Kairion

What Kairion does

Kairion GmbH is a Frankfurt-based retail media specialist founded in 2011, operating a digital network of 50+ German online pharmacies — including category leaders DocMorris and Medikamente-per-Klick — that together generate more than 50 million shop visits per month. The company sells advertising inventory on two sides of the network: Onsite Ads placed directly within partner pharmacies at point-of-decision (display formats, Sponsored Product Ads, Sponsored Video), and Offsite Ads that extend the same purchase-intent audience signal into display, video, social, Addressable TV, and Connected TV channels through programmatic DSPs. A deterministic first-party dataset covering 3.5M+ user profiles (growing ~100,000 weekly) underpins 40+ healthcare audience segments, with targeting executed on-device to maintain GDPR compliance.

The product portfolio is modular: the core Onsite/Offsite media products are supplemented by ShopNow (a self-service plugin extending manufacturer sites into the pharmacy network), Healthcare Retail Media Insights (quarterly market intelligence), managed services, ad creation, and A/B/N testing. Kairion monetizes via custom enterprise pricing tied to campaign scope and format (CPM, CPV, CPC, or performance-based), with a dedicated Key Account Manager model for brand advertisers and plug-and-play integration for shop partners. Distribution leverages parent ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE's media assets — Seven.One Media for TV sales and Seven.One Entertainment Group (including Joyn streaming) for ATV/CTV inventory — augmented by a broad DSP/SSP ecosystem (Google, The Trade Desk, Xandr, MediaMath, Adform, Adition, Active Agent) and measurement partners (Nielsen, IAS, DoubleVerify).

Kairion serves pharmaceutical and healthcare brand manufacturers (Bayer, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Hexal, Klosterfrau, Weleda, Nestlé, Groupe SEB, Théa Pharma, Engelhard, Dr. Theiss, roha, TAD Pharma) plus non-endemic advertisers such as Huawei, typically routed through media agencies including HAVAS, WEFRA LIFE MEDIAPLUS, Advolution, and Echte Liebe. The company operates as a private GmbH, currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE pending sale to Pivotum Capital (expected close April 2026) as part of the parent's strategic refocus on entertainment and cross-platform advertising.

Name

Kairion

Legal name

Kairion GmbH

Website

https://kairion.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kairion is a German healthcare retail media network connecting 50+ online pharmacies with brand advertisers, using deterministic first-party purchase-intent data to power Onsite ads at point-of-sale and Offsite campaigns across programmatic, social, ATV, and CTV channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Media Advertising

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (456110), Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912)

akta.pro primary industry

Health, Wellness & Pharmacy Marketplaces (CRAFABAF)

Keywords

• Retail media advertising
• Healthcare audience targeting
• Online pharmacy network
• Programmatic onsite ads
• Purchase-intent data

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Onsite Advertising: Display advertising placements within partner online pharmacies - includes Sponsored Product Ads, Sponsored Brand Ads, and Sponsored Video Ads placed at point of sale locations like search result pages, product pages, and checkout
2. Offsite Advertising: Targeted advertising outside partner shops using first-party purchase intent data for campaign delivery across display, video, social, CTV and ATV channels
3. Data Monetization: Leveraging deterministic first-party purchase intent data from 3.5+ million user profiles for audience targeting in programmatic and managed service campaigns
4. Managed Services: Full-service campaign management including setup, optimization, reporting, and billing handled by Kairion's operations team

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kairion operates a 360-degree retail media advertising platform that connects online pharmacies (its network of 50+ shops) with healthcare and consumer brands. It sells Onsite advertising placements (display, Sponsored Product Ads, Sponsored Video) inside the partner pharmacies and Offsite programmatic advertising (Display, Video, Social, CTV, ATV) activated through deterministic first-party purchase-intent data from over 3.5 million user profiles organized into 40+ healthcare audience segments, complemented by managed services, ShopNow self-service plugins, and Healthcare Retail Media Insights reporting.

