Koddi wins the ChatGPT list.
Kevel wins the Gemini list.
Pentaleap wins the thesis. Not the ranking.
Pentaleap is cited on 47 of 60 buyer-intent responses (78%) across ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini — a rare high score for a 2024-founded ad tech company. But when the same AI platforms list retail media vendors in comparative order, Koddi and Kevel lead. Pentaleap lands #3–#5 even on questions where it owns the underlying architecture. Prospects reading those lists never reach the name that runs Home Depot, Macy’s, and CVS.
The findings below come from Xtrusio, an AI visibility audit system built specifically for B2B buyer-intent testing. Every citation was verified by running 20 real prospect queries across three generative AI platforms.
Queries reflect how retail media network operators — VPs, SVPs, and product leads — actually research ad-serving vendors during discovery.
Pentaleap owns the mechanism. Koddi and Kevel own the ranking.
On the questions that describe the architecture — “unified ranking,” “uses retailer’s existing search AI,” “which platform runs Home Depot, Macy’s, and CVS” — Pentaleap is cited #1 on all three platforms. But on the questions a buyer actually types first — “best retail media ad server,” “Criteo alternatives,” “Kevel vs Koddi vs Topsort vs Pentaleap” — the AI opens with Koddi (ChatGPT / Claude) or Kevel (Gemini). Pentaleap is the fourth or fifth name mentioned. That’s where the deals get lost.
Platform Scorecard
Pentaleap citation rate across ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini
AI Visibility Leaderboard
Who owns the retail media ad tech conversation across all platforms
AI Positioning Audit
20 buyer-intent queries — click any row to see the exact question
Each query was written from the perspective of a real decision-maker at a US retailer that is either scaling or modernizing its retail media network. These personas represent the buyers whose AI-assisted research determines whether Pentaleap enters the shortlist — or gets skipped over for Koddi, Kevel, or Criteo.
| # | Query Topic | Cluster | Claude | ChatGPT | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best retail media ad server | Discovery | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “What’s the best retail media ad server for a mid-to-large ecommerce retailer running sponsored products at scale?” | |||||
| 2 | Unify sponsored & organic PLP ranking | Discovery | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “How do retailers unify sponsored and organic product ranking on a PLP so ads don’t hurt the shopping experience?” | |||||
| 3 | Platforms using retailer’s existing search AI | Discovery | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “Which retail media platforms use the retailer’s existing search and personalization AI instead of running their own separate ranking logic?” | |||||
| 4 | Alternatives to Criteo Retail Media | Discovery | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “What are the alternatives to Criteo Retail Media for large omnichannel retailers?” | |||||
| 5 | Add sponsored revenue without rip-and-replace | Use Case | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “How can a retailer add sponsored products revenue without ripping out their existing ad server?” | |||||
| 6 | Open RMN to programmatic RTB / Amazon / Google | Use Case | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “What’s the best way for a retail media network to open up to programmatic RTB and Amazon or Google demand?” | |||||
| 7 | Vendors chosen by top US retailers 2026 | Use Case | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “Which retail media ad tech vendors are being chosen by top-tier US retailers in 2026?” | |||||
| 8 | Fix irrelevant sponsored ads hurting conversion | Use Case | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “How do you fix irrelevant sponsored product ads that are hurting conversion rates on a PLP?” | |||||
| 9 | Decoupled / modular retail media stack | Architecture | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “What’s a decoupled or modular retail media tech stack and why are retailers moving to it?” | |||||
| 10 | Platforms integrating with Skai & Pacvue | Architecture | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “Which retail media platforms integrate with Skai and Pacvue for advertiser demand?” | |||||
| 11 | What is unified ranking? Who offers it? | Architecture | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “What is unified ranking in retail media and which vendors offer it?” | |||||
| 12 | Revenue lift vs legacy siloed ad server | Architecture | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “How much CTR and ad revenue lift can retailers expect from unified ranking vs a legacy siloed ad server?” | |||||
