Tesco puts influencers on the shelf in a retail-media shake-up
Tesco Media, powered by dunnhumby, has unveiled its biggest retail-media overhaul yet, adding a new ad platform, shoppable formats, on-site video, in-store influencer content and a fresh measurement framework to make brand budgets work harder.
Tesco turns its shelves into a media network
Tesco has set out its most ambitious retail-media plans to date. At its media upfront, the retailer and its data arm dunnhumby announced a new advertising platform, shoppable ad formats, smarter in-store media and, most eye-catching of all, influencer content brought directly into stores.
The pitch is simplicity. Tesco says the changes are designed to make the retail-media experience easier to buy and to help brand creator spend work harder, backed by new AI tools for creative effectiveness and an expanded measurement framework.
Why retail media keeps growing
Retail media is the fastest-growing slice of advertising because it sits closest to the purchase. A supermarket knows what millions of shoppers actually buy, and that first-party data has become gold as third-party cookies fade. UK digital adspend topped twenty-one billion pounds in the first half of the year, with retail media a major driver.
Tesco folding influencer content into the store is the telling part. It collapses the gap between social discovery and the shelf, so the creator who inspired a purchase can appear near the point of sale. That is the full-funnel loop brands have chased for years.
Marketing Minute's read
For big brands, the new measurement framework matters most. Retail media has long been criticised for marking its own homework; clearer, comparable metrics are what move budgets from test to always-on. Tesco knows trust in the numbers is the real unlock.
For smaller advertisers, the warning is different. As the biggest retailers turn their shelves, screens and now influencers into ad inventory, the cost of visibility at the point of sale will climb.
Independent brands should secure their own first-party data and direct customer relationships now, before renting that attention back becomes the only option left.
Quick FAQ
What did Tesco announce at its media upfront?
Tesco Media, powered by dunnhumby, announced a new ad platform, shoppable formats, on-site video, in-store influencer content, AI creative tools and an expanded measurement framework, all aimed at simplifying retail media.
Why is retail media growing so fast?
It sits closest to the point of purchase and runs on retailers' first-party shopper data, which has become more valuable as third-party cookies disappear. UK digital adspend passed twenty-one billion pounds in the first half of 2026.
Retail media's weak spot has always been measurement, so Tesco fixing the numbers matters more than the shiny new formats. When brands can trust the data, retail media stops being an experiment and becomes a permanent line on the plan. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The retailers with the shopper data are becoming the media owners. Own your first-party data now, or pay to rent attention back later.
Is retail media a genuine growth channel for your business, or an expensive toll on your own shelf? Share your view.
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Marketing Week, The Drum, Retail Gazette and Retail Technology Innovation Hub.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
