Teads and commerce media platform Koddi have announced a global partnership to bring an open OpenRTB standard to onsite retail media inventory, connecting retailer-owned ad placements with broader programmatic demand.
The integration is designed to address two persistent issues in retail media: fragmentation between individual retail media networks and inconsistent approaches to buying and selling inventory. The companies say advertisers can use Teads Ad Manager to activate Sponsored Product Ads (SPAs) and display placements across Koddi-powered retail media networks in the U.S. and Europe.
The announcement positions OpenRTB as an infrastructure layer for connecting retailer inventory with external demand rather than requiring individual proprietary integrations between buyers and each retail media network.
How the Integration Works
Koddi’s commerce media infrastructure enables retailers to make onsite inventory available programmatically while retaining control over inventory, pricing and quality standards. Through the new integration, participating networks can expose eligible inventory to Teads’ advertiser demand through OpenRTB.
For advertisers, the model creates a route for activating retail media inventory through an existing advertising platform instead of managing separate connections to each retailer. Teads says its Ad Manager can support Sponsored Product Ads and high-intent display placements across Koddi-powered networks.
Wolt Ads is among the cited retail media networks participating through the Koddi ecosystem, alongside Gopuff UK and Hopper. The announcement says the approach allows retailers to maintain control over monetization while gaining access to incremental external demand.
Impact on Advertisers, Retailers and Agencies
For advertisers and agencies, the most significant change is potential simplification of retail media buying. Instead of treating each retail media network as an isolated buying environment, OpenRTB can provide a standardized technical framework through which inventory becomes accessible to external programmatic demand.
This could make onsite retail media easier to incorporate into omnichannel campaigns, particularly for advertisers already purchasing display or other digital inventory through demand-side infrastructure.
Retailers gain another potential source of demand while retaining control over pricing and inventory quality. The trade-off is that open programmatic requires consistent implementation of auction mechanics, inventory controls, identity or audience signals, measurement and brand-safety requirements.
The partnership does not disclose transaction volumes, revenue figures or performance benchmarks, so its commercial impact cannot yet be independently assessed.
Why OpenRTB Matters for Retail Media
OpenRTB provides a standardized protocol for communication between buyers and sellers in programmatic advertising. Its application to onsite retail media could reduce the need for one-off technical integrations as retail networks seek to make inventory accessible beyond their proprietary platforms.
The development also reflects retail media’s movement toward interoperability. As retailers build advertising businesses around first-party shopper data and high-intent onsite environments, advertisers increasingly need ways to connect those assets with broader media-buying strategies.
The IAB Europe data cited in the announcement identifies fragmentation and standardization as major barriers for buy-side retail media stakeholders. However, those figures are based on the organization’s research and should be treated as market survey findings rather than a universal measurement of the entire retail media ecosystem.
Market Landscape
Retail media networks have historically developed distinct ad products, auction systems, measurement approaches and buying interfaces. That structure can provide retailers with control but creates operational complexity for brands managing campaigns across multiple networks.
Open programmatic approaches are increasingly being explored as a way to connect retail inventory with external demand while preserving retailer governance. Teads and Koddi’s integration applies that model specifically to onsite retail media.
For enterprise advertisers, the potential value lies in combining retailer-level shopper intent with broader omnichannel buying infrastructure. For retailers, the strategic consideration is whether additional demand and potential yield outweigh the complexity of opening inventory to external buyers.
Strategic Outlook
The partnership could make OpenRTB a more significant infrastructure component in retail media, particularly as networks seek demand beyond their own buying interfaces.
Its longer-term relevance will depend on adoption across retailers, consistency of implementation and the ability to maintain transparency around pricing, inventory quality, audience signals and measurement. The announcement also indicates plans to expand supported ad formats and retail partnerships, suggesting that the initial integration is intended as a foundation for broader interoperability.
Top Insights
- Teads and Koddi are bringing OpenRTB to onsite retail media inventory.
- Advertisers can access participating Koddi-powered networks through Teads Ad Manager.
- The integration covers Sponsored Product Ads and display placements.
- Retailers retain control over inventory, pricing and quality standards.
- The model aims to reduce proprietary integrations between retail networks and demand partners.
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