Programmatic Advertising for Shopify Brands

Programmatic is the automated buying of ad inventory across websites, apps, streaming platforms, and connected TV using real-time bidding. Meta and Google are walled gardens advertising on their own properties. Programmatic reaches audiences on the open web: publisher sites, news, streaming platforms, apps, and more. The targeting data and creative run through a DSP rather than through Meta's or Google's own ad interfaces.

Shero runs programmatic through StackAdapt, The Trade Desk, DV360, and Amazon DSP depending on the brand's goals and budget. StackAdapt is the lowest-barrier serious DSP with strong contextual targeting, starting around $5,000 per month. The Trade Desk is the enterprise choice for CTV and omnichannel at scale. DV360 is strongest for brands already in the Google Marketing Platform. Amazon DSP is the right choice for brands with meaningful Amazon presence who want to use retail shopping data for targeting.

Programmatic cost is media spend plus Shero's management fee, scoped by campaign complexity, channels, creative needs, and reporting requirements. The media spend itself starts at around $5,000 per month on StackAdapt at the low end, with no practical ceiling. The right budget depends on the brand's existing paid media spend, the audience size being targeted, and whether the goal is retargeting, awareness, or full-funnel acquisition.

Programmatic is right for brands that have extracted most of the available efficiency from Meta and Google and want to expand reach, brands that want to retarget shoppers across the open web rather than only on Meta surfaces, and brands building awareness at scale where CTV or high-quality display inventory matters. It is not the right starting channel for brands still learning Meta and Google fundamentals.

Shero sets up cross-channel reporting that connects programmatic impressions and clicks to Shopify purchase data so programmatic performance is measured against the same CPA and ROAS targets used for Meta and Google. Attribution is more complex with programmatic because the buyer journey spans more touchpoints, and Shero applies a consistent attribution model across all channels in the paid program.

No. Shero positions programmatic as an additional paid channel that runs alongside Meta and Google rather than replacing them. Most brands start with Meta and Google because they are more accessible, have lower minimums, and are easier to attribute. Programmatic extends reach into inventory those platforms cannot access. Running all three together as a coordinated program typically produces better outcomes than running any one channel in isolation.