First-Party Data
Data collected directly by an organisation from its own customers through owned channels such as loyalty programmes, apps, and purchase history.
First-party data refers to information that an organisation collects directly from its own customers and audiences through its owned channels and touchpoints — including purchase transactions, loyalty programme membership, website and app behaviour, email interactions, and in-store activity.
In the context of retail media, first-party data is the foundational asset that makes retail media networks uniquely valuable to advertisers. Unlike third-party data (purchased from data brokers) or second-party data (shared between partners), first-party retail data is highly accurate, consent-based, and directly tied to actual purchasing behaviour. It enables advertisers to target shoppers based on real purchase history — for example, targeting pet food buyers with pet care promotions — with a level of precision not available through other advertising channels.
The deprecation of third-party cookies and increasing privacy regulation has significantly increased the value of first-party data, accelerating the growth of retail media networks as a premium advertising channel. Retailers with large loyalty programmes and high purchase frequency — supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores — are particularly well-positioned to monetise their first-party data through retail media.