FutureProof Retail

HiCart Corporation and FutureProof Retail team up to create a a Unified In-Store Checkout with AI-Powered Smart Carts

HiCart's integration with FutureProof Retail’s Mobile Checkout Platform will enable retailers to connect their POS, loyalty, payment, and back-office systems with HiCart’s AI-powered Smart Cart solution.

Publishers Innovate Monetisation Amid Ad-Tracking Challenges

ExchangeWire’s Media Pulse H1 2025 snapshot examines how publishers are reshaping monetisation amid ad-tracking constraints and AI disruption. It highlights The Guardian’s pay-or-consent access model, which requires readers who reject third-party cookie tracking to pay for entry. A subscriber poll shows 56% tolerate tracking, 17% prefer personalised ads, and 44% would pay to avoid personalised advertising. The piece notes that The Guardian has joined UK outlets The Sun, Reach PLC’s Mirror and Express, and The Independent in expanding paywalls, as publishers balance quality reporting with ad revenue under pressure from major platforms. Sven Hagemeier of The Trade Desk argues Big Tech monopolies accelerate the decline of premium publishers, pushing costly paywalls and cluttered non-targeted ads. The article also covers AI-related monetisation questions, Google’s AI-generated summaries in Search and ongoing licensing talks, plus shifts toward direct channels like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Patreon for audience engagement.

Future Today Boosts Ad Spend with Supply-Path Optimization

Future Today, an ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) platform, credits supply-path optimization (SPO) for a 336% lift in ad spend through Amobee’s DSP within six months after Tremor International acquired and integrated Amobee into its tech stack. The company had been using multiple SSPs and DSPs, including Unruly, Tremor’s SSP, before the acquisition. With a direct pipe into Amobee’s DSP, Future Today now sees more unique connected TV demand and greater transparency with buyers. Unruly is bundling supply into programmatic guaranteed and PMP deal IDs for Amobee—a first for Future Today—creating a new managed service revenue stream. The move comes amid a broader TV industry shift toward SPO and consolidation, with end-to-end platforms reducing middlemen and potentially boosting match rates via centralized data management. Show-level metadata could offer predictive value beyond behavioral targeting for real-time TV bid requests.