Quartile, an ad optimization platform for top e-commerce marketplace sellers, acquired Sidecar, a performance marketing technology provider for e-commerce retailers and brands. Both platforms apply machine-learning and natural-language processing to provide data-driven strategies and best practices to brand marketers while also offering best-in-class reporting and ad management. The two companies will combine under the Quartile name, growing the brand into the world’s largest cross-channel e-commerce advertising platform. Quartile expects the acquisition to double its amount of advertising spend under management across all platforms to $2 billion. The combined company will have more than 5000 clients across 26 countries currently using the platforms on e-commerce channels like Amazon, Google, Instacart, Walmart, Facebook and Shopify. Both Quartile and Sidecar have witnessed exponential growth in recent years as fiercer competition among e-commerce merchants has led to increased advertising spend. Amazon was predicted to grow its ad revenue to $24.47 billion by the end of 2021, an increase of 55.5% year over year, closing the gap as the world’s third-largest ad network after Google and Facebook (whose ad revenues grew 34% and 43%, respectively). The platforms provide e-commerce marketers with a critical edge in this fast growing industry.
