Nectar strikes major retail media adtech and data deal

Nectar360, which owns and operates the Nectar loyalty programme, as well as managing Sainsbury’s and Argos retail media services, has signed a partnership with global adtech giant The Trade Desk in a move which it is claimed will “bring the precision of retail media to brands on the open Internet”.

First and foremost, the deal will enable advertisers to target campaigns to Nectar audiences, optimise and report on the performance of ad campaigns through a combination of Nectar360’s and The Trade Desk’s capabilities.

This, the duo maintains, will enable brands to clearly connect their digital marketing campaigns running across the open Internet with in-store and online sales.

The companies claim the pact marks a significant development within retail media for brands and agencies, enabling them to build and run advertising campaigns beyond Nectar360’s onsite offering.

The new cooperation further expands Nectar360’s offsite reach, allowing advertisers to use Nectar audiences on channels across the open Internet, including connected TV and online video inventory.

Nectar360 managing director Amir Rasekh said: “Our retail media technology is market-leading, and we are very excited to combine it with the power of The Trade Desk to bring huge benefits to the market.

“This is the first phase of a partnership that we believe opens up entirely new horizons for retail media, linking up our already-vast network of in-store, on-site and off-site opportunities with the open web, and planting retail media squarely in the digital marketing mainstream.”

Trade Desk senior director of data partnerships EMEA Tim Abraham added: “The holy grail for marketers is the ability to connect advertising with customer purchases. As the digital landscape evolves and the industry moves towards new approaches to identity, our clients are seeking ways to close the loop and optimise campaign performance.

“Partnering with Nectar360’s technology gives us the ability to provide advertisers with what they want – which is rich data to target the right consumer and optimisation capabilities to inform media decisioning across the whole open Internet.”

Parent company Sainsbury’s bought the Nectar loyalty programme from Aimia in a £60m “cut-price” deal. It had previously been a partner in the scheme.

Nectar360 was launched in 2020 from the merger of Nectar with in-house agency i2C, launched as a joint venture with Aimia in 2012.

Last week, Sainsbury’s said Nectar has delivered ahead of its plan and is playing an ever-larger role for customers and within its business; it currently serves over 870 clients directly and has built partnerships with the key agency groups.

The company is now forecasting an incremental £100m of Nectar360 profit contribution over the three years to March 2027 (previous guidance was £90m over the four years to March 2026).