The John Lewis Partnership has appointed Kevel to power its on-site retail media network, across both the John Lewis and Waitrose websites.
It’s the Partnerships’ latest move to future-proof its retail media offer to brands, with its focus on providing highly personalised and useful content benefitting customers and brands alike.
The Partnership attracts millions of customers every year across JohnLewis.com and Waitrose.com. 60% of John Lewis’ orders now take place online, making it an increasingly popular tool for brand partnerships.
Drawing on its AI-powered, API-first Retail Media Cloud, coupled with its experience supporting multi-brand retailers, Kevel has worked collaboratively with the John Lewis Partnership to develop a bespoke advertising platform that delivers advanced targeting. The first-party data allows brands to target customer segments that enable advertisers to reach the right shoppers at the right moment.
It features easy self-service tools, enabling brand partners to go live with custom campaigns quicker than ever before, and supports native ads and sponsored listings across John Lewis and Waitrose websites.
It also includes new ‘ROPO’ measurement capabilities; closed-loop reporting designed to reflect the ‘research online, purchase offline’ shopping habits of customers. For the first time, this allows brands to track whether their retail media has led to sales, even if the purchase is made in-store, by bringing in data like the use of a loyalty card. This helps close the long‑standing gap in how brands measure the impact of onsite media on in‑store sales.
Kaitlin Craig, a Digital Retail Media Lead for the John Lewis Partnership said: “This is a huge step forward for our digital retail media offer. With over 160 years in retail, we hold really rich customer insights – and we’re now able to share this with trusted partner brands.
“By targeting our retail media, we can improve the experience for brands and customers alike – whether that’s reminding customers of old favourites, or helping them connect with exciting new brands. The early results are exciting, and we’re only getting started.”
James Avery, Founder and CEO of Kevel, commented: “The John Lewis Partnership is exactly the kind of retailer Kevel was built for – a brand with deep customer loyalty, rich first-party data, and the ambition to own its media proposition rather than outsource it. We’re proud to provide the infrastructure that gives them the control and flexibility to build a media network entirely on their own terms.”
The platform is being rolled out in phases, with display placements already live across John Lewis and Waitrose. Sponsored product ads will follow later this year.
The Kevel partnership is the latest addition from the John Lewis Partnership as it looks to strengthen its retail media offer for its brands.
Epsilon continues to oversee off-site advertising for John Lewis and Waitrose – including digital display and online video ads served across the open web and streaming services – whilst also offering first-party data and closed-loop measurement.
In November, John Lewis also unveiled a seven metre-high digital billboard in the atrium of its Bluewater branch, to help bring cinematic above-the-line content to customers. The screen formed part of a series of high-impact touchpoints, with eight custom-crafted screens across the shop – which were quickly utilised by brands including Neff Appliances, Lego, Sony and Samsung.
