Asda adopts Amazon Retail Ad Service for first UK partnership

This move signals a shift toward standardized ad tech stacks in the fragmented retail media space, with Amazon moving from a closed-loop platform to a technology provider for third-party giants. By adopting Amazon’s specialized infrastructure, Asda gains immediate access to a mature ecosystem of attribution tools that many mid-tier streamers and retailers struggle to build in-house. For the broader commerce-led video market, this suggests that the 'Amazon-as-a-Service' model may soon extend to ad-supported streaming hardware and CTV interfaces. Watch for whether this integration eventually bridges with Prime Video's ad inventory to create cross-platform UK retail media buys.

The retail media sector in the United Kingdom is experiencing significant acceleration as traditional supermarkets pivot into sophisticated data publishers. Per IAB UK in June 2024, the retail media market was projected to reach £3.2 billion by 2027, driven largely by the shift toward first-party data utilization. Asda’s move follows similar escalations from competitors like Tesco, which expanded its Media and Insight Platform to include more granular real-time measurement for CPG brands. According to Insider Intelligence in early 2025, retailers are increasingly prioritizing 'off-site' and 'in-store' digital integrations to capture marketing spend that previously went to legacy linear television. Amazon Ads has been aggressively expanding its footprint beyond its own marketplace. Per a May 2025 report from Digiday, Amazon has been testing the integration of its demand-side platform with external retail entities to create a unified buying experience for advertisers. This strategy mimics the broader trend in the streaming industry where scale is sought through interoperable technology rather than siloed audiences. For instance, per a March 2026 analyst note from Forrester, the convergence of retail data and video advertising is now a primary growth vehicle for 'shoppable' content formats across European markets. The partnership with Asda represents a strategic beachhead for Amazon’s technical stack in a region where grocery loyalty data is highly concentrated. This infrastructure play ensures that even when consumers aren't shopping on Amazon.com, the company remains the underlying utility for the transactions and the data that fuels them.