Voyado enters the retail media market – Åhléns among the first to launch

Retail media is the fastest-growing advertising channel in the Nordics and is projected to account for nearly 20% of the global digital ad market by 2026. To help Nordic retailers capitalize on this momentum, Voyado is introducing the first version of its retail media solution.

Among the early adopters is Swedish department store chain Åhléns, which will roll out the next phase of its retail media strategy in autumn 2025 – built on Voyado’s technology.

“We see strong potential in scaling up our retail media initiative. Voyado’s solution provides us with a platform that’s both powerful and easy to implement, enabling us to unlock greater value for ourselves and our brand partners. Ultimately, it’s about relevance for the end customer – giving them a better, more personalized experience on ahlens.se,” says Linnéa Mårtensson, Retail Media & Partner Manager at Åhléns.

Four pillars: Retail media on the retailer’s terms

• First-party data at the core – anonymized purchase and behavioral data enables precise targeting without relying on third-party cookies.
  
  
• Programmatic infrastructure with full control – real-time bidding enables transparent pricing and strong fill rates, while keeping retailers in the driver’s seat.
  
  
• Omnichannel campaign management from one interface – campaigns can be activated on site (e-com, app), in store (digital screens, coupons), and off site (social and display) – no additional integrations required.
  
  
• Online-to-offline measurement – built-in attribution tracks the customer journey from initial exposure all the way to point-of-sale.

“Retailers need to think like media companies – without becoming one”

“As third-party cookies disappear, first-party data becomes the new gold for retail. With our platform, retailers can run their own media business across the entire customer journey – from on-site discovery to off-site remarketing – all while maintaining control over the customer experience,” says Björn Karlström, Head of Product for Retail Media at Voyado.

“But this isn’t just about unlocking new ad revenue. It’s about creating relevance that drives sales, offering transparency to brands, and helping shoppers actually find the right products.”

Fast onboarding for retailers

Voyado’s retail media module is delivered as part of its SaaS platform and doesn’t require internal development resources or costly integrations. Retailers can be up and running within weeks – with full control over ad inventory, pricing, and data usage.

“It’s a major milestone to bring a ready-to-use solution to market. We have high ambitions for retail media and will continue to expand the feature set throughout the year,” Karlström concludes.