Product overview

Kairion is a modular Retail Media platform serving both brands and shops, centered on a network of 50+ German online pharmacies. The core platform comprises two advertising format groups: (1) Onsite Ads — display placements (Onsite Reach, Onsite Target, Onsite Purchase/Sponsored Product Ads) and Sponsored Video Ads that appear within partner online pharmacies at the point of decision; and (2) Offsite Ads — programatically bookable formats (Display, InStream Video, Social, Addressable TV/Connected TV) that extend reach outside the pharmacy network using the same first-party purchase-intent data. Supporting these are add-on modules including ShopNow (self-service plugin linking manufacturer sites to pharmacy networks), 40+ Healthcare Audience Segmente (deterministic purchase-intent segments for precise targeting), Healthcare Retail Media Insights (quarterly market intelligence), campaign Managed Services, Reportings & Insights, Ad Creation, and A/B/N-Testing. All campaign data flows through The Adex DMP and multiple DSP/SSP partners for programmatic execution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Onsite Reach Display advertising format placed within online pharmacies to build brand awareness through broad audience reach on high-traffic pharmacy sites. Supports formats from 160x600px to 923x200px, JPG/PNG/GIF, max 150KB. Designed for awareness-stage campaigns by healthcare and consumer brand advertisers.
• Onsite Target Contextual and behavioral targeting format delivering ads to users based on product interest, browsing behavior, or indication. Designed for consideration and mid-funnel campaigns with precise targeting to reduce waste. Aimed at healthcare and consumer brand advertisers running mid-funnel campaigns.
• Onsite Purchase (Sponsored Product Ads) Conversion-focused advertising placement directly at the point of sale, such as within shopping carts or at checkout. Sponsored Product Ads are created by Kairion and feature brand logo, packshot, claim (max 40 chars), and product name. Designed to drive purchase decisions and support cross-selling or upselling. For healthcare and consumer brand advertisers.
• Sponsored Video Ad In-shop video advertising format delivering brand storytelling within the pharmacy shopping environment. Supports .mp4 at 16:9 ratio with h.264 codec, up to 750kbps/2500kbps bitrate, and max 30 seconds. KPIs include View Rate, Completion Rate, and Clicks. For healthcare and consumer brand advertisers.
• Offsite Display Ads Programmatic display banner advertising on external premium websites, driven by Kairion's first-party pharmacy purchase-intent data for relevance. Supports formats including Half Page Ad (300x600), Billboard (800x250), Mobile Content Ad (300x50, 320x50), and Large Mobile Banner (336x280). Integrates with HTML5 clicktags following IAB standards. For healthcare and consumer brand advertisers.
• Offsite InStream Video InStream video advertising on external premium video environments, targeting audiences based on Kairion's retail pharmacy data. Supports .mp4, .MOV, .AVI at 1920x1080px (Full HD, 16:9) with audio codecs AAC+, AAC, WMA, stereo, max 150MB, and bumper ads up to 6 seconds. For healthcare and consumer brand advertisers.
• Offsite Social Ads Social media advertising on Meta, TikTok, and Pinterest platforms using Kairion's pharmacy-derived audience data for targeting. Targets users based on shopping behavior signals. Complies with platform-specific ad specifications (Meta video/image/carousel ads, TikTok in-feed ads, Snapchat single/image/story ads, Pinterest image/video ads). For healthcare and consumer brand advertisers.
• Offsite Addressable TV & Connected TV Big-screen video advertising with precision targeting on ATV (addressable TV via Seven.One Entertainment Group senders) and CTV (connected TV via Joyn streaming platform). Uses cross-device bridge technology to transfer pharmacy purchase-intent audiences to TV environments. ATV SwitchIn XXL format (284x720px, 996x160px) available in static or animated versions. For healthcare and consumer brand advertisers.
• ShopNow Self-service plugin that extends pharmaceutical manufacturer product websites into Kairion's online pharmacy network. Features an integrated buy button linking directly to purchase pages with pricing and availability overlays, plus a cross-channel conversion analytics dashboard showing clicks, sales, buyers, and revenue. For pharmaceutical and healthcare product manufacturers.
• Managed Services Full-service campaign management from setup through execution and ongoing optimization, including dedicated account management, campaign strategy, and performance tuning. For healthcare and consumer brand advertisers.
• Healthcare Retail Media Insights Quarterly market intelligence and performance benchmarking report based on data from 40+ online pharmacies in Kairion's network. Includes traffic and ad placement analysis, seasonal sales patterns, top-selling product categories, and conversion rate benchmarks (e.g., search result pages at 2.5% CVR). Available as a quarterly service for campaign clients. For healthcare and consumer brand advertisers and media agencies.
• 40+ Healthcare Audience Segments Purchase-intent-based audience segments built from deterministic first-party data across 50+ online pharmacies, encompassing 3.5M+ user profiles growing ~100K/week. Segments include Active Seniors, Haircare, Nutrition & Food, Pet Owners, Expectant Parents, Wintertargeting, Blood Pressure & Stress, and more. Accessible via The Adex DMP for programmatic activation across display, video, and ATV channels. For healthcare and consumer brand advertisers and media agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• +3.5 additional sales per 1,000 Addressable TV contacts in TAD Pharma case study
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration28 records

