John Lewis Partnership has secured a deal with retail media tech player Kevel to power advertising across both the Waitrose and John Lewis websites.
The move would “future-proof its retail media offer to brands” JLP said.
The appointment of Kevel sees the launch of a new ‘ROPO’ (research online, purchase offline) measurement for brands, meaning they can track whether their retail media spend has led to sales, even if the purchase is made in-store, by bringing in data like the use of a loyalty card.
“This helps close the long‑standing gap in how brands measure the impact of on-site media on in‑store sales” JLP said, “for the first time”.
Kevel had created a “bespoke advertising platform” for the retail giant, it said.
“This is a huge step forward for our digital retail media offer,” said Kaitlin Craig, a digital retail media lead for JLP. “With over 160 years in retail, we hold really rich customer insights – and we’re now able to share this with trusted partner brands.
“By targeting our retail media, we can improve the experience for brands and customers alike – whether that’s reminding customers of old favourites, or helping them connect with exciting new brands. The early results are exciting, and we’re only getting started,” she added.
Millions of customers visit JohnLewis.com and Waitrose.com each year, with some 60% of John Lewis’ orders now taking place online.
The new platform is being rolled out in phases, with website display placements already live across John Lewis and Waitrose and sponsored product ads to follow later this year.
James Avery, founder and CEO of Kevel, said JLP was “exactly the kind of retailer Kevel was built for – a brand with deep customer loyalty, rich first-party data, and the ambition to own its media proposition rather than outsource it”.
“We’re proud to provide the infrastructure that gives them the control and flexibility to build a media network entirely on their own terms,” he added.
JLP said the Kevel partnership was part of its ongoing strategy to “strengthen its retail media offer for its brands”.
In November, John Lewis unveiled a seven-metre-high digital billboard in the atrium of its Bluewater store, to “help bring cinematic above-the-line content to customers”.
Earlier this month, Waitrose and John Lewis were named alongside Tesco and B&Q as founding retailers of the newly formed ‘Dunnhumby Network Alliance’. Together, the retailers are taking part in a series of pilots to enable brands to run retail media campaigns across multiple retailers via a “single route”.
The “single solution” – built in partnership with Kevel – also enables retailers to access “broader demand and deliver inventory in a more scalable way, while opening retail media budgets to publishers through retailer data-enabled audiences”, Dunnhumby said.
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