On Tuesday 3 March 2026, the IAB Europe Retailer Leaders Council gathered in London for its first in-person meeting of 2026. The agenda covered a range of pressing topics, but one session generated particularly substantive discussion: the IAB Europe Retail Media Certification Programme, what it is, why it matters, and what it takes for retailers to get started.
The session opened with a candid assessment of how fragmentation is holding the channel back. Retail media has a measurement problem, and agencies feel it acutely. With multiple networks operating different methodologies and inconsistent definitions, meaningful cross-retailer reporting is difficult to achieve. Without it, activating data for consolidated campaign reporting becomes close to impossible.
One of the most significant friction points is organisational: established media planning teams and retail commerce teams often operate in silos, with different expectations of what good measurement looks like. The result is that the buy-side ends up working around the problem rather than through it, defaulting to ad tech platforms that can consolidate and activate data, or concentrating spend with the networks perceived as safest rather than those delivering the best outcomes.
IAB Europe’s own Attitudes to Retail Media research underlines the scale of the issue: buy-side respondents frequently cite operational complexity as a barrier to working with retail media networks. In the absence of common standards, spend continues to consolidate with dominant players, not on merit, but on familiarity.
Certification changes this dynamic. A third-party verified, independently audited benchmark gives brands and agencies something they can genuinely buy into, thus shifting the conversation from debating methodology to evaluating actual campaign performance.
The independent audit perspective added important grounding to the discussion. As retail media investment grows and attracts larger, more scrutinised budget commitments, the pressure to demonstrate that measurement is credible, consistent, and auditable will only increase. Standards create a common language, and without one, buyers and sellers will continue to talk past each other.
One of the standout moments in the session was an acknowledgement that reading the standards and working out how they apply to a specific business is not always straightforward. This is by design addressed in the audit process itself, which is built to be a guided exercise rather than a pass/fail test administered in isolation. The auditor’s role is not just verification, it is also to help organisations understand where they stand and what steps will get them to certification.
The session also provided useful clarity on the mechanics of the programme for any retailer or ad tech company considering whether to engage.
The process is designed to be proportionate. It builds on measurement practices most organisations already have in place and does not require significant operational changes to begin. The message was consistent: start where you are, and go from there.
Certification does not have to be all or nothing. Retailers can choose to be certified for their entire retail media offering or for specific ad products (sponsored products on-site, for example) with the scope declared transparently in IAB Europe’s public reporting. This matters for organisations at different stages of maturity: you do not need to have everything in order before you begin.
The programme is now live for both retailers and ad tech companies. Both can apply for full certification, with the process built around measurement practices most organisations already have in place. During the transition period running until the end of July 2026, organisations may comply with either V1 or V2 of the standards.
The Retailer Council meeting reinforced something that has been building across the retail media conversation for some time: the market is ready for this. The buy-side is asking for it, the audit infrastructure is in place, and the framework is established. What remains is for retailers and ad tech partners to take the step.
Certification will not resolve every challenge in retail media measurement overnight, but it provides something the market has been missing: a clear, independent signal that reporting practices meet the standard required for serious media investment. In a channel where trust is still being earned, that signal matters.
Retailers and ad tech companies interested in the programme can learn more and register their interest at https://iabeurope.eu/retail-media-certification-programme/
