Kevel, an API-first retail media technology provider, has launched a native Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) Destination. This new integration enables retailers, marketplaces, and commerce media platforms to activate first-party audience data in real time for retail media campaigns, aiming to eliminate data lag and unlock faster revenue growth.
Short on time?
Here’s a quick look at what’s inside:
- Who is Kevel, and what’s the angle here?
- How the AEP Destination enables real-time retail media activation
- What marketers can do with real-time first-party data activation
- Key shifts in retail media and CDP integration
Who is Kevel, and what’s the angle here?
Founded in 2010 and based in Durham, Kevel provides API-first retail media technology that empowers retailers, marketplaces, and commerce platforms to build and scale custom ad networks. The company’s platform focuses on activating first-party audience data for targeted advertising, offering flexibility in ad serving, audience segmentation, and campaign management.
Kevel’s technology is used by brands such as Chewy, The Home Depot, Dollar General, Sonae, Lyft, El Corte Ingles, and Slickdeals. The company operates in a competitive landscape alongside players like Criteo, CitrusAd, PromoteIQ, and Topsort, all aiming to help retailers monetize first-party data and control their retail media strategies.
Patrecia Meliana
How the AEP Destination enables real-time retail media activation
The new Adobe Experience Platform Destination is designed to bridge the gap between customer insights and ad decisioning. By establishing a direct, real-time connection between Adobe Experience Platform and Kevel’s ad server infrastructure, the integration allows retailers to activate sophisticated customer segments instantly—transforming static CDP profiles into actionable audiences at the moment of ad decisioning.
Key features include:
- Native integration: Built directly into the Adobe Experience Platform UI, leveraging Adobe’s streaming architecture for real-time updates to customer segments.
- No custom development required: Marketers can activate and update audience segments without technical bottlenecks.
- Omnichannel identity recognition: Ensures consistent targeting across web, app, and loyalty environments.
- Safeguards for campaign continuity: Protects advertiser delivery and performance if audience configurations change.
This approach aims to accelerate time-to-revenue for retail media networks by making first-party data instantly actionable for campaign managers and strategists.
What marketers can do with real-time first-party data activation
For marketers, Kevel’s AEP Destination unlocks several operational benefits:
- Faster campaign launches: Real-time audience activation means marketers can respond to market opportunities and advertiser needs without delay.
- Improved targeting and ROAS: Consistent, up-to-date audience segments help maximize advertiser return on ad spend.
- Greater control: Marketers can manage how first-party data powers monetization, supporting both scale and customization.
Retailers and marketplaces looking to differentiate their ad programs and maximize their share of media dollars may find this integration especially valuable as retail media continues to grow.
Key shifts in retail media and CDP integration
Retail media technology is evolving rapidly, with a focus on enabling retailers to monetize first-party data through custom ad networks and real-time audience activation. The integration of CDPs like Adobe Experience Platform with ad serving infrastructure is becoming a critical differentiator, allowing for more flexible, data-driven retail media strategies.
Kevel’s move reflects broader industry trends toward retail media growth and first-party data infrastructure, as brands seek to act on customer signals in real time and drive measurable outcomes at the point of ad decisioning.
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