Equativ, the global independent ad tech company, today announced the strategic acquisition of Kamino Retail, the flexible and agnostic on-site retail media platform designed for retailers. Supported by Bridgepoint, its primary investor, Equativ has tripled in size over the last three years, driving significant growth and innovation across the adtech landscape.
This expansion enhances Equativ’s retail media capabilities and expands upon the company’s recent merger with Sharethrough, which created one of the largest global independent ad marketplaces. With more than 20 years of experience in adtech, Equativ, present in 18 countries, has also established strategic relationships with the largest international advertising agencies, premium publishers, and Fortune 500 brands. The acquisition marks a major step forward in Equativ’s commitment to innovation and growth within the retail media sector, expected to capture $166 billion globally by 2025. Kamino Retail’s flexible and interoperable solutions, combined with Equativ’s adtech expertise, now enable retailers to benefit from a centralized technology platform that brings together the best of on-site and off-site monetization with access to all demand sources, including programmatic.
For retailers: a complete suite of on-site and off-site solutions.
Through this acquisition, Equativ and Kamino Retail provide retailers with a comprehensive, independent, and transparent suite of solutions that fully unlocks the potential of their advertising space and shopper data.
The combination of the two technologies allows retailers to reach the full potential of their retail media program:
- Innovation: Continue to enrich their retail media program through innovative and efficient solutions, such as the video retail media that Kamino Retail was the first to launch – as well as the activation of retailers’ 1st party data on Equativ’s inventories.
- Customization: Build their own retail media stack, relying on the full-API technologies offered by Kamino Retail and Equativ – and thus stand out from growing competition with a tailor-made offer.
- Transparency: Optimize the value chain, by regaining control of their technology and their relationships with brands and their agencies, by guaranteeing optimized and transparent management of retail media campaigns.
- Full Control: supporting onsite and offsite activation, for endemic and non-endemic brands, with support for direct sales and full programmatic demand.
- Growth: Benefit from additional programmatic demand in an automated manner, and optimize their revenues quickly and significantly.
- Shopper Experience: Provide consumers with an enhanced experience with 100% native formats, and relevant, targeted, and personalized advertising.
For agencies and brands: simplicity and performance
Agencies and brands will also benefit from Equativ’s newly-enhanced on-site and off-site retail media capabilities, which include:
- Flexibility: Agencies and brands can leverage the DSP of their choice for their onsite and offsite retail media activations.
- Performance: Leverage all of Kamino Retail’s algorithms to maximize the performance of their campaigns: conversion rates, sales units, RoAS, etc.
- Integrated advertising: Equativ’s tech is integrated natively into retailers’ environments across web, mobile, and in-app.
- Full funnel: Increase engagement and visibility of their products directly on the retailers’ site, using new high-funnel formats, such as retail media video solutions.
- Scalability: The independent, interoperable retail media monetization platform, centralized as a one-stop-shop for onsite and offsite success, compliant with all environments.
“The acquisition of Kamino, alongside our recent merger with Sharethrough, reinforces our commitment to driving innovation and strategic growth within key sectors of the digital advertising landscape,” says Arnaud Créput, Equativ’s CEO. “This integration of shared strengths allows Equativ to provide even stronger value for our partners. Offering access to a comprehensive, transparent, results-driven, and ever-expanding suite of solutions ensures we can both continuously cater for evolving needs and enhance our position in the global ad market.”
“More than a choice, this strategic acquisition was an obvious choice for us! Equativ’s proven off-site technology suite, combined with Kamino Retail’s expertise and unique platform, allows us to provide our customers with ever more efficient, agnostic, interoperable and integrated solutions.” says Elie Aboucaya, co-founder of Kamino Retail. “Equativ’s global presence, combined with their strategic partnerships, provides a significant boost to our international deployment and our technological roadmap.” adds Marianne Schneider, co-founder of Kamino Retail.
Jean-Baptiste Salvin, Partner at Bridgepoint Development Capital, adds: “We are thrilled to support Equativ’s acquisition of Kamino Retail, a pivotal move that combines Equativ’s programmatic advertising expertise with Kamino’s cutting-edge retail media solutions. We are confident that this collaboration will unlock significant value for retailers and stakeholders alike, reshaping the future of programmatic advertising with a unified, results-driven approach.”
