Retail media budget allocation
where should pharma brands invest in 2026?
Data Analysis | Marketing Directors, Media Planners
Retail media has become the third advertising pillar in the UK, after search and social. For Consumer Healthcare (CHC) brands, it represents a unique opportunity: reaching consumers at the precise moment they make their purchase decision, directly on the platform where they will convert. But in 2026, the question is no longer whether to invest in retail media. The question is where, how much, and according to what distribution.
The pharma retail media landscape in the UK has entered a phase of rapid complexity. Amazon Advertising UK remains the dominant channel, but the ecosystem is expanding: Criteo Commerce Media powers e-pharmacy networks, retail platforms develop their own offerings, and specialist e-pharmacies like Boots and LloydsPharmacy enrich their advertising formats. For a marketing director or CHC media planner, budget decision-making now requires a granularity and analytical rigour that didn't exist two years ago.
This article proposes a structured framework for pharma retail media budget allocation in the UK: spending benchmarks, platform comparison, distribution between always-on, seasonal and promotional campaigns, and emerging platforms to test.
The retail media market in the UK: 2026 landscape
Spending in constant acceleration
The essentials at a glance
Key takeaways from this article in one infographic.
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