Changelog #3 (July 1, 2022)

This week, Topsort released many improvements for banner ad configurations and campaign creation. Marketplaces and advertisers can now advertise on mobile as well. We also implemented the Kafka platform to improve real-time analytics for our users and empower them to create campaigns with confidence.

Major Releases

Event-Driven System that Enables Real-Time Analytics

Topsort’s system is now running on Kafka, which is an event streaming platform made to handle streaming data in high volumes, high velocity, and low latency. It’s used at Netflix, Pinterest, and Airbnb–but hardly at many legacy retail media companies.

Real-time analytics: We’ve implemented it into Topsort, so analytics now update in real-time every 5 seconds.
Iterate fast on actionable insights: Real-time reporting empowers users to quickly assess and analyze performance and issues so that marketplaces learn and iterate much faster.

Detailed Configuration Flow for Banner Ads

In addition to homepage configurations, users can now create banner ad configurations for category and search pages.

Category-specific banner inventory configuration: E-commerce sites and apps may have more category pages than they want to display ads on. We’ve added functionality for advertisers to narrow down on which pages they want to advertise. By choosing to display banner ads on specific category pages, marketplaces can get specific with their advertising strategy.

Keyword-specific searchable banner ads: Marketplaces users can now upload a CSV file of keywords to set up exactly which keyword search result will display a banner. This is a feature we’re working on continuously. Look forward to keyword improvements to come.

Multiple device types for banners: Topsort now supports multiple device types for banner ads. Marketplaces and retailers can now display banner ads on both mobile and desktop seamlessly!

Improvements to Creating Banner Ads

With the expanded functionalities on banner configuration, we made the corresponding changes in the banner creation flow.

Additional targeting
When you create banner ad campaigns for your category or search pages, you can specify two additional targeting parameters: categories or keywords, respectively, in addition to “location targeting”.

Specify certain categories you want your banner ad to appear on and trust that the banner ad will be entered into auctions to be displayed on only those category pages.

For search page banner ads, specify keywords in targeting. When a campaign is launched, we match your ad’s keywords to the customer’s search query and display the associated banner creative on that search page.

Multiple device set
Users can set the creative to appear on either mobile or desktop to match its corresponding ratios. Choosing where and when to display banner ads gives marketplaces and advertisers flexibility and ownership over their advertising strategy.

Cropping
Perform any last minute resizing edits with our cropping tool in the preview window.

Campaign API - Auction Engine for Companies with Custom Built Tech Stack

Topsort now offers a standalone campaign API that is completely decoupled from our existing UI. Companies with fully custom built tech stacks can integrate with the campaign API and leverage Topsort’s cutting edge auction technology to enable marketplaces and retailers to advertise with full flexibility, at scale.

Improvements

Supporting CPM Pricing Model for Banner Ads

Banner ads now operate on a CPM (cost per mille) model instead of CPC (cost per click). We made the switch because CPM is a model more suited for measuring an ads exposure rather than its clicks, which is perfect for banner ad campaigns. Basically, we’ve adapted the model to suit your goals for banner ads: brand and product awareness.

Keyword Targeted Auctions Using Search Query and Category ID

Marketplaces and retailers can now send us the search query and category ID instead of having to send all product IDs that result from a search. We will determine which products from your catalog are relevant to that reference and run the auction only with those that match those keywords. This will ensure relevance in results by making sure only related products participate in the same auction independently of your search results.

Manager Improvements

Vendor list improvements
Vendor list in marketplace dashboard is now sortable by currency. The vendor list also includes a new “Days until top-up” column to give advertisers a quick look into when vendors are in need of top-ups.

Estimated number of days left of ad spend is now available on vendor accounts. Previously the dashboard showed the percentage of ad budget spent, now it shows how many days of an advertiser’s budget are left to be spent.

Configuration improvements
Banner ad configuration limits are removed for homepage, category pages, and search pages. Marketplaces and retailers can now set up an unlimited number of banner configurations for all dimensions and custom placements.

Ability to add dimensions manually for banner configurations: In addition to uploading a creative and selecting preset aspect ratios, users can now manually input dimensions for a creative.