Woolworths Cartology retail media network: formats, Everyday Rewards data and how to buy

Woolworths keeps half the inventory for itself. In August 2024 Woolworths said it reserves 50% of Cartology's inventory for the group, selling the rest to mostly endemic and, increasingly, non-endemic advertisers (AMI, 27 August 2024). That split tells buyers how scarce premium store placements are. It also shows that Woolworths values the media for its own promotions, not only for ad revenue.

The second difference is reach outside the supermarket. Cartology runs a fully digital retail out-of-home network in shopping centres: over 3,600 screens on its home page, in more than 530 centres. It calls itself the only real retailer in out of home. In 2024 it added CommBank iQ, a joint venture of Commonwealth Bank and Quantium, so travel, insurance and luxury brands can target malls by spending data (Cartology, 16 July 2024). That opens the network to advertisers who never sell through a Woolworths till.

Third, growth is slowing from a high base. Cartology revenue rose a normalised 19.5% in fiscal 2025 (Mediaweek, 28 August 2025) and 7.8% in fiscal 2026. The Coles 360 profile shows its rival on a similar path. Both networks are now growing more slowly than in their early years.

In-store. In Woolworths and Metro supermarkets, Cartology sells screens at the entrance, in the aisles and at the shelf. It cites research that 80% of customers have less than half their basket planned when they walk in (company claim, Cartology, accessed 9 November 2026). At BIG W, full-motion screens greet shoppers at the door. The in-store retail media guide explains how such screens are counted and priced.

Onsite. Digital placements run on woolworths.com.au, the Woolworths app and bigw.com.au. Cartology reports 19.2 million average weekly visits to Woolworths' food and everyday digital platforms and 18.8 million monthly visits to bigw.com.au (company claims, Cartology, accessed 9 November 2026).

Off-network and out of home. Cartology buys addressable media on premium publishers using Everyday Rewards audiences, and runs BIG W campaigns with YouTube and Meta. Retail out-of-home screens sit in more than 530 shopping centres. Offsite media and out of home are measured against the same loyalty sales data.

Everyday Rewards is the core. Cartology says it has more than 11 million active members and ties media to their purchases. A Cartology planning tool, launched in October 2024, draws on more than 2,900 past campaigns to recommend product and channel mixes (Cartology, 25 October 2024).

For out of home, CommBank iQ adds de-identified payment data from about 7 million Australians. Brands receive aggregated insights and results, not customer records. We found no public description of a clean room used for offsite matching.

Cartology promises closed-loop measurement: results "measured, not modelled and linked to sales data", including for retail out of home. Off-network campaigns are reported against Everyday Rewards sales.

The network publishes case studies and runs an annual Campaign of the Year programme, with 2026 winners including Unilever, General Mills and LEGO (Woolworths Group, October 2026). We found no independent audit or accreditation. The grocery retail media comparison sets out what buyers can ask for.

1. Use the enquiry form. The Cartology site asks which retailer you need: Woolworths, BIG W or retail out of home.
2. Plan with the Cartology team. Managed campaigns cover in-store, onsite and off-network media; ask for the planning tool's recommendation.
3. Try Cartology Ads Manager if you want to run digital campaigns yourself; confirm which formats it supports.
4. Add retail out of home for awareness near stores, with CommBank iQ targeting if you sell outside grocery.
5. Agree the sales read. Fix the window, control method and which Everyday Rewards sales count before launch.

It suits:

• FMCG brands ranged in Woolworths or Metro supermarkets;
• general-merchandise brands sold at BIG W;
• non-grocery brands that want shopping-centre screens with spend-based targeting.

It suits less:

• brands that need guaranteed premium in-store slots at short notice, given the 50% reserve;
• advertisers who require audited or accredited metrics;
• buyers outside Australia, since New Zealand media is not covered on the pages we read.

• Cartology revenue in Australian dollars for any year.
• The formats, minimum budgets and fees in Cartology Ads Manager.
• A full list of technology partners, including the ad server and offsite DSPs.
• The exact retail out-of-home footprint: 3,600+ screens on the home page, 3,300 on the out-of-home page.
• Whether the 50% inventory reserve stated in 2024 still applies.

1. Cartology, home page, "Woolworths" and "BIG W" solution pages and "Retail Out of Home" page (accessed 9 November 2026). https://www.cartology.com.au/ ; https://www.cartology.com.au/solutions/woolworths ; https://www.cartology.com.au/solutions/bigw ; https://www.cartology.com.au/solutions/retail-out-of-home
2. Cartology, "Cartology bolsters targeting and measurement proposition, partnering with CommBank iQ" (16 July 2024). https://www.cartology.com.au/news/cba-iq-partnership
3. Cartology, "Cartology launches new planning tool to optimise data-led Retail Media planning at pace" (25 October 2024). https://www.cartology.com.au/news/cartology-launches-new-planning-tool-to-optimise-data-led-retail
4. Woolworths Group, "Cartology Crowns Australia's Most Effective Retail Media Campaigns" (October 2026). https://woolworthsgroup.com.au/au/en/our-newsroom/media-releases/latest-news/2026/cartology-crowns-australia-s-most-effective-retail-media-campaig.html
5. AMI (Mi3), "Ecom roars back to life as Coles and Woolies power; Banducci bows out with a wrap for retail media unit Cartology" (27 August 2024). https://ami.org.au/knowledge-hub/ecom-roars-back-to-life-as-coles-and-woolies-power-banducci-bows-out-with-a-wrap-for-retail-media-unit-cartology-but-coles-360-growth-rate-outstrips-rival/
6. Mediaweek, "Cartology lifts revenue 19.5% amid Woolworths Group's weaker FY25 results" (28 August 2025). https://www.mediaweek.com.au/companies/cartology-lifts-revenue-19-5-amid-woolworths-group-weaker-results
7. Stockwirex, "WOW Full Year Results: EBIT Up 12.7% to $3.1B" (26 August 2026). https://stockwirex.com/asx-stock-news/consumer-staples/wow-woolworths-group-fy2026-full-year-results-august-2026/
8. MarketScale, "Stores ring up most retail sales but earn 5% of retail media revenue" (2 November 2026). https://www.marketscale.com/industries/retail/stores-ring-up-most-retail-sales-but-earn-5-of-retail-media-revenue