Kevel: retail media and ad server APIs, pricing model and alternatives

Kevel sells the engine and leaves the car to you. A retailer gets an ad server it calls through APIs, then designs its own ad formats, pages and buyer tools on top. Kevel says it can serve "any creative and any ad format", from standard display to sponsored products, audio and screens (Kevel developer docs). The same servers run publisher ad stacks, which is why Kevel also appears among Google Ad Manager alternatives.

Around the ad server Kevel has added modules. Kevel Console is a self-serve tool for advertisers. Kevel Audience builds segments from first-party data. Kevel Forecast estimates what inventory is worth before it is sold. Kevel Exchange (KRX) brings outside advertiser demand. Kevel Advisory lends retail media operators to the client's team (Kevel).

Two acquisitions shaped this. Velocidi, bought in 2022, brought data and forecasting tools (Kevel, about). Nexta, bought on 11 February 2025, brought a self-serve ad manager and offsite workflows (Kevel, 11 February 2025).

Three groups of APIs do the work (Kevel retail media guide):

1. The Management API creates advertisers, campaigns, flights, ads and inventory.
2. The Decision API receives a request when a shopper loads a page, filters active ads against the request and returns the winner with its tracking links.
3. The Reporting API returns delivery and performance data. A real-time counter also feeds pacing, so budgets spend evenly.

Because the call is server to server, the retailer's own backend asks Kevel for an ad and renders it. No third-party tag runs in the shopper's browser. For sponsored listings, the retailer syncs its product catalog with Kevel and sends purchase events back so sales can be attributed.

Priorities and auctions. Each demand source, whether direct deals, self-serve campaigns or programmatic partners, sits in a priority tier the retailer defines. Inside a tier, Kevel can run a first-price or second-price auction. Bids priced per click or per conversion are converted to an expected cost per thousand impressions (eCPM) so they can compete fairly. Kevel publishes the formula: eCPM = CPC × (clicks ÷ impressions) × 1,000 (Kevel retail media guide).

Worked example. Brand A bids $0.80 per click and its ad has a 2% click-through rate. Its eCPM is 0.80 × 0.02 × 1,000 = $16. Brand B bids a flat $12 CPM. Under Kevel's normalisation, Brand A wins the slot because it is expected to earn the retailer more. Kevel's Autobid goes further: the brand sets a target ROAS and a maximum bid, and the engine adjusts the bid for it.

AI agents. Kevel runs an MCP server that gives AI agents read and write access to campaigns, inventory, reports and forecasts. Write access is on by default and can be switched off on request (Kevel docs, MCP server).

Kevel does not publish prices, and its pricing page returned a 404 error on 9 November 2026. Its marketing calls the Retail Media Cloud a "SaaS platform" (Kevel, retail media), but it does not state whether fees are fixed, usage-based or a share of ad revenue. Ask for the model in writing. A licence fee and a revenue share produce very different take rates as your network grows.

Strengths

• Control of the experience. The retailer owns the user interface, ranking rules and data. Kevel positions itself as processor, not controller, of that data.
• Format freedom. Server-side decisioning works for search results, apps, emails and screens alike.
• Demand without lock-in. The Trade Desk, Skai and Kevel's own exchange can all feed a Kevel-powered network. Dollar General's onsite and offsite buying through The Trade Desk runs on this setup (Kevel, 4 May 2026).
• Momentum with large grocers. Tesco Media chose Kevel to power its new Ad Manager, covering sponsored products, display, video and Scan As You Shop (Tesco Media and Kevel, 12 October 2026). Tesco's data arm, dunnhumby, is now a Kevel investor.

Limits

• You build the front end. API-first means engineering time. Retailers without developers will lean on Kevel's Console, Advisory or a partner such as Vantage.
• Demand is not bundled. Unlike a network vendor, Kevel does not bring thousands of brands. The retailer still needs a sales team.
• Opaque pricing. No public model, so total cost can only be compared after an RFP.
• Offsite is the newer half. Kevel built its name onsite; its offsite workflows arrived with the Nexta purchase in February 2025, which Kevel described as adding "off-site capabilities" (Kevel, 11 February 2025).

• Kevel's pricing model. A competing vendor's comparison (Osmos, June 2026) describes it as SaaS with no revenue share; Kevel does not say this on its own pages.
• The registered legal name of the operating company and the exact date of the Adzerk-to-Kevel rename.
• Whether Kevel's ad server accepts OpenRTB bids directly or only through its exchange and partners.
• Security certifications. Kevel points to a Trust Center that we could not read in a script.
• Whether Tesco Media Ad Manager is live for all advertisers.

1. Kevel, "Kevel Secures $52 Million to Scale AI-Driven Infrastructure for the Future of Commerce Media" (21 October 2026). https://www.kevel.com/blog/kevel-secures-52-million-to-scale-ai-driven-infrastructure-for-the-future-of-commerce-media
2. Kevel, "About" (accessed 9 November 2026). https://www.kevel.com/about
3. Kevel, home page (accessed 9 November 2026). https://www.kevel.com/
4. Kevel, News Hub (accessed 9 November 2026). https://www.kevel.com/press
5. Kevel developer documentation, "Introduction to Kevel" (updated 1 August 2026). https://dev.kevel.com/docs/understanding-kevel
6. Kevel developer documentation, "Retail Media Guide" (updated 2 October 2026). https://dev.kevel.com/docs/retail-media
7. Kevel developer documentation, "MCP Server" (updated 12 October 2026). https://dev.kevel.com/docs/mcp-server
8. Kevel, "Kevel acquires Nexta" (11 February 2025). https://www.kevel.com/blog/kevel-nexta-press-release
9. Kevel, "Kevel, Dollar General, and The Trade Desk Introduce First-of-its-Kind Retail Media Solution" (4 May 2026). https://www.kevel.com/blog/kevel-dg-ttd-partnership-announcement
10. Tesco Media and Kevel, "Tesco Media expands advertising capabilities through new technology partnership with Kevel" (12 October 2026). https://www.kevel.com/blog/tesco-media-expands-advertising-capabilities-through-new-technology-partnership-with-kevel