How Auctions, Bundles, and Direct Deals Coexist in PopTrade

Most platforms force a single model: everything runs through their auction, or everything is direct deals. PopTrade supports both—plus bundles—and they work together coherently.

The Three Deal Types

1. Open Auction

Standard marketplace bidding. Publishers list placements with floor prices. Buyers bid CPM rates. Highest bid wins each impression.

Best for:

• Exploring new traffic sources
• Scaling proven campaigns
• Price discovery
• Maximum reach

2. Bundles

Groups of placements packaged together. Can be:

• Publisher bundles: Publisher groups their own placements
• Auto-bundles: System-created based on criteria (geo, category, quality)
• Buyer bundles: Buyer saves preferred placements as a group

Best for:

• Managing complexity (buy "Premium EU Traffic" instead of 50 individual placements)
• Consistent campaign management
• Publishers selling traffic themes

3. Direct Deals

Private arrangements between specific buyers and publishers. Fixed terms, guaranteed access, custom pricing.

Best for:

• Exclusive inventory access
• Stable, predictable costs
• Long-term relationships
• Premium placements that don't go to open auction

How They Interact

Priority hierarchy:

1. Direct deals (guaranteed inventory)
2. Bundle commitments
3. Open auction

If a publisher has a direct deal for 50% of their inventory, that's served first. Remaining inventory goes to bundles and auction.

Bundles in Auctions

Bundles don't bypass auctions—they simplify bidding into auctions. When you buy a bundle, you're bidding on each included placement. The bundle just manages the group.

Individual placements within bundles can also be purchased separately in open auction. Bundles add convenience, not exclusivity (unless specifically configured as exclusive).

Switching Between Models

You can:

• Start in open auction, find performing placements, invite publishers to direct deals
• Start with bundles, identify top performers, add them to focused campaigns
• Use direct deals for core volume, open auction for incremental scale

The models aren't mutually exclusive. Most sophisticated buyers use all three.

Publisher Perspective

Publishers control how their inventory is available:

• Public: Available in open auction to all buyers
• Private: Whitelist of approved buyers only
• Invitation-only: Buyers must request access

Premium publishers often keep best inventory private/invitation-only while putting standard inventory in open auction. This maximizes both price (for premium) and volume (for standard).

Finding Your Mix

There's no single right answer. Consider:

• Campaign maturity: New campaigns benefit from auction exploration. Mature campaigns benefit from direct deal stability.
• Volume needs: Need massive scale? Open auction. Need specific quality? Direct deals.
• Management capacity: Limited time? Bundles simplify. Hands-on optimization? Individual placements.

PopTrade's flexibility lets you match deal structure to campaign needs, not force campaigns into platform constraints.