Tesco Media puts creator videos on 3,800 store screens and in its app

Tesco Media, the advertising arm of the UK grocer, told brands at its Upfront event on 8 October that approved creator videos will run on Tesco.com, in the Tesco app and on in-store screens. Tesco has more than 3,800 screens, 2,800 of them in Tesco Express shops, Marketing Week reported.

Tesco Media will test creator videos in Special Offers and Favourites

Influencer campaigns are already in testing with brands. After those trials, Tesco will try creator formats in the Special Offers and Favourites sections of its shop, Grocery Trader reported. Tesco Media cites ASA research that about 40% of shoppers under 45 follow influencers for product tips.

Simon Lonsdale, partnerships and digital growth director at Tesco Media, said the company will keep building “more flexible ways for you to use our high-impact screens”. Tesco is also testing shoppable video in search and display ads in Favourites that add a product straight to the basket.

Kevel built the base of Tesco’s self-serve Ad Manager

Tesco also showed Ad Manager, a self-serve tool for planning, booking, measuring and adjusting campaigns. It runs on technology from Kevel, an API-first ad tech provider. For now it sells only Sponsored Products.

A feature called AI Audiences uses Clubcard data to suggest who to target and shows the combined reach before a brand spends. Tesco says building several audience groups now takes under a minute, down from 5 to 10 minutes per group. Clubcard has 24 million holders and is used on more than 85% of Tesco sales.

A Costa trial in Tesco Express lifted new buyers by 47%

In-store ads will change with the store, the time of day, stock, promotions, weather and local events. The system uses Barrows Connected Store technology. A Costa campaign in Tesco Express stores in January brought a 47% uplift among customers new to the product, Tesco Media said. Retailers still count store ads in different ways, and IAB Europe proposed one way to count in-store impressions. In the UK, retail media grew faster than other digital ads in the first half of 2026.

Display and video ads come to Ad Manager next, which Tesco says will happen shortly. Within six months, Tesco Media plans to extend incrementality tests, which show the sales an ad added, to display, video, Sponsored Products, Scan as you Shop and Meta. That will cover 93% of the money brands spend with it.