The majority of both brands and agencies say that DSP access would encourage them to move more of their non-retail media budgets into retail media, according to a new study.
Drawing insights from senior media buyers across leading brands and agencies, the State of Programmatic Retail Media from Koddi examines programmatic buying in retail media and the growing demand for streamlined access via DSPs to unlock greater retail media spend.
Retail media is one of the fastest-growing segments in digital advertising, but complexity and fragmentation in the buying process are slowing momentum. The research found that 79% of brands and agencies say in the future, brands will need to consolidate retail media partners.
For agencies, the lack of streamlined access to retail media is a missed opportunity. Enabling DSP buying taps into an ecosystem that agencies are already built to navigate to support increased spend.
According to the report, despite retail media’s popularity, buying is challenging, with 61% of respondents agreed that “buying retail media can be painful.” As a result, advertisers say that they need the buying experience to improve to expand their budgets, with 96% of brands and agencies report they will buy or consider buying on-site retail media via a DSP.
This DSP access would encourage advertisers to shift non-retail media budgets to retail media, they say, with some 93% of advertisers more inclined to switch additional budget to retail media if available via DSPs.
There are other operational efficiency and cost savings factors too, finds the report. Its data suggests that eight in ten respondents said they would find it easier to shift a larger share of their retail media budgets to DSP-enabled retailers if on-site media could be purchased programmatically.
The findings underscore that improving the retail media landscape means streamlining advertiser access to inventory. Retailers can reduce fragmented buying experiences and drive greater advertiser investment by enabling on-site inventory access through programmatic channels in addition to direct channels. This approach allows brands to activate, reach and measure retail media alongside broader campaigns run through DSPs. In turn, retailers unlock incremental demand and simplify ad buying, without commodifying their inventory.
“Retailers need to balance control with accessibility to attract additional media spend,” says Nicholas Ward, co-founder and president at Koddi. “By enabling DSP access to their environments, retailers aren’t just simplifying the buying process, they’re inviting deeper advertiser investment, growing incremental revenue and future-proofing their media businesses in an ecosystem increasingly built around interoperability. Through Koddi, retailers have the capabilities to protect and enhance their network and customer experiences, both direct and through a DSP, all in one platform.”
Koddi partnered with The Human Instinct to conduct in-depth interviews with senior executives and retail media decision-makers who buy media from leading brands and agencies across the US. The study was conducted in March 2025.
To view the full version of the report, please visit here.
