Tesco Scan as you Shop devices will soon serve up brand ads based on a shopper’s location in a store, the supermarket’s retail media arm revealed yesterday.
At a supplier event in London, the supermarket shared a roadmap of coming advertising opportunities for brands, which includes what it called “in-store Scan as you Shop geo-targeting”.
The supermarket’s retail media division – Tesco Media & Insight Platform, a partnership between Tesco and Dunnhumby – launched ads on the self-scanning devices last year, claiming to be the first retailer globally to do so.
But the yet-to-be-released version allows for location-relevant ads, so shoppers can be served ads as they approach a particular shelf or area of the store.
“This means you’re going to be able to target customers in proximity to an aisle, to a shelf, as they navigate their way around the store,” Lee Roberts, head of sales at Tesco Media & Insight Platform, told suppliers.
“I’m about to go into the frozen aisle and on my Scan as you Shop device I’m delivered a display message for a particular product, offer, or promotion that’s in that frozen aisle. And this can be replayed as you navigate your way around the rest of the store,” Roberts explained.
The development – a date has not yet been given for its availability – represented a “huge step forward in terms of our location-targeting capabilities, and a massive step forward for our connected store offering”, Roberts added.
Scan as you Shop devices are offered in 580 Tesco stores, and shoppers need to be signed up to Clubcard to use them. It is not known how many stores will offer the new geo-targeting. Close to 200 stores currently offer brands the opportunity to run ads on handsets.
The retailer also unveiled the inclusion of Google Shopping to third-party advertising partners, available for brands to book and bid on via the Tesco Media & Insight Platform.
Google Shopping displays a product image, summary and price – as well as a link to buy – at the top of search results on Google. Once launched, shoppers will be able to click on a product from the top of Google search, and be led directly to the product page on Tesco.com where they can complete the purchase or add to their basket.
“It improves your existing Google search strategy by creating more visibility,” Roberts said. “It has potential to drive sales and lift sales.”
Tesco will begin testing its Google Shopping offering with brand partners from December.
The moves mark an “expansion of Tesco’s creative canvas” the supermarket said, as it continues to ramp up its retail media offering.
Yesterday, it launched video advertising for brands on its website and app, and the opportunity for marketeers to run full ‘store wrap’ campaigns at 50 stores.
“As retail media continues to grow and expand, Tesco is leading the way,” said Tash Whitmey, MD of Tesco Media. “We use smart insights from our growing Clubcard base to build refined audiences, offering precision at scale. Along with our expanding creative canvas, we’re able to create immersive omnichannel brand activations that enhance the customer experience and drive business growth, positioning us as a great partner for retail media success.”
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