| 13 | Leading Criteo competitors 2026 | Vertical | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “What are the leading Criteo competitors in retail media ad serving today?” | |||||
| 14 | Best platforms for grocery multi-banner | Vertical | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “Which retail media platforms are best for grocery retailers with multiple banners?” | |||||
| 15 | Open programmatic w/o cannibalizing direct sales | Vertical | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “How do retail media networks connect to open programmatic demand without cannibalizing direct advertiser sales?” | |||||
| 16 | Kevel vs Koddi vs Topsort vs Pentaleap | Vertical | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “What’s the difference between Kevel, Koddi, Topsort, and Pentaleap for retail media ad serving?” | |||||
| 17 | Onsite + offsite + in-store from a single UI | Strategic | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “How can a retailer run onsite, offsite, and in-store retail media campaigns from a single UI?” | |||||
| 18 | Which platforms do HD / Macy’s / CVS use? | Strategic | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “What retail media platforms does The Home Depot, Macy’s, or CVS use for sponsored products?” | |||||
| 19 | Evaluate ad relevance quality across vendors | Strategic | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “How should a retailer evaluate ad relevance quality across sponsored product vendors?” | |||||
| 20 | Risks of closed-loop bundled RMN platforms | Strategic | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
Exact question asked across all AI platforms: “What are the risks of using a closed-loop retail media platform that bundles ad serving with advertiser demand?” | |||||
| TOTAL | 17/20 (85%) | 15/20 (75%) | 15/20 (75%) | ||
The Comparative List Trap
Where Pentaleap loses the ranking — even when it wins the argument
Pentaleap is the most-cited retail media vendor in this audit. It also owns the mechanism questions — "unified ranking," "using the retailer's existing search AI," "which platform runs Home Depot, Macy's, and CVS." All three AI platforms cite Pentaleap #1 on those.
But when the same platforms are asked the questions a buyer types first — "best retail media ad server," "Criteo alternatives," "Kevel vs Koddi vs Topsort vs Pentaleap" — something breaks. Pentaleap is still cited, but it arrives #3, #4, or #5. Koddi opens ChatGPT's lists. Kevel opens Gemini's. By the time a buyer scrolls to Pentaleap, the shortlist is already forming without it.
“What’s the best retail media ad server for a mid-to-large ecommerce retailer running sponsored products at scale?”
“What are the leading Criteo competitors in retail media ad serving today?”
“What’s the difference between Kevel, Koddi, Topsort, and Pentaleap for retail media ad serving?”
Pentaleap’s content, case studies, and customer proof exist. The AI platforms know about them — every response cites Home Depot, Macy’s, CVS, and DocMorris correctly. But when the AI has to pick a first name to say, it picks Koddi or Kevel every time. That’s not a citation problem. It’s a positioning problem — and it’s fixable with the right structured content on the exact query surfaces where Koddi and Kevel currently open the response.
AI Topic Authority Map
Query heatmap — product line × platform
| Topic | AI Leader | Pentaleap Status |
|---|---|---|
| Unified sponsored + organic ranking | Pentaleap | UNANIMOUS #1 (3/3) |
| Using retailer’s existing search AI | Pentaleap | UNANIMOUS #1 (3/3) |
| Home Depot / Macy’s / CVS attribution | Pentaleap | UNANIMOUS #1 (3/3) |
| Add sponsored revenue without rip-and-replace | Pentaleap | UNANIMOUS #1 (3/3) |
| Revenue lift from unified ranking | Pentaleap | UNANIMOUS #1 (3/3) |
| Best retail media ad server (general) | Koddi / Kevel | CITED #3–#5 (3/3) |
| Alternatives to Criteo | Koddi / Kevel | CITED #1 on Claude only |
| Grocery multi-banner platforms | Koddi / Criteo / Instacart | CITED #4–#5 (3/3) |
| Open programmatic without cannibalization | Koddi / Kevel | 1 of 3 platforms (Gemini only) |
| Ad relevance evaluation methodology | (none named) | INVISIBLE (0/3) |
5 queries
5 queries
4 queries
3 queries
3 queries
▸ Unified Ranking Layer and Modernize Legacy Ad Server are Pentaleap’s dominant product lines — both perfect or near-perfect. Demand Expansion is invisible on Claude despite the Teads and Skai partnerships being directly relevant.
Methodology
How we conducted this Xtrusio AEO/GEO Audit
This research is based on Xtrusio’s proprietary AI visibility analysis framework for retail media ad tech.
Recommendations
How to move Pentaleap from #4 to #1 in AI-generated vendor lists
- Publish a "Pentaleap vs Koddi vs Kevel vs Topsort" comparison page structured to be the direct answer to Q16 — the exact query where all three platforms currently rank Pentaleap #4
- