As advertising has expanded into a multi-channel revenue model across onsite, offsite, and in-store environments, complexity has evolved alongside it. The result is a fragmented ecosystem where tens of billions of dollars are lost each year. This isn’t from a single failure point, but rather due to how disconnected these systems have become.
Retail media has played a central role in driving growth within this landscape. However, that same fragmentation has made revenue leakage more visible and increasingly difficult to ignore, exposing the limits of legacy technology to effectively address it.
That’s starting to change.
A new set of platforms leveraging the latest technologies is emerging, built to mitigate these operational challenges and shift retail media into its next phase: modernized workflows.
Some are focused on optimizing auctions and pricing. Others are extending reach across channels. We’re also seeing new solutions designed to bring sales, inventory, and campaign execution into a more unified model.
As leaders are assigned to integrate these new tools into their stack, it can be challenging to identify which ones are worth investing in. In particular, not every platform that promises automation, optimization, or “end-to-end” capabilities is built to deliver meaningful impact in a way that’s practical and, most importantly, safe.
For teams looking to better understand which solutions are actually helping offer measurable results and trusted software, the companies below highlight some of the platforms leaders are increasingly turning to to achieve just that.
In order to cut through the noise, here’s our list of the best retail media ad management software for automating complex cross-channel campaigns on the market today, and the features and benefits of each option.
TopSort: https://www.topsort.com
Best for: Auction optimization and real-time ranking intelligence
TopSort focuses on a layer of retail media that directly impacts revenue but often operates behind the scenes: auction dynamics and ranking.
Witnessing that advanced auction and AI-driven monetization technology was only available to a handful, they created a tool that’s more easily accessible. Optimizing how ads are priced and placed in real-time helps retailers and marketplaces maximize the value of each impression in a way that is no longer futuristic. A move away from static placement and manual sales, guided by AI tools, like TopSort, that are predicted to run commerce operations.
Why it stands out:
- Real-time auction and ranking optimization
- API-first infrastructure for flexible integration
- Strong focus on monetization efficiency
If retail media is an economy, it is working on the pricing model.
ADvendio: https://www.advendio.com
Best for: End-to-end retail operations and revenue orchestration
As retail media grows more complex, the challenge isn’t just managing campaigns, but rather managing everything that surrounds them.
Teams are consistently navigating how inventory is packaged and sold, how campaigns are executed across channels, and how revenue is recognized. Within many organizations, those tasks often feel isolated, which is exactly where inefficiencies and missed opportunities tend to show up.
ADvendio is built to address that layer of the problem.
Recognizing that while automation has added value, this omni-channel ad management solution leverages today’s modern technology in the form of agentic agents to guide the coordination in a secure unified environment.
Why it stands out:
- Full lifecycle management from inventory to invoicing
- Salesforce-native foundation that effectively connects data and workflows
- Automation designed to reduce manual handoff between teams
- Centralized control across onsite, offsite, and in-store campaigns
In a space where many tools specialize in one piece of the puzzle, ADvendio is positioned to connect them.
Kevel: https://www.kevel.com
Best for: Building customer retail media networks from scratch
Kevel takes a different approach from most retail media platforms.
Instead of offering a fixed system to plug into, it provides the infrastructure to build your own. At its core is an API-based ad server that supports any format, placement, or demand source, giving teams control over how ads are served, how targeting works, and how the experience fits into their ecosystem.
That flexibility becomes more relevant as retail media expands beyond onsite placements. Sponsored listings and ad experience can extend across apps, email, and even in-store environments, without losing control over delivery.
It also speaks to a bigger shift happening in this space: ownership. Rather than relying on external systems with predefined logic, Kevel allows teams to operate on their own first-party data and define how their retail media business actually runs.
What stands out:
- Fully customizable ad serving and decisioning
- Autonomy-driven solution for users
- Developer-first architecture
- Enable proprietary retail media networks
While it’s worth noting that it requires more upfront investments, the value output is that it offers more long-term flexibility and control than most platforms out there.
Criteo: https://www.criteo.com
Criteo’s strength comes from the scale of its commerce data and the ability to apply it across the entire shipping journey, from discovery through to purchase.
At the center of that is its commerce media model, which links advertising directly to transactions across both digital and physical touchpoints.
That connection is what allows campaigns to move beyond isolated channels and operate across a wider network without losing visibility or performance.
It’s also what enables retailers and publishers to better activate their own inventory, using first-party data and shared demand to drive more consistent revenue outcomes.
Why it stands out:
- Large-scale commerce data applied across the full buying journey
- Built to tie media performance more directly to transactions
- AI-driven optimization and bidding
For teams prioritizing reach and performance across multiple environments, it plays a different role than more infrastructure-focused platforms.
Broadsign: https://broadsign.com
Best for: In-store and DOOH retail media execution
Broadsign sits in a part of retail media that’s becoming harder to ignore.
Out-of-home has always been about visibility. Screens in stores, transit, and public spaces. What’s changed is how that inventory is managed.
With digital out-of-home, those placements are no longer static. Campaigns can be adjusted in real time, creatives can shift based on context, and inventory can be bought and sold more dynamically instead of manually.
That’s the layer Broadsign focuses on.
It brings structure to what has traditionally been a fragmented, slower-moving channel, giving teams a way to manage, deliver, and scale campaigns across physical environments through a more unified system.
Why it stands out:
- Enables more dynamic buying and campaign adjustments
- Built specifically for OOH and DOOH environments
- Centralizes planning, creative, and delivery
- Helps turn physical retail spaces into scalable media inventory
As retail media continues to expand into in-store experiences, this becomes less of an add-on and more of a core part of the strategy.
Adhese: https://adhese.eu
Best for: Adhese is built for teams that don’t want to overcomplicate things.
As more platforms get layered into retail media stacks, it’s easy to end up with systems that technically do everything, but harder to manage day to day. This makes control integral in the process. What Adhese focuses on is keeping that core layer clean, giving the users the ability to handle ad serving in a way that doesn’t introduce unnecessary friction.
It leans into first-party data and contextual targeting, which makes it more stable in environments where third-party signals aren’t always reliable. And instead of adding complexity to meet compliance requirements, it’s designed with those guardrails in place.
Why it stands out:
- Built around first-party data and contextual targeting
- Keeps the ad serving layer simple and easier to manage
- Less dependent on third-party signals
- Designed to operate cleanly within regulated environments
The result is a setup that feels more straightforward to run inside an infrastructure that offers trust and confidence to the users.
