On September 26, 2024, Equativ, a global independent ad tech company, announced its strategic acquisition of Kamino Retail, a flexible and agnostic on-site retail media platform designed for retailers. This move comes as part of Equativ's ongoing expansion and innovation efforts in the rapidly growing retail media sector, according to a press release from Equativ.
The acquisition, supported by Equativ's primary investor Bridgepoint, marks a significant step in the company's growth strategy. According to Arnaud Créput, Equativ's CEO, this move reinforces their commitment to driving innovation and strategic growth within key sectors of the digital advertising landscape.
Equativ, which has tripled in size over the last three years, is positioning itself to capitalize on the burgeoning retail media market. According to industry estimates cited in the Equativ press release, the retail media sector is expected to capture $166 billion globally by 2025.
The integration of Kamino Retail's technology with Equativ's existing ad tech expertise provides retailers with a comprehensive suite of solutions, as outlined in the Equativ press release:
- On-site and off-site monetization: A centralized technology platform that combines the best of both worlds.
- Access to all demand sources: Including programmatic advertising opportunities.
- Innovative solutions: Such as video retail media, which Kamino Retail pioneered.
- Customization options: Retailers can build their own retail media stack using full-API technologies.
- Transparency: Optimized and transparent management of retail media campaigns.
- Full control: Support for onsite and offsite activation, for both endemic and non-endemic brands.
- Revenue optimization: Automated access to additional programmatic demand.
- Enhanced shopper experience: 100% native formats with relevant, targeted, and personalized advertising.
Benefits for agencies and brands
The acquisition also brings advantages to agencies and brands utilizing Equativ's enhanced retail media capabilities, as stated in the Equativ press release:
- Flexibility: Agencies and brands can use their preferred Demand-Side Platform (DSP) for onsite and offsite retail media activations.
- Performance optimization: Access to Kamino Retail's algorithms to maximize campaign performance metrics such as conversion rates, sales units, and Return on Ad Spend (RoAS).
- Integrated advertising: Equativ's technology is natively integrated into retailers' environments across web, mobile, and in-app platforms.
- Full-funnel approach: New high-funnel formats, including retail media video solutions, increase engagement and product visibility on retailers' sites.
- Scalability: An independent, interoperable retail media monetization platform that serves as a one-stop-shop for onsite and offsite success.
Company backgrounds
Equativ, formerly known as Smart AdServer, was founded in 2001 and rebranded in 2022. The company has a strong presence in 18 countries and has established strategic relationships with major international advertising agencies, premium publishers, and Fortune 500 brands.
Kamino Retail, founded in 2023 by four marketing experts including Elie Aboucaya, specializes in retail media technology, as stated on their LinkedIn profile. Prior to starting Kamino Retail, Aboucaya co-founded Storetail in 2014, which was acquired by Criteo in 2018, according to information from Axios.
Financial and operational details
While the specific terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, some key financial and operational points include, as reported by Axios:
- Equativ's expected net revenue growth from €50 million in 2020 to €200 million in 2024.
- The company's goal to achieve $400 million in revenue by 2027.
- Equativ's revenue breakdown: 60% from the U.S., 30% from Europe, and 10% from Latin America.
- The company operates in 18 different countries and integrates with about 70 different demand-side platforms.
- Equativ works with 1,300 publishers.
- All 20 employees of Kamino Retail will join Equativ's team of 720.
Future plans
Following the acquisition, Kamino Retail will initially remain an autonomous subsidiary of Equativ, focusing on on-site retail media globally, according to the Axios report. The plan is to fully integrate Kamino Retail into Equativ's operations over time.
Equativ's CEO, Arnaud Créput, emphasized the importance of global scale, stating that the company is now among the top three Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs) worldwide in terms of size. The company plans to continue its growth by focusing on Connected TV (CTV) and retail media, as reported by Axios.
Key Facts
- Acquisition announcement date: September 26, 2024 (Equativ press release)
- Acquirer: Equativ (Equativ press release)
- Acquired company: Kamino Retail (Equativ press release)
- Equativ's primary investor: Bridgepoint (Equativ press release)
- Equativ's CEO: Arnaud Créput (Equativ press release)
- Kamino Retail co-founder: Elie Aboucaya (Kamino Retail LinkedIn profile)
- Projected global retail media market size by 2025: $166 billion (Equativ press release)
- Equativ's expected 2024 net revenue: €200 million (Axios report)
- Equativ's 2027 revenue goal: $400 million (Axios report)
- Equativ's current employee count: 720 (Axios report)
- Kamino Retail's employee count joining Equativ: 20 (Axios report)
- Number of countries Equativ operates in: 18 (Equativ press release)
- Number of publishers Equativ works with: 1,300 (Axios report)