Lidl has updated its loyalty app permissions to begin sharing customer data with Google and Meta, to provide shoppers with personalised ads.

Lidl Plus app users this week received a notification asking for new permissions to “personalise your ads on other platforms”, reported the Grocer.

The statement read: “We use Lidl data to tailor the marketing you see on Google, Meta and The Trade Desk partner platforms. We also transfer your device identifiers based on in-app actions to these partners.”

The loyalty scheme’s updated terms and conditions now inform shoppers that accepting the permissions would allow Google and Meta to “play our personalised ads to users who have previously interacted with the Lidl app”.

“We then receive information from our advertising partners about those personalised ads played and draw statistics from this, which allows us to measure the success of individual advertising campaigns. Meta also process this data for their own purposes.”

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

A Lidl spokesperson told the title: “In addition to cookies and tracking technology which are necessary for the app to function and display content, we provide customers with the option to consent to both the tracking of app usage and to share data with third-party providers for digital advertising.

“This enables us to tailor the marketing that the user sees to help ensure that it aligns with their interests. It is entirely at the customer’s discretion and consent can be withdrawn at any time in the app’s settings. Without consent, Lidl adverts may still appear, but they won’t be tailored to the individual.”

The discounter first launched its loyalty scheme app in 2020.

In 2023, the supermarket chain teamed up with media buying platform The Trade Desk at group level, allowing advertisers to access Lidl’s online retail media audience.

Alongside Lidl, The Trade Desk has also partnered with Ocado, and last September expanded its partnership with the UK’s leading supermarket Tesco to offer brands access to Clubcard user data.