Module 6 · Lesson 3

Targeting, Measurement & Control

📚 Module 6: Offsite & DSP⏱ 6 min read🎯 Advanced

The reason to run offsite through Walmart rather than a generic DSP comes down to three things: who you can target, how well you can measure, and how much control you have. This lesson covers all three.

Audiences from real purchase data

Because Walmart sees actual shopping behaviour, you can build audiences that generic cookies can’t match:

• High-value shoppers — people whose behaviour signals they’re worth reaching.
• Retargeting — shoppers who browsed but didn’t buy, met again offsite.
• Custom audiences — built from your own first-party data.
• Lookalikes — new shoppers who resemble your best customers.
• In-market — people whose data suggests they’re about to buy in your category.

Closed-loop measurement

This is the payoff. Walmart reaches around 90% of U.S. households across its site and stores, so it can connect an offsite ad exposure to a real Walmart sale — online or in-store. That “closed loop” is what separates Walmart’s offsite from ordinary brand advertising, where you spend on impressions and only hope they drove sales.

Frequency capping

Show the same person your ad too many times and you waste money and annoy them. The DSP lets you set hard frequency caps — a maximum number of times per day or week a given shopper sees your ad. On an offsite campaign spread across many sites, this control is one of the biggest protections for your budget.

Brand safety and control

Running across the open web means caring where your ad shows. The Trade Desk foundation brings professional-grade controls:

• Inclusion and exclusion lists — approve or block specific sites.
• Sensitive-site blocking — keep your brand away from unsuitable content.
• A dedicated marketplace-quality layer watching inventory standards.