Lidl has begun sharing customer data gathered via its loyalty app with Google and Meta, so users can be shown targeted ads on the platforms.
A notification in the Lidl Plus app was this week asking users for new permissions to “personalise your ads on other platforms”.
“We use Lidl data to tailor the marketing you see on Google, Meta and The Trade Desk partner platforms,” the notification said. “We also transfer your device identifiers based on in-app actions to these partners.”
Terms & conditions in the Lidl app say granting permission allows Google and Meta/Facebook to “play our personalised ads to users who have previously interacted with the Lidl app”.
“We then receive information from our advertising partners about those personalised ads played and draw statistics from this, which allows us to measure the success of individual advertising campaigns.
“Meta also process this data for their own purposes.”
Lidl has partnered with media buying platform The Trade Desk at group level since 2023, allowing advertisers to access the supermarket’s online retail media audience. Other retailers to work with The Trade Desk include Ocado, in an arrangement that allows brands to target an audience based on the categories they regularly shop.
A Lidl spokesperson said: “In addition to cookies and tracking technology which are necessary for the app to function and display content, we provide customers with the option to consent to both the tracking of app usage and to share data with third-party providers for digital advertising.
“This enables us to tailor the marketing that the user sees to help ensure that it aligns with their interests. It is entirely at the customer’s discretion and consent can be withdrawn at any time in the app’s settings. Without consent, Lidl adverts may still appear, but they won’t be tailored to the individual.”
Launched in the UK in 2020, the Lidl Plus app has been credited with helping the discounter to be the fastest-growing bricks & mortar supermarket in Kantar data for the past 18 months, and boosting its market share from 7% to 7.3% over the past year.
The scheme rewards users with personalised discounts based on how they use the app, along with non-personalised discounts for all members on a weekly changing selection of products.
There are also exclusive competitions in the app, currently including a prize draw to win a £10,000 garden makeover by buying any product from Lidl’s Parkside DIY range between now and 2 April.
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