Retail media is one of the UK’s fastest-growing channels. Is it right for you?
Retail media grew 17.9% in Q1 2026. For brands that sell through retailers, it’s powerful. For everyone else, the lessons still apply.
Retail media, the ads you buy on retailers’ own websites, apps and in-store screens, grew 17.9% year on year in Q1 2026, one of the fastest rates of any UK channel, according to the Advertising Association and WARC [1].
Why it’s growing
Close to purchase. Ads appear where people are already shopping.
First-party data. Retailers know what their customers actually buy.
Closed-loop measurement. You can often see the sales an ad produced.
When it makes sense
You sell through one or more big retailers or marketplaces.
You have products with clear search demand, like a category people browse or search for.
You can fund it on top of, not instead of, brand-building.
Watch-outs
It mostly captures existing demand; it creates less new demand.
Each retailer’s platform and data are different, which makes comparisons hard.
Costs rise as more brands compete in the same aisles.
If you don’t sell through retailers, the principle still applies: meet customers where they already decide, and measure against real sales.
Sources
Wherever your buyers spend their time, the message has to be the same and easy to repeat. Here’s how we plan content and distribution around the people who actually buy.
Get clear on your position before you spend.
Our two-week Positioning Sprint gives you a sharp message, website copy and a sales deck your whole team can use.
From £2,400 per sprint