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Seven.One MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeven.One Media, the advertising unit of parent company ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, provides access to TV advertising inventory and cross-media campaign capabilities. Kairion and Seven.One Media have launched special Healthcare Advertising bundles and collaborate on Addressable TV campaigns utilizing Kairion's audience data.
• Seven.One Entertainment GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeven.One Entertainment Group's TV channels and streaming platform Joyn serve as media inventory for Kairion's Addressable TV and Connected TV campaigns. The partnership enables audience-based TV advertising using Kairion's retail media data.
• The AdexcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Adex, part of Virtual Minds Adtech Group, provides Data Management Platform (DMP) services for Kairion's healthcare audience segments. The partnership enables programmatic campaign booking and cross-device audience targeting using Kairion's deterministic purchase data.
• Virtual Minds (Yieldlab)coreTechnology or IntegrationVirtual Minds developed the Cross-Device-Bridge technology enabling audience transfer from e-commerce data to TV advertising. Their SSP (Supply Side Platform) serves as a programmatic partner for campaign delivery.
• ECHTELIEBEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProgrammatic marketing agency partner for campaign execution and optimization.
• AdvolutionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital Media Desk partner for programmatic campaign management.
• HAVAS Media GermanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia agency partner that conceived and executed Huawei WATCH D2 campaign using Kairion's healthcare audience data.
• WEFRA LIFE MEDIAPLUS 2minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia agency that conceptualized Engelhard Prospan Addressable TV campaign executed through Kairion.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mirakl: Enterprise marketplace and retail media platform enabling retailers and brands to monetize third-party and first-party inventory through ads; comparable technology stack and monetization model for shop-side retail media.
• Criteo Retail Media: Global retail media ad-tech incumbent powering sponsored product and display ad placements across thousands of retailer networks; comparable business model and offers overlapping onsite/offsite retail media capabilities at much greater scale.
• Walmart Connect: Retail media network of Walmart operating onsite ads, offsite programmatic, and sponsored products; comparable in model and breadth (on/off-site formats using first-party purchase data) but at vastly larger scale and different vertical mix.
• Roundel (Target Retail Media): Owned retail media network of Target in the US; directly comparable business model (first-party retail data + onsite + offsite) though operating at much larger scale in a different geography.

Regional players

• Redcare Pharmacy (Shop Apotheke): One of the largest German online pharmacies and operator of its own retail media/onsite advertising offering; comparable because it is part of the same German e-pharmacy ecosystem that Kairion's network serves, with overlapping advertisers and audience pools.
• DocMorris (Wellavista): Major European online pharmacy group whose brands (DocMorris, Medikamente-per-Klick) are publisher partners inside Kairion's network; comparable as a German/European pharmacy retailer that operates or enables adjacent retail media monetization.

Direct peers

• CitrusAd: Operator of retail media platforms for grocery, health and pharmacy chains across Europe; directly comparable as another retail media technology provider serving pharmaceutical and health retailers with onsite/offsite monetization.

Others

• Smartclip / Smartstream.TV: Video/CTV creative and delivery partner used by Kairion; adjacent ad-tech enabling comparable video and addressable TV campaign execution in German-speaking markets.
• The Adex (Virtual Minds Adtech Group): DMP and data infrastructure partner that already powers Kairion's audience segments; adjacent enabling technology provider in the same German programmatic ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Kepler Group / Kepler Commerce: Digital media and retail media agency specialist that builds and operates retail media solutions for consumer/health brands; comparable because it provides managed-service retail media execution with similar advertiser-centric orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kairion-gmbh/about

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Kairion