ABC UK

Nectar360, the Retail Media, Loyalty and Insights business of the Sainsbury's Group, has become the first UK Retail Media Network to be certified under IAB Europe's Retail Media Certification Programme, following an independent audit by ABC. The achievement marks a significant step forward for the UK retail media market and follows Dutch retailer Albert Heijn, which became the first organisation certified under the programme in 2025.

Trust has become a commercial issue With global advertising spend forecast to exceed US$1 trillion this year*, the commercial consequences of weak governance continue to grow. Ads appearing next to harmful or inappropriate content, invalid traffic draining campaign spend, malvertising compromising user safety and opaque supply chains all affect brand trust, campaign effectiveness and business performance. These are no longer isolated operational issues. They are commercial risks.

Against that backdrop, IAB UK has added retail media to its Gold Standard. Jan Pitt, Commercial Director at ABC, spoke with Liv McCullagh, Retail Media Lead at IAB UK, about why that matters for the market. Jan Retail media has become a major part of the UK advertising market. Why was it the right time to bring it into the Gold Standard? Liv Retail media isn’t new, but the context around it has fundamentally changed.

The move from Retail Media to Commerce Media is about broadening the scope of the standards and reflecting the inclusion of a wider range of participants - including marketplaces, quick commerce platforms and hybrid models - under a single, measurement framework. As IAB Europe highlights, the changes reflect extensive industry feedback.

Open the report Our 2025 report brings together results from 79 business magazine titles across 22 market sectors, published by 49 media owners. Over the year, more than 16.8 million copies were distributed - a powerful reminder of the continued scale and relevance of business media. Why audited data matters As ever, the detail matters. Performance varies by sector, by title and by distribution strategy, and it’s precisely this level of granularity that makes ABC data so valuable.

Use of ABC data continues to grow, with 87% of buyers say they use it, compared with 76% in 2024, reinforcing its position as a trusted industry benchmark. Trust and risk remain key considerations. Nearly 9 out of ten buyers (89%) say they would challenge publisher claims that are not independently audited, while 84% say they’re wary of self-reported data. Buyers also see clear practical benefits.

The reporting option was introduced following extensive consultation with publishers, agencies and advertisers. It was designed to reflect the evolving nature of the news publishing market, balancing publishers’ ability to manage the public dissemination of commercially sensitive data with the continued availability of independently audited figures for media buyers.

Companies across the digital advertising ecosystem have been recognised in the latest release of TAG Seals for meeting industry standards in transparency, accountability and safer digital media. In this latest announcement, 70% of companies receiving Brand Safety Certified (BSC) seals selected ABC as their auditor, while ABC underpinned 53% of all audited TAG seals issued across the programmes, reinforcing our position as the industry’s leading TAG audit provider.

Open the report Our 2025 report brings together results from 155 consumer magazine titles across 42 market sectors, published by 59 media owners. Over the year, more than 400 million print and digital copies were distributed to consumers - a powerful reminder of the continued scale and relevance of consumer media. Key circulation trends At an overall market level, headline average circulation rose modestly year on year, reflecting the growing role of digital alongside print.

Inconsistent measurement remains a major barrier to comparing performance across Retail Media Networks Independent certification is quickly becoming the most credible way to move conversations beyond definitions and towards outcomes and value The session reinforced the importance of audited standards in: building trust reducing friction in planning and buying supporting retail media as a mature, defensible channel You can read IAB Europe’s full recap of the discussion on their website:...