John Lewis enhances retail media capabilities for brands

John Lewis has launched a suite of new retail media capabilities designed to assist brands in connecting with customers on its website, johnlewis.com. The new features allow brands to create and manage their own advertising campaigns, including banner ads and sponsored product listings. Additionally, users are provided with a comprehensive dashboard that displays campaign performance metrics, customer engagement data, and sales figures.

This initiative, launched in partnership with Epsilon, a global advertising and marketing technology firm, is expected to benefit both well-known brands and emerging ones. The platform enables brands to keep their campaigns active year-round and make quick adjustments in response to seasonal trends and sales peaks such as Back to School and Black Friday. Brands can also measure the effectiveness of their initiatives down to individual products and search terms, thanks to real-time data and performance metrics.

All advertisements will be meticulously reviewed by the John Lewis in-house team to ensure they are suitable, beneficial, and relevant for customers. The investment highlights John Lewis's commitment to enhancing the customer experience by connecting individuals with the brands they care about at the most opportune moments in their buying journey.

Jemma Haley, who leads the Retail Media Business & Proposition Strategy at John Lewis, commented on the new platform: "While retailers have long been advertising on their own websites, we want to improve the experience and make it even easier for customers to connect with the brands and products that meet their needs. As part of this, we're providing brands with more targeted and relevant ways to connect with customers. Our shoppers are unique in the ways they research, browse and buy, and we need to be ready to meet them in the moments they are ready to purchase or engage with a brand."

Owen McAdam, Trade Marketing Manager for BSH UK & Ireland, praised the new capabilities. "John Lewis sponsored product ads performance is exceptional, driving both awareness and sales. Placing our Bosch and Siemens products in a prestigious setting like John Lewis helps to maintain a premium image and resonates with discerning consumers. The platform's ease of use, campaign control, and transparency make it an invaluable tool for our marketing strategy," he said.

Alban Villani, Epsilon's Regional CEO for Europe, also expressed his enthusiasm. "John Lewis offers a unique and scaled audience across its online and in-store environments. People visit John Lewis in search of inspiration, to validate their research and to make purchases that often initiate a longer-term brand relationship. It's a real opportunity for brands to evolve their strategies beyond performance goals to think about how they engage customers in ways that build awareness and loyalty. We look forward to supporting John Lewis further as they continue to test and learn across categories and build an even more impactful omni-channel media proposition for brands," he stated.

The collaboration with Epsilon is not John Lewis's first foray into innovative retail media solutions, as Epsilon has previously launched a similar offering for Waitrose. This ongoing partnership is expected to continually enhance the ways in which brands can engage customers and build lasting relationships.