK alone, Sainsbury’s is joined by Tesco, Asda, Co-op, Ocado, Morrisons, Boots, Superdrug, John Lewis, Waitrose, Currys, M&S, B&Q, The Very Group, Asos, PrettyLittleThing, Boohoo and River Island, which have all jumped aboard, offering online, in-store, and offsite channels backed by rich first-party data.
IAB Europe senior director of industry development and marketing Marie-Clare Puffett concluded: “It’s encouraging to see another leading retailer complete the process, signalling growing momentum. Each certification helps strengthen transparency and comparability in retail media, building greater trust across the ecosystem.
“ABC has played an important role as an independent auditor in these early stages of the programme, working closely with us as the standards are applied in practice. Their practical audit insight has helped support a robust, clear and workable certification process as the programme continues to scale.”
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