James Avery is Founder and CEO of ad-serving API developer Kevel. We asked him how he found himself working in the retail media industry.
What is your role and what does it entail?
I’m the founder and CEO of Kevel, which mostly means I help great people do their best work. I spend my time setting direction, keeping us focused, and clearing roadblocks. I try to listen a lot — to our customers, our team, and the market — so we’re not just building cool tech, we’re actually solving real problems and helping our customers grow in ways that matter.
How did you first become interested in retail media and move into it?
Kevel didn’t start in retail media; our business was originally focused on helping any company build their own ad platform. But over time, there were a few forces that came together, and we saw a big gap in the market for retail. The online advertising industry had become saturated and dominated by a handful of larger players. Then COVID hit and the pandemic accelerated digital transformation across sectors like retail, and we saw decades of innovation happen seemingly overnight.
Suddenly, online shopping wasn’t just convenient — it was essential. Retail media took off, but most retailers were stuck trying to cram black-box ad tech into systems it wasn’t built for. Big marketplaces were slapping on display and programmatic tools that didn’t really work for their needs. That’s when we saw a real opportunity: instead of retrofitting outdated tech, we could help retailers build something better, something made just for them. And that challenge, solving big infrastructure problems at scale, is what got us excited.
What most excites you about the industry today and what might happen next in retail media?
Retail media is growing fast, but a lot of the infrastructure is duct-taped together. What excites me is helping companies go from “we’re running some sponsored listings” to “we have a mature retail media business.” That transition is hard, but if we can make it easier through better tooling, strategy, services, and shared learnings, we can help unlock more value for everyone involved – and, at the same time, we can provide a better user experience.
Who is your biggest inspiration in the retail media sector and why?
That’s tough — I don’t think there’s one single person. I really admire the builders – the folks inside a retail business who are trying to start something from scratch, often without a playbook or clear roadmap. They’re navigating internal dynamics, brand expectations, and often outdated legacy tech stacks all at once, putting their reputations on the line to keep pace with innovation in a space that’s changing quickly. We’re lucky to get to work with a lot of those people, and they’re a big part of the reason we do what we do.
What one retail media campaign or strategy that you’ve been involved in are you most proud of?
It’s less about one campaign and more about helping companies build something that’s truly their own. I’m especially proud of what we’ve done with partners like Home Depot and MC Sonae. Sonae built a robust retail media solution with Kevel, which saw an incredible 487% return on ad spend. That’s huge. When we can help a company take control of their retail media business and actually see that kind of impact, it’s incredibly rewarding.
