The Home Depot Partners with Kevel to Transform Retail Media Network

In a significant move for the retail media industry, The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer, has announced a partnership with Kevel, an API-first ad serving company, to transform its retail media network, Orange Apron Media. This collaboration marks a new chapter in The Home Depot's six-year journey of providing home improvement retail media solutions, as it seeks to innovate and enhance its services for advertisers.

The partnership centers on the implementation of Kevel's Retail Media Cloud™, a flexible, API-based solution that will power Orange Apron Media's in-house retail media technology. This strategic decision allows The Home Depot to build a differentiated retail media network, adding substantial value to its ad products by enabling advertisers to connect with customers closer to the point of purchase.

Melanie Babcock, vice president of Orange Apron Media and Monetization, emphasized the importance of this partnership, stating, "Providing the best possible service and experience for our customers and our advertising partners is at the top of our list of priorities." She highlighted that the collaboration with Kevel facilitates the creation of custom solutions that enhance the overall experience for both brands and customers.

This move is particularly significant in the context of the evolving retail media landscape. As brands increasingly focus on retail media networks that deliver tangible value, there is a growing trend towards in-house, customized solutions. Kevel's Retail Media Cloud is designed to meet this demand, enabling retailers like The Home Depot to build tailored in-house retail media solutions that leverage their unique attributes and first-party data.

The implications of this partnership extend beyond The Home Depot. It signals a shift in the retail media industry, where major retailers are seeking to differentiate themselves and provide more value to their advertising partners. By developing enhanced omnichannel customer experiences and ads that tell a story across the customer journey, Orange Apron Media aims to ensure that advertisers receive at least a two-times return on their ad spend.

For advertisers, this partnership promises more innovative, cutting-edge decisioning, ad formats, and targeting capabilities. It also ensures better site performance and data security at scale. The move towards in-house solutions allows for greater customization and flexibility, potentially leading to more effective advertising campaigns and better ROI for brands partnering with The Home Depot.

From a consumer perspective, the enhanced retail media capabilities could lead to more personalized and relevant advertising experiences. By leveraging The Home Depot's unique first-party data and Kevel's technology, Orange Apron Media can create more seamless integrations of retail media offerings into digital strategies, potentially improving the overall shopping experience for customers.

As the retail media landscape continues to evolve, this partnership between Kevel and The Home Depot's Orange Apron Media sets a precedent for other retailers, especially in specialty retail sectors. It demonstrates the potential for in-house retail media solutions to drive innovation, improve advertiser outcomes, and enhance customer experiences. The success of this collaboration could inspire similar moves across the retail industry, potentially reshaping the future of retail media and digital advertising as a whole.