As DSPs and SSPs converge, platforms must embrace omnichannel orchestration, foster interoperability, and invest in intelligent automation to stay competitive.
The traditional boundaries between DSPs and SSPs are becoming increasingly blurred. Many companies are playing in both camps, serving both the demand and the supply side with equally robust offerings. This convergence is fostering a more integrated and intelligent ecosystem, and recent forecasts suggest the rising tide is lifting all boats.
Verified Market Research valued the global DSP market at $25.46 billion in 2024 and forecasted that it would reach $133.39 billion by 2031 at a CAGR of 23%. Similarly, Market Research Future predicts that the SSP market will grow from $65.58 billion in 2025 to $215.49 billion by 2034, at a CAGR of 14.13%.
These are very healthy numbers. But to thrive in this environment, platforms must constantly evolve to maintain their relevance and competitiveness. Here are three key strategies that will enable them to ride the wave, rather than sink beneath it.
1. Embrace Omnichannel Orchestration
Platforms should move beyond adding new inventory and instead focus on integrating diverse channels to create unified experiences where data flows freely and campaigns can be optimized in real time.
The customer journey is not linear, and the number of channels through which consumers can be reached is increasing. It’s vital for supply-side players to facilitate holistic access to these channels, while demand-side players must equip themselves to purchase across them seamlessly and cohesively.
In doing so, they will enable advertisers to tell consistent and sequential stories across channels, targeting consumers with the right message via the right channel and at the right time: on mobile and out-of-home during the morning commute, on their desktop throughout the work day and via CTV in the evening. The platforms that thrive will be those that embrace omnichannel orchestration, weaving these diverse channels together.
2. Foster Interoperability
Interoperability is paramount. Implementing open APIs and standardized protocols and cultivating collaborative ecosystems are essential to drive both innovation and efficiency.
As they build out their platforms, DSPs and SSPs must have one eye fixed on the future, embracing flexible architectures—such as modular, API-driven designs that allow rapid integration of new data sources and channels—with a commitment to continuous innovation.
3. Invest in Intelligent Automation
Tapping into the power of machine learning and AI can transform platforms into intelligent superpartners. Think for a moment about an SSP powered by machine learning, which abandons rigid waterfall auctions in favor of real-time impression valuation. It dynamically prioritizes inventory based on market demand, user context and creative performance, instantly capitalizing on trending formats such as high-value video.
Simultaneously, it provides publishers with AI-driven optimization insights, such as placement adjustments, and collaborates with DSPs for millisecond-level creative and pricing optimization. Such an SSP transcends basic inventory management, helping to fill ad slots and maximize yield while enabling those on the demand side to secure the best ad placements.
Adapt and Succeed
The pace of change in the ad tech business is frightening: evolving consumer behaviors and preferences, shifting legislative frameworks such as GDPR and CCPA, a competitive industry with new entrants and consolidations and fluctuating market conditions influenced by economic cycles.
DSPs and SSPs that adapt will find themselves in a much better position to thrive in their business goals, ensuring sustained competitiveness and contributing to a more responsible, transparent and flexible ecosystem.