Inventory Discovery Tool: Understanding available Advertising Inventory and its Data
In programmatic advertising, there are a lot of digital advertising inventory that includes web pages, mobile apps, connected TV (CTV), videos, audio and other types of digital platforms that advertisers can work with. Nevertheless, simply having inventory is not enough. Advertisers also need to know how it is possible to reach users through these platforms and what advertising opportunities they may provide.
That is where a tool for inventory discovery comes in handy. It is used by advertisers and media buyers in order to analyse available advertising inventory and get valuable information about it.
What is an Inventory Discovery Tool?
An inventory discovery tool is an advertising system or feature that enables advertisers to search through and analyse the advertising inventory that is currently available. It can be explained simply as a search engine for advertising. Rather than looking through thousands of websites and applications manually, the advertiser is able to use this feature to discover the inventory in accordance with certain criteria.
Depending on the platform used, the inventory discovery tool may enable the user to browse through inventory that is available via the following criteria:
- Website or application
- Country or location
- Device type
- Ad format and size
- Content Category
- Audience
- Publisher
- Supply Source
- Impressions Estimate
The list of criteria will differ depending in the platform, but the core purpose of the tool remains the same.
Why is inventory Discovery Important?
The programmatic ads world has millions of advertising opportunities. Without an inventory discovery tool, it is hard for advertisers to get acquainted with the actual possibilities. Before starting a campaign, an advertiser may want to know
- What applications provide this kind of inventory?
- What amount of inventory is there?
- What locations can be covered?
- On which devices and OS is it possible to reach the target audience?
- What kind of content is available?
This will help them conduct their media planning process more thoughtfully. Inventory discovery may also allow buyers to learn about some new publishers and sources of supply that they were unaware of before.
What type of Data Could One Obtain from Inventory Discovery?
Publisher inventory Data
Some tools could provide information about the websites where advertising inventory is being offered. The information includes:
- Website domain
- Name of the mobile app
- Publisher’s name
- Category of publisher
- Supply source
- Inventory type
Geographical Information
Geography plays an important role in the planning of campaigns. The discovery of inventory reveals the geographical areas from which inventory comes. Based on the platform, the following geographical data can be obtained:
- Country
- State/region
- City
- Market
- Language
This makes it easier to find the matching supply to the geographical criteria of the campaign.
Device and Entertainment
Advertising inventory can be found in various devices and environments. The inventory discovery process helps the advertisers learn about the availability of their ads. The following information can be obtained from inventory discovery process:
- Desktop
- Mobile web
- Mobile app
- Tablet
- Connected TV
- Operating system
- Browser
- Device type
Ad Format and Creative Sizes
It is important for advertisers to know if their creatives can be placed within available inventories. It lists ad formats like:
- Display (sizes like: 300×250, 300×600, etc)
- Video
- Native
- Audio
- CTV
- Rich media
This enables advertisers to know whether their current creatives can be placed, or additional creative sizes will be needed.
Estimated Impression and Inventory Volume
It includes information like
- Estimated impressions
- Available impressions
- Daily inventory volume
- Traffic estimates
- Historical supply information
It enables buyers to see if there is enough volume. Actual number of impressions may vary depending on such factors as targeting, competition, bidding, budget and frequency.
Content and category details
Common categories in discovery tools are News, sports, entertainment, finance, technology, travel, automotive, gaming, lifestyle. This allows advertisers to identify relevant environments for their campaigns and whether the inventory suits their brans needs.
Audience Details
In addition, some inventory discovery platforms also give the audience details. They can include:
- Demographic details
- Interests
- Affinity categories
- Behavioural segments
- Reach of the audience
The estimates of the audience do not guarantee that every impression will be delivered to the same audience. This is dependent on the platform, data availability and campaign settings.
Conclusion
Inventory discovery tool assists advertisers in having an enhanced understanding of the programmatic advertising ecosystem. This tool assists advertisers in knowing the source of inventory, what kind of formats and devices the inventory is compatible with. Location and content categories and the total amount of potential inventory that might be available.
With the use of such information prior to initiating a campaign, advertisers will be able to make sound decisions regarding their choices of supply, targeting, creatives and media planning. In the highly complicated programmatic ecosystem, inventory discovery tool offers visibility to convert huge opportunities for advertisements into media planning.