ad pepper media group

What ad pepper media group does

ad pepper media International N.V., headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange Prime Standard (ticker APM) since October 2000, is an international digital performance marketing group that has operated continuously since its 1999 founding. The group is organized into three operating segments: the ad pepper segment, which delivers performance marketing services (lead generation, display, and audience targeting) via proprietary technology platforms including iLead (lead generation across 50+ countries), iSense (semantic ad targeting), Mailpepper (email marketing), and adEXplorer (real-time bidding); the Webgains affiliate marketing network, which connects 1,800+ advertisers with 250,000+ publishers globally and is enhanced by an AI/ML Power Suite launched in 2023; and the solute e-commerce segment, which operates the billiger.de price comparison platform and an expanding stack of merchant tools following the 2025 acquisition of Checkout Charlie and the 2026 acquisitions of repricing.com and datafeedmanager.com.

The group makes money primarily through three revenue streams: cost-per-lead, cost-per-acquisition, and cost-per-click fees on performance marketing services (ad pepper); commissions and transaction fees on sales routed through the affiliate network (Webgains); and revenue from e-commerce transaction services, repricing solutions, and product data feed management for online retailers (solute). Pricing is project-specific and performance-based, with monthly billing on usage-based CPL for lead generation, and the business is distributed via direct sales teams across eleven European offices (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Netherlands, Poland), the self-service Webgains affiliate platform, and solute's consumer-facing e-commerce surfaces.

The company serves mid-market to enterprise advertisers and agencies, with named engagements spanning non-profits (Greenpeace), automotive OEMs (Opel), retail/e-commerce brands (Thalia, Neckermann), and global players, and reached a record FY2025 with tripled revenue, is targeting EUR 6.5-7.5M EBITDA in FY2026 on the strength of its best first quarter in 25 years, and operates with approximately 350 employees and majority shareholder Michael Oschmann (40.24%) alongside a 48.26% free float.

Name

ad pepper media group

Legal name

ad pepper media International N.V.

Website

https://adpeppergroup.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ad pepper media International N.V. is an international digital performance marketing group (Frankfurt-listed, ticker APM) operating three segments: ad pepper for performance and lead generation, the Webgains affiliate network, and the solute e-commerce platform serving mid-market to enterprise advertisers and agencies across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Performance Marketing

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Media Buying Agencies (54183), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Affiliate & Partner Media Buying (BPAFABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital & Programmatic Media Buying (Display, Video, CTV, Audio) (BPAFABAB), Lead Nurturing & Marketing Operations (List Management, Scoring) (MPAAAIAJ), Paid Social Advertising (BPAFACAB)

Keywords

• Performance marketing
• Affiliate marketing
• Lead generation
• E-commerce platforms
• Digital advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Nuremberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Performance Marketing Services: Lead generation, display advertising, and targeting services provided to advertisers and agencies. Revenue generated through cost-per-lead, cost-per-acquisition, and cost-per-click pricing models.
2. Affiliate Marketing Network (Webgains): Network connecting over 1,800 advertisers with 250,000+ publishers globally. Revenue generated through commissions and transaction fees on sales generated through the affiliate network.
3. E-commerce Platforms (solute): Price comparison platform billiger.de and Checkout Charlie e-commerce tools. Revenue from e-commerce transaction services, repricing solutions, and datafeed management for online retailers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ad pepper media group is a digital performance marketing company that sells lead generation, affiliate marketing, and e-commerce platform services to advertisers, agencies, and online retailers. Its core offerings include the iLead lead generation platform, iSense semantic targeting, Mailpepper email marketing, the Webgains affiliate network connecting 1,800+ advertisers with 250,000+ publishers, and the solute e-commerce ecosystem featuring billiger.de price comparison, Checkout Charlie, repricing.com, and datafeedmanager.com.

Product overview

ad pepper media International N.V. operates as a digital performance marketing group founded in 1999, organized into three main segments under one roof: (1) ad pepper — a performance marketing unit specializing in lead generation and semantic targeting via proprietary platforms iLead, iSense, and Mailpepper; (2) Webgains — a high-performance affiliate marketing network with over 250,000 publishers and 1,800+ global clients, enhanced by an AI/ML Power Suite and real-time performance reporting; and (3) solute — an e-commerce and price comparison platform (operates billiger.de) expanded through acquisitions of Checkout Charlie (checkout optimization), repricing.com (repricing), and datafeedmanager.com (data feed management). The group serves clients from SMB to global enterprises across 11 locations in Europe, delivering measurable, transparent, and scalable performance marketing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ad pepper: Performance marketing segment specializing in lead generation and audience targeting since 1999.
• Webgains
• solute
• Checkout Charlie

