WTF is header bidding for mobile apps?

Once seen as just a glorified hack, header bidding—the system of publishers allowing simultaneous bids for their programmatic ad inventory—has now become a standard practice in digital media. While this process has been extremely successful at optimizing programmatic ad inventory for desktop publishers, the industry is now shifting toward mobile.

With an increasing focus on apps—where consumers today spend more than half of their device time—publishers and buyers must find a way to replicate desktop’s success in the very different mobile app environment. In this guide you will learn:

  • Why both mobile publishers and buyers should care about nascent in-app header bidding technology
  • The technical and business-related hurdles that make header bidding for mobile apps a challenge, and the current solutions available to publishers
  • The many benefits of flattening the waterfall bidding system
  • What a true in-app header bidding system will look like and how it may function