mediarithmics and Easyence merge. The group becomes the key player in Retail + Media, Register here.
To offer a credible alternative to the dominant web giants, mediarithmics is launching Connect ID—a transparent solution designed to securely reconcile CRM data with the multiple identifiers of the Open Web.
As a European technology platform, we are introducing Connect ID in response to a rapidly evolving landscape marked by the fragmentation of digital identifiers and the decline of third-party cookies. This solution addresses a structural challenge in digital marketing: the difficulty many brands face in effectively activating their customer data across the Open Web.
To illustrate the need for Connect ID, our CEO, Gilles Chételat, points to the example of large food retailers. In this sector, 85–90% of purchases still take place in physical stores. While retailers collect email addresses for the majority of their customers through loyalty programmes, they struggle to recognise these same individuals when they are browsing online.
This disconnect leads to significant advertising inefficiencies. For instance, it becomes difficult to exclude a customer from an online campaign after they have already purchased a product in-store, or conversely, to target them effectively in anticipation of their next purchase.
In a market saturated with identifiers (cookies, mobile IDs, CTV IDs), Connect ID is not positioned as yet another universal ID. Instead, it acts as an orchestration and matching layer.
The solution functions as a translator between advertisers’ CRM data and the wide range of existing digital identifiers. To enable this, we leverage our extensive network—which includes over a hundred media publishers, numerous retailers, and telecom operators—to cross-reference datasets and extend reach across the French population.
Importantly, these data matchings are not performed through file transfers, but securely within a data clean room environment.
The digital advertising ecosystem has long been criticised for its lack of transparency. To provide a viable alternative to walled gardens such as Google, Meta, and Amazon, we have designed Connect ID as a marketplace with a clear and transparent revenue-sharing model.
In this model, mediarithmics acts as a trusted technical intermediary. We apply a capped intermediation fee of 30%, while partners contributing identifying data—such as media companies, telecom operators, and retailers—can receive up to 70% of the generated revenue. This approach helps promote Open Web inventory and enables advertisers to reduce targeting costs by up to two-thirds compared to closed platforms, while maintaining comparable performance.
While early proof-of-concept tests have demonstrated a 281% increase in reach on previously inaccessible customer segments, Connect ID goes beyond targeting.
It also serves as a key component for performance measurement. By enabling the connection between digital identifiers and hashed email addresses, the solution makes it possible to link exposure to online advertising with in-store transactions. This capability addresses a critical measurement gap, particularly for retailers.
Initially launched in France, Connect ID is designed for international deployment, with additional identifier integrations already in development.
