Criteo works with greater than 200 corporations to construct retail media companies on prime of ecommerce websites and throughout the net.
That scale has made it an enormous within the business during the last a number of years, particularly as opponents like CitrusAd and Microsoft-owned PromoteIQ have wound down operations, business sources advised ADWEEK. However as retail media hits a brand new part of progress, a gaggle of upstarts claiming to have cutting-edge know-how are circling the incumbent’s shoppers. In whole, U.S. retail media advert spend is anticipated to prime $62 billion this 12 months.
Retailers like Kohl’s have despatched out requests for proposals during the last 12 months as they reassess their retail media tech, sources stated. And whereas that doesn’t imply that the incumbent gained’t prevail, it does add a brand new sort of strain as corporations like Kevel, Koddi, Moloco, Pentaleap, Topsort, and Vantage goal to ascertain themselves as worthy adversaries to Criteo. Amazon, too, entered the sport in January, providing its personal onsite ad-serving tech to retail media networks.
“We analyze what these corporations are growing, and it helps us keep on our toes for characteristic operate that we’d must develop in opposition to,” Michael Komasinski, Criteo’s CEO, beforehand advised ADWEEK. “We’ve received a reasonably sturdy roadmap, and we’ve been on this enterprise a very long time, so I don’t suppose I’ve seen something that radically modifications what we’re doing. However we take all competitors critically, even the small ones.”
Nonetheless, competitors looms massive for Criteo. The next is a listing of the highest retail media adtech corporations hoping to shake up the area over the following a number of months. Whereas all these corporations compete with Criteo in some capability, many additionally work alongside Criteo or each other.
“Lots of the competitors is now choosing ‘coopetition’ and promoting their tech as a complement reasonably than substitute to Criteo,” Andrew Lipsman, unbiased retail media analyst, advised ADWEEK.
Whereas every firm makes the case that its providing outshines the competitors, one supply stated that retail media tech is “fairly commoditized.”
Criteo’s rivals declare their tech can place advertisements in additional related contexts on retailers’ websites.
Kevel
Income coming from retail and commerce media: About 80%.
Variety of retail and commerce media shoppers: Greater than 50 together with Chewy, Greenback Normal, and PayPal.
Based in 2010 as an advert server known as Adzerk, the corporate modified its title to Kevel in 2020 and expanded its merchandise to incorporate APIs that enable for extra customizable advert codecs.
Now, its principal choices embody advert serving and first-party viewers creation utilizing AI and machine studying. Kevel acquired Nexta in January, which permits the corporate to supply self-serve shopping for portals for shoppers together with Farfetch and Cell.de, stated CEO James Avery. Manufacturers can use the portal to purchase banner advertisements, native advertisements, promoted listings, and offsite campaigns on platforms like Meta and Google, he stated.
Kevel additionally companions with ad-buying instruments that use APIs like Skai and Pacvue, in addition to order administration programs like Placements and Boostr, Avery stated.
Koddi
Income coming from retail and commerce media: Retail media represents nearly all of Koddi’s present income, a spokesperson advised ADWEEK, however declined to share a share.
Variety of retail and commerce media shoppers: Koddi declined to share the overall variety of RMNs it really works with, however listed Gopuff, Grubhub, Kohl’s, Reserving.com, Fanatics, Checkatrade, and Vehicles.com as present shoppers.
Koddi was based in 2013 in Fort Value, Texas as an advert server, primarily working for journey corporations like lodges and on-line journey brokers. The corporate acquired HookLogic’s journey enterprise from Criteo in 2017. In 2021, it expanded into the retail, automotive, and restaurant verticals. It additionally companions with Pacvue and Skai.
Not too long ago, Koddi gained the Kohl’s Media Community account following a aggressive evaluate course of. Kohl’s had beforehand been utilizing adtech from PromoteIQ.
Moloco
Income coming from retail and commerce media: The corporate declined to share the share of income that comes from commerce media. “Retail media is one among our quickest‑rising areas globally, and a serious focus of funding,” stated Pat Copeland, basic supervisor for Moloco Commerce Media.
Variety of retail and commerce media shoppers: Moloco declined to share its whole variety of retailer shoppers. Wayfair is a flagship buyer within the U.S., Copeland stated, and the corporate helps most of the largest retailers in Korea.
Based in 2013, Moloco’s bread and butter has been in cell advertisements for many of its historical past. In 2022, the corporate launched its retail media platform, and at this time works with retailers throughout North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
“We’re a white‑label onsite advert platform for retailers’ owned and operated properties: Rating, public sale, pacing, and measurement pushed by first‑social gathering knowledge,” Copeland stated. The corporate integrates with order administration programs for onsite and offsite advert shopping for. Moloco additionally works with API-based demand companions to funnel programmatic {dollars} into onsite stock, he added.
Moloco invested in rival Topsort to broaden its attain.
Pentaleap
Income coming from retail and commerce media: 100%.
Variety of retail and commerce media shoppers: Round 30 however not all are stay but, stated Andreas Reiffen, CEO and cofounder of Pentaleap.
Based in 2024 by Reiffen, who beforehand cofounded Crealytics, Pentaleap has rapidly grow to be a buzzy retail media participant working with chains like CVS, Residence Depot, and Staples.
Pentaleap’s principal promoting level is healthier advert relevancy onsite. The corporate’s tech can stand alone in an ad-serving capability or layer on prime of different ad-serving instruments from Criteo, Kevel, and Koddi in a means that Reiffen claims can enhance advert efficiency by between 70% and 130%. It additionally connects to demand-side platforms together with Teads and API companions like Skai.
Topsort
Income coming from retail and commerce media: Topsort co-founder and CEO Regina Ye declined to share what share of its income comes from commerce media, however described it as the corporate’s “principal focus.”
Variety of retail and commerce media shoppers: The corporate declined to share its whole variety of retailer shoppers.
Topsort was based in 2021 in an effort to deliver a extra AI-savvy, engineering-focused providing to the retail media ad-serving area.
Ye advised ADWEEK in 2024 that the corporate pitches itself as “Amazon Adverts on-demand,” due to the self-serve platform that retailers and types can use to handle campaigns.
Earlier this 12 months, Topsort introduced a brand new sponsored listing-focused advert change, a set of measurement instruments, and a device that digitizes in-store actions.
Vantage
Income coming from retail and commerce media: 100%.
Variety of retail and commerce media shoppers: Seven.
Vantage launched in 2013 as an analytics portal to assist manufacturers perceive their shopper advertising and marketing efficiency inside particular person retailers, with Walmart as their first shopper.
Now, the corporate works as a “retail media working system,” stated Drew Cashmore, chief technique officer for the corporate. It doesn’t instantly compete with Criteo on the ad-serving entrance, however connects with gamers—like Kevel or Pentaleap—that do compete with Criteo. Vantage sits on prime of advert servers and demand-side platforms, letting retailers run retail media networks by one platform reasonably than managing every particular person tech layer.