Products and services

• ad pepper media (Performance Marketing segment) Performance marketing services for advertisers and agencies using proprietary platforms iLead, iSense, and Mailpepper to execute lead generation, semantic targeting, and email marketing campaigns across 50+ countries. Targeted at advertisers from mid-sized companies to global enterprises.
• Webgains (Affiliate Marketing Network) High-performance affiliate marketing network connecting 1,800+ advertisers with 250,000+ publishers globally. Uses AI/ML tools to enable scalable international campaign management with near real-time performance reporting. Acquired by ad pepper media in 2006.
• solute (E-commerce Platform segment) E-commerce and price comparison platform operating billiger.de, providing e-commerce solutions including repricing and datafeed management services for online retailers. Expanded with Checkout Charlie in 2025 and repricing.com/datafeedmanager.com in 2026.
• iLead (Lead Generation Platform) Proprietary lead generation platform enabling tailored campaign creation across markets. Supports user registration, sweepstakes, subscriptions, catalog orders, and product sample campaigns on a Cost-per-Lead basis. Over 30,000 campaigns managed globally.
• iSense (Semantic Targeting Technology) Proprietary semantic targeting technology that places advertising exclusively in relevant thematic environments without waste. Delivers the right message, at the right time, in the right place, for the right person. Launched in 2007.
• Mailpepper (Email Marketing Platform) Email marketing platform enabling large reach and direct one-to-one communication with defined target audiences. Supports push notifications and other email-based marketing automation for advertisers.
• adEXplorer (Real Time Bidding Platform) Real Time Bidding (RTB) platform enabling programmatic ad buying in real time for performance and branding campaigns. Launched in 2011.
• Webgains AI/ML Power Suite AI and Machine Learning-powered suite integrated into the Webgains affiliate marketing platform for intelligent campaign optimization, near real-time performance reporting, and publisher-acquirer matching. Launched in 2023.
• Checkout Charlie (Checkout Optimization) Checkout optimization solution operated by solute, acquired in 2025. Provides e-commerce checkout performance enhancement services for online retailers.
• repricing.com (E-commerce Repricing) E-commerce repricing platform acquired by solute in June 2026 to expand e-commerce competency. Provides automated pricing optimization for online retailers.
• datafeedmanager.com (Data Feed Management) Data feed management platform acquired by solute in June 2026 to expand e-commerce competency. Manages product data feeds for online retailers across channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 campaigns successfully executed on iLead platform
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GroupMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 February 2009Partnership for brand protection in web advertising. GroupM and ad pepper media cooperated to protect brand advertising from appearing in inappropriate web environments.
• iProspectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on performance display advertising campaigns, notably with Opel fleet sales campaign.
• Checkout CharliecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerE-commerce technology provider acquired by solute GmbH in July 2025. Provides checkout optimization tools for online retailers.
• repricing.comcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerE-commerce repricing platform acquired by solute GmbH in June 2026 to strategically expand e-commerce expertise.
• datafeedmanager.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationData feed management platform acquired by solute GmbH in June 2026 for managing product data feeds for e-commerce.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• iProspect: Global performance marketing agency within Dentsu; existing partner of ad pepper (e.g., Opel campaigns) and a broad incumbent competitor in digital performance advertising.
• GroupM: World's largest media investment group and existing partner of ad pepper; competes across media planning, buying, and performance marketing at much greater scale.
• Publicis Groupe: Global advertising holding group with performance marketing and digital media buying capabilities; competes broadly with ad pepper's full-service performance offering as part of a much larger portfolio.

Direct peers

• Kelkoo Group: European price comparison and shopping platform; directly comparable to billiger.de within solute's e-commerce segment.
• TradeDoubler: European-headquartered affiliate marketing network with a similar advertiser-publisher marketplace model, directly competing with Webgains in DACH and wider Europe.
• Rakuten Advertising: Affiliate marketing and display advertising arm of Rakuten, offering comparable affiliate network services and competing with Webgains globally.
• CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction): One of the largest global affiliate marketing networks, directly competing with Webgains for advertiser budgets across performance marketing and affiliate partnerships.
• Idealo: Leading German price comparison platform operating in the same DACH market as solute's billiger.de, directly competing for retailer partnerships and consumer traffic in e-commerce.
• Awin: Global affiliate marketing network operating in similar geographies with similar advertiser-publisher marketplace model; the most direct competitor to Webgains in Europe and globally.
• Partnerize: Affiliate and partner marketing platform offering SaaS-based affiliate management; overlaps with Webgains on platform-based affiliate technology and ad pepper on performance marketing services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ad pepper media group