As the number of screens and ad impressions continue to proliferate, advertising dollars are moving from traditional to digital environments at a staggering rate. An important key to capturing share of the growing digital spend comes down to the ability for publishers to leverage real-time data. According to research released by Forrester Consulting, access to real-time data analytics helps publishers make timely and informed decisions that uncover new revenue opportunities. The study found that 65 percent of publishers report that they used SSP/exchange analytics data for critical operational decisions.
Further, the study found that 67 percent of publishers – large and small – believe that real-time data is important to their efforts, and 62 percent find that it leads to an increase in revenue, yet only 27 percent report receiving data in real-time.
Highlights of the study include:
• Large Publishers Seek Efficiency in Data Aggregation: In order to efficiently aggregate data, 52 percent of large publishers use a data warehouse, 45 percent use data visualization and 45 percent use external partners, all at a significant investment of both time and money.
• Real-Time Data Drives Publisher Growth: Large publishers claim significant benefits from real-time data in the following areas: increased revenue (63%), better yield or performance (57%), optimization of decision-making (56%), uncovering new revenue opportunities (52%) and better inventory management (48%).
Publishers Need Solutions For Efficient Data Analysis: Nearly half of larger publishers believe that they are not adequately staffed with skilled analytics professionals and nearly one quarter of smaller publishers have the same challenge
