Ocado & Zitcha unveil new advertising platform Ocado Ads

Australian unified retail media platform, Zitcha, has formed a strategic partnership with Ocado Retail in the UK to unveil a new retail media platform, Ocado Ads. This initiative marks a significant advancement for both companies in the realm of retail media innovation.

Ocado Retail, known as the UK's fastest-growing grocer, will be the first in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) to implement Zitcha's single customer-view platform. This technology aims to help existing Retail Media Networks drive growth and optimise performance by providing a comprehensive view of customer data.

According to the companies, Ocado Ads will leverage Ocado's online-first operating model, allowing it to deliver measurable growth for brand partners. The service is expected to provide personalised advertising experiences to customers, enabling them to find preferred brands and discover new products. This development coincides with projections that ad spending in the UK's retail media industry will surpass GBP £3.2 billion this year and nearly double by 2027.

The Ocado Ads platform comprises several elements designed to cover various aspects of retail media. These include Full Funnel Retail Media, which encompasses onsite and offsite advertising, social media, and connected TV advertising. Ocado Ads Manager provides tools and features for managing effective retail media campaigns, which are powered in partnership with Zitcha. The platform also offers Ocado Insights & Measurement, which includes analytics and measurement capabilities aligned with Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) standards. Furthermore, Ocado Audiences aims to offer new ways for advertisers to target the UK's fastest-growing grocer's audiences, both onsite and offsite. At the same time, Ocado Innovation provides access to Ocado's NPD Lab for rapid new product development and creative performance optimisation through A/B testing.

The launch of Ocado Ads is perceived as providing more robust solutions compared to current retail media offerings, with a focus on continuous learning and adaptation. Jack Johnson, Head of Ocado Ads at Ocado Retail, commented: "Ocado Ads is raising the bar for retail media. We encourage all our suppliers to grow with us and so we've created Ocado Ads with a view to providing another growth engine for brands. Ocado has been an innovative and disruptive force in the industry since its creation and we believe this will boost our approach to retail media."

Johnson also highlighted the flexibility of the platform's operating model. "Ocado Ads has a flexible operating model that challenges the one-size-fits-all approach of traditional retail media networks. Whether you're an advertiser or an agency, you can 'have it your way': fully self-serve, completely managed, or anywhere in between," he explained.

Troy Townsend, CEO of Zitcha, echoed this sentiment, stating: "It's exciting to partner with the world's largest online grocery retailer and help integrate the entire business around its Retail Media Network. For us, that means building out cross-functional capability and offering full visibility on the planning and delivery of retail media for the whole business."

Townsend added: "Ocado is spearheading the use of our joint business planning tools and will be the first in EMEA to access Zitcha's single customer-view platform, where it can manage its network to scale and deliver against its bottom line. By seamlessly integrating, Zitcha can expand current capabilities and unlock new ones. The Ocado partnership illustrates how our platform can empower an existing Retail Media Network to drive growth and maximise performance."