Asda has struck a new partnership with Amazon Ads with an eye to strengthening its retail media proposition and improving how brands reach shoppers across its digital platforms.

Asda will become the first retailer outside the US to introduce Amazon Retail Ad Service to its online stores, with the technology set to roll out in phases from the fourth quarter of this year.

The partnership will cover Asda’s online grocery platform and George, giving brands new ways to reach customers based on shopping behaviour and purchase intent.

Asda said the service will use Amazon’s retail advertising technology and machine learning capabilities to deliver more relevant ads to shoppers, while helping customers find products more quickly online.

The grocer said the move would allow advertisers to target audiences more effectively, access clearer measurement and run campaigns through Amazon Ads tools.

It also gives brands the ability to scale activity across Asda’s platforms and Amazon Ads inventory, helping them reach shoppers across a wider set of digital touchpoints.

Asda chief customer and digital officer Rachel Eyre said the partnership was designed to improve the online shopping experience for customers while creating a stronger offer for brand partners.

“We serve millions of customers each week and this partnership is about using technology to improve the online shopping experience by helping them to quickly find what they need,” she said.

“At the same time, it creates a stronger retail media proposition, giving our current and future brand partners a more effective way to reach customers, using deeper insight to deliver impactful and measurable campaigns.

“This builds on the partnership with Ocado we announced recently and is another clear step forward in how we’re using technology to improve the Asda shopping experience.”

Eyre added that Amazon’s Retail Ad Service would give UK advertisers the signals, measurement and scale they need through tools that are already familiar to many brands.

“This partnership is a significant step in making Asda the most effective and frictionless place for brands to reach British shoppers,” she said.

Amazon Ads vice president of creative experiences and AI solutions Joseph Park said the tie-up would help advertisers reach Asda and George customers at important moments in their shopping journey.

“Together, we’re helping customers see more of what’s relevant to them and giving brands a simpler and highly effective way for them to consistently show up at the right moment through ad tech they already use and trust,” he said.

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