Tesco reportedly has plans to introduce geographically targeted ads in-store via its ‘Scan as you Shop’ devices.

While the supermarket first included advertisements on the handsets in 2023, it is now planning to launch location-specific ads linked to a particular aisle or shelf, according to a report by The Grocer.

The supermarket's mobile barcode readers, first introduced in 2012, are collected at the front of the store and scanned with a Tesco Clubcard.

They allow customers to scan the items they add to their baskets before paying for them at a self-service checkout.

The process means that customers don’t need to unload their shop onto a conveyor belt or checkout station.

These devices, which are used by millions of Tesco Clubcard members, are currently available at 580 stores across the UK.

As reported by The Grocer, talking at an supplier event about the new targeted ads, Lee Roberts, head of sales at the supermarket's media arm Tesco Media & Insight Platform, said: “This means you’re going to be able to target customers in proximity to an aisle, to a shelf, as they navigate their way around the store."

He continued: “I’m about to go into the frozen aisle and on my Scan as you Shop device I’m delivered a display message for a particular product, offer, or promotion that’s in that frozen aisle. And this can be replayed as you navigate your way around the rest of the store."

Roberts described the move as a "huge step forward" in terms of Tesco's location-targeting capabilities and a "massive step forward" for its connected store offering.

The report said that Tesco is also introducing Google Shopping to its third-party ad partners.

Google Shopping allows users to browse products from advertisers and sellers who have chosen to feature their products on the platform.

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