What is Ad Inventory?

The digital ad space a publisher has available to sell to advertisers on their mobile website or app.

Mobile ad inventory is the digital ad space a publisher has available to sell to advertisers – either on their mobile website or app. This inventory is mostly made available and sold automatically through ad exchanges or marketplaces by means of programmatic advertising.

Why It Matters

Ad inventory represents the core monetization opportunity for publishers and the targeting opportunity for advertisers. The quality and volume of inventory directly impacts revenue potential for publishers and campaign effectiveness for advertisers. Premium inventory with high-quality users commands higher prices.

How to Calculate

Inventory value is determined by several factors: ad impressions (reach), fill rate (percentage of inventory sold), revenue model (CPI, CPM), daily/monthly active users, demographic targeting capabilities, ad location, and ad format types.

Industry Benchmarks

Best Practices

For publishers: maintain high DAU numbers, optimize ad placement for visibility without disrupting UX, diversify ad formats, focus on user engagement metrics. For advertisers: prioritize relevant inventory for target audience, ensure brand safety, consider premium inventory for better performance.

Examples

Mobile ad inventory includes video ads, banner ads, native ads, interstitial ads, and rewarded ads. Premium inventory might be homepage placements in high-engagement gaming apps, while standard inventory could be banner spaces in utility apps.

Notes

Inventory is bought and sold through real-time bidding where advertisers compete in auctions. Publishers must balance monetization with user experience - too many ads can cause user churn. Brand safety is crucial for advertisers to protect their reputation.