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.
Nectar360 underwent an independent audit by ABC against the requirements of IAB Europe's Retail Media Certification Programme. The certification covers Nectar360's Display and Video Ad Products for off-site properties, including Meta (Instagram and Facebook), Google DV 360, and Google YouTube.
As part of the audit, ABC reviewed media metrics, attribution methodologies and insight reporting, and tested campaign data and reporting outputs to verify that key metrics were being calculated and reported in line with the standards. The audit also included validation of a sample of campaign reporting covering metrics such as impressions, clicks, viewability, video completion rate, return on ad spend (ROAS), new-to-brand reporting and sales uplift.
Clare Langstaff, Audit Director at ABC, said:
"Congratulations to Nectar360 on becoming the first UK retail media network to achieve IAB Europe Retail Media Certification. As the independent auditor, we reviewed the evidence supporting Nectar360's measurement approach, tested campaign reporting and validated how key retail media metrics are defined, calculated and reported.
This is an important milestone for the UK market and a positive step towards greater confidence in retail media measurement. Independent audit helps provide advertisers and agencies with greater assurance that reported metrics are aligned to industry standards and can be compared more consistently across the market."
Amir Rasekh, Managing Director, Nectar360, said:
“We’re incredibly proud to be the first UK business to achieve IAB Europe’s Retail Media Measurement Certification - an important milestone not just for Nectar360, but for the evolution of retail media as a whole. As the industry continues to scale, standardisation in measurement is critical. It underpins trust, enables better investment decisions, and ultimately drives stronger outcomes for our clients. We’re excited to be working alongside IAB Europe to help shape a more consistent and credible future for retail media.”
Marie-Clare Puffett, Senior Director, Industry Development & Marketing at IAB Europe, said:
"Congratulations to Nectar360 on achieving certification, an important milestone for both their business and the wider industry. Following Albert Heijn, it's encouraging to see another leading retailer complete the process, signalling growing momentum. Each certification helps strengthen transparency and comparability in retail media, building greater trust across the ecosystem.
ABC has played an important role as an independent auditor in these early stages of the programme, working closely with us as the standards are applied in practice. Their practical audit insight has helped support a robust, clear and workable certification process as the programme continues to scale."
ABC is an appointed auditor for IAB Europe's Retail Media Certification Programme and the exclusive auditor for the retail media pillar of IAB UK's Gold Standard. Having been involved in some of the industry's earliest retail media audits, ABC continues to strengthen its expertise while supporting the development of trusted, transparent measurement practices across the retail media ecosystem.
Find out more
To learn more about ABC's retail media certification audits and how we support retail media networks through the certification process, visit our retail media certification page.
