IAB Europe, the leading European-level industry association for the digital advertising ecosystem, is delighted to announce that Albert Heijn has become the first retail media network (RMN) to be certified under the IAB Europe Retail Media Certification Programme. The certification follows the successful completion of a pilot audit conducted by ABC, one of the independent auditors participating in the programme.

Launched in October 2024, the Retail Media Certification Programme is designed to bring greater transparency, consistency, and trust to the measurement of both on-site and off-site retail media campaigns. By meeting the certification standards, retailers demonstrate their commitment to delivering accountable, transparent, and high-quality retail media offerings. This, in turn, fosters a trusted environment for brands and agencies to invest with confidence, driving growth and maturity across the European market.

As part of this programme, Albert Heijn has now been certified for display (static) and sponsored products across its on-site properties, including the Albert Heijn website and mobile app. Retail media networks participating in the programme can choose which specific ad products to put forward for certification, ensuring flexibility while maintaining rigorous standards.

Commenting on the achievement, IAB Europe’s industry development & insights director, Marie-Clare Puffett, said, "The completion of this first pilot audit by Albert Heijn and ABC marks a major milestone in the rollout of the programme. The process has provided valuable insights that will further enhance IAB Europe’s retail media measurement standards and certification framework, ensuring they remain practical, robust, and aligned with the needs of the retail media ecosystem. ABC’s role as the first auditor to deliver a certification also demonstrates the importance of trusted, independent verification in building confidence in this fast-growing sector. We look forward to engaging more retailers in this programme."

As the first RMN to be certified, Albert Heijn’s certification recognises the retailer’s strong commitment to transparency, accountability, and measurable impact in its retail media solutions, establishing a benchmark for the wider market and paving the way for more companies to follow.

Rolf Oosterhoff, head of retail media services at Albert Heijn, commented, "We are very proud that Albert Heijn is the first retail media network to be certified against the IAB Europe retail media standards. This certification underlines our commitment to transparency and effectiveness in retail media. It’s an important milestone for us, but also for the industry as a whole, and we look forward to continuing to work with our partners to further professionalise and grow retail media."

As one of the auditors for the certification programme, ABC plays a critical role in conducting impartial and transparent assessments of participating companies, verifying that they meet the certification requirements set out by IAB Europe.

Jan Pitt, commercial director, ABC, said, "We’re delighted to have partnered with the Albert Heijn team to deliver the programme’s first certification and a clear reference point for the market. Our audit verified how onsite metrics are defined, captured, and reported by testing the methodology, data flows, and evidence behind the numbers - giving advertisers and retail media networks the confidence to trade on independently verified metrics."

Building on this success, IAB Europe has expanded the programme to ad technology providers. Auditing and certifying both retailers and technology providers will ensure a consistent, end-to-end framework for Retail Media, further enhancing trust, transparency, and investment confidence across the ecosystem.

For more information on IAB Europe’s Retail Media Certification programme and how you can get involved, please visit the website here or reach out to the team at retailmediastandards@iabeurope.eu. 

IAB Europe

IAB Europe is the European-level association for the digital marketing and advertising ecosystem. Through its membership of media, technology and marketing companies and national IABs, its mission is to lead political representation and promote indus...

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