Unlocking Growth with Morrisons Media Group: A Guide to the New Digital Retail Network
The UK retail media market is no longer a “nice-to-have” experiment for FMCG brands. It is a £3 billion industry rapidly becoming the primary battlefield for customer attention. For years, Tesco (DunnHumby) and Sainsbury’s (Nectar360) dominated the conversation. But late 2024 marked a decisive shift.
Morrisons Media Group has aggressively re-entered the chat.
Moving beyond standard trade marketing, Morrisons is building a closed-loop digital ecosystem that rivals the biggest players in the sector. With a fresh 7-year partnership with Bauer Media Outdoor and a massive rollout of digital shelf-edge technology, the retailer is finally connecting the dots between the front door and the checkout counter.
If you are a media buyer or brand manager, the question isn’t whether to invest. It is how to extract the best ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) from a network that reaches millions of weekly shoppers.
This guide breaks down the new infrastructure, the data capabilities, and exactly how to buy into the network before the Q1 2026 rush.
The “New” Morrisons Media Group: What Changed in 2025?
For a long time, advertising at Morrisons meant static posters and standard gondola ends. That era is over. The retailer has executed two major infrastructure upgrades that fundamentally change how brands can interact with shoppers.
The Bauer Media Outdoor Partnership
In a move that caught many analysts by surprise, Morrisons announced a strategic 7-year deal with Bauer Media Outdoor (BMO). This isn’t just a vendor swap; it is a complete overhaul of their Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) capabilities.
Starting in Q1 2026, Morrisons will roll out 300 full-motion digital screens across its store estate. These aren’t your standard heavy billboards. The rollout utilizes “Waferlite” technology.
Why Waferlite Matters for Media Buyers:
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Placement Agility: Traditional digital screens are heavy and hot. They require specific structural support. Waferlite screens are energy-efficient and lightweight. This allows Morrisons to place them in high-visibility glass entryways and vestibules where “heavy” screens simply couldn’t go.
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The “Welcome” Moment: These screens capture shoppers at the critical transition point—moving from the car park mindset to the shopping mindset.
[Bauer Media Outdoor Official Announcement]
Beyond the Entrance: The VusionGroup Shelf-Edge Revolution
While the big screens get the press, the real revolution is happening quietly on the shelf edge. Morrisons has partnered with VusionGroup to install 10.8 million electronic shelf labels (ESLs) across nearly 500 stores.
Most brands view ESLs as operational tools (easier price updates). This is a mistake.
For a savvy marketer, these are micro-advertising surfaces. VusionGroup’s “Captana” and “Rail” technology turns the shelf edge into a dynamic display. You can now synchronize your campaign so that the “Welcome” message on the Bauer entrance screen is reinforced by a flashing “Offer” indicator right where the customer reaches for your product.
Data-Driven Targeting: The Power of the “More Card”
Hardware is useless without software. The engine driving Morrisons Media Group is the Morrisons More Card.
Unlike open-web programmatic advertising where cookies are crumbling, retail media relies on hard, first-party transactional data. Morrisons knows exactly what its customers buy, how often they buy it, and what they pair it with.
The Media Buyer’s Perspective: Mass Reach vs. Precision
Pro-Tip from the Field: “Don’t treat these new digital screens like standard outdoor billboards. If you buy a bus shelter ad, you are paying for eyeballs. If you buy a Morrisons screen, you should be paying for verified shoppers.
Ask your account rep to overlay regional purchase data on your screen buys. Only bid on stores where your category penetration is high, or conversely, where you have a distribution gap you need to close. Use the data to validate the location, not just the footfall.”
What Data Can You Actually Target?
Through the Morrisons ecosystem, you aren’t guessing interests. You are targeting behaviors.
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Basket Composition: Target shoppers who buy “Free From” products but haven’t bought your gluten-free snack yet.
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Lapsed Shoppers: Identify customers who bought your detergent three months ago but haven’t returned.
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Price Sensitivity: The “My Points Boosters” feature in the More app allows for gamified offers. You can push aggressive discounts specifically to price-sensitive cohorts while serving brand-equity messaging to premium buyers.
This level of granularity allows for incrementality testing. You can run a digital screen campaign in the North West and compare sales lift against a control group in the South East, proving exact ROAS to your finance team.
How to Buy: Navigating the SMG Partnership
Understanding the tech is one thing; executing the buy is another. Morrisons Media Group operates largely through a partnership with SMG (Shopper Media Group).
The Role of Shopper Media Group (SMG)
SMG acts as the “operating system” for Morrisons’ retail media. They manage the Plan-Apps portal, a tool that allows agencies and suppliers to view inventory, book slots, and review performance.
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Managed Service: You work directly with an SMG account manager to build a bespoke omnichannel campaign (combining in-store radio, sampling, and digital screens). This is best for complex, multi-touchpoint launches.
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Programmatic (Emerging): With the Bauer partnership, we expect to see more inventory become available via programmatic platforms (DSPs) throughout 2026, allowing for real-time bidding on unsold screen time.
Success Stories: The “Challenger” Playbook
Consider a hypothetical scenario based on current best practices. A challenger oat milk brand wants to steal share from the category leader.
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The Old Way: Buy a magazine ad and hope for the best.
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The Morrisons Media Group Way:
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Data Analysis: Use More Card data to identify stores where the category leader is out-of-stock frequently or where dairy-alternative sales are trending up.
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Digital Screen: Deploy a high-impact creative on the entrance screens in those specific 50 stores.
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Offer: Push a “500 Extra Points” offer via the My Points Boosters app to users who have bought cow’s milk in the last month (conquesting).
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Result: The brand measures a 12% lift in “New-to-Brand” customers, a metric impossible to track via traditional media.
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Your 2026 Readiness Checklist
The full Bauer digital screen network goes live in Q1 2026. However, brands that wait until January to plan will find the prime inventory gone.
Here is your immediate action plan:
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Audit Your Distribution: You cannot advertise products that aren’t on the shelf. Ensure your supply chain into Morrisons is robust before booking media.
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Request a Category Review: Contact SMG now. Ask for a “Category Deep Dive” to understand the shopper demographics specific to Morrisons (which differ significantly from Waitrose or Asda).
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Asset Creation: Start designing creative assets that work for vertical digital screens (9:16 aspect ratio) and small electronic shelf labels. Reusing TV commercials won’t work here; you need short, punchy, silent loops.
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Budget Allocation: Shift a portion of your “Trade Spend” bucket into “Digital Media.” The ROI on the latter is far easier to prove.
FAQs
How do I advertise on Morrisons digital screens?
Advertising is primarily managed through Morrisons Media Group, operated in partnership with SMG (Shopper Media Group). For the upcoming digital screens, inventory may also be accessible via Bauer Media’s buying channels closer to the Q1 2026 launch.
What is the cost of Morrisons retail media?
Costs vary wildly based on format. Digital shelf-edge activations are often part of a wider trade agreement, while digital entrance screens are sold on a CPM (Cost Per Mille) basis. Expect CPMs to be higher than standard outdoor ads due to the high purchase intent of the audience.
Does Morrisons Media Group offer programmatic buying?
The industry is moving this way. The partnership with Bauer Media Outdoor is expected to open up programmatic buying capabilities for digital screens, allowing brands to bid on slots in real-time based on audience triggers (like weather or time of day).
How does the Morrisons More Card help advertisers?
The More Card links a digital ID to a physical transaction. This allows advertisers to target audiences based on actual purchase history (not just demographics) and measure the direct sales impact of their ads (Closed-Loop Measurement).
Who manages Morrisons retail media?
It is a collaborative effort. SMG handles the strategy, planning, and “Plan-Apps” platform, while Bauer Media will manage the hardware and operation of the new digital screen network.
When will the new Bauer screens be live?
The official rollout is scheduled to begin in Q1 2026, with the full estate of 300 screens expected to be active shortly thereafter.
Final Thoughts: The Window of Opportunity
Morrisons Media Group has effectively modernized its entire advertising estate in under two years. The combination of Waferlite screens, VusionGroup ESLs, and More Card data creates a potent toolkit for growth.
However, retail media networks often suffer from inflation. As more brands realize the power of this data, CPMs will rise. The “early adopter” window is open right now.
By engaging with MMG and SMG today, before the screens physically turn on in 2026, you can secure preferred rates, test your creative strategies, and build a learning curve that your competitors will struggle to match.
Next Step: Do not just read about it. Log into the SMG portal or contact your category manager this week to request your brand’s specific “Shopper Profile” report. That data is the first step to unlocking the growth discussed here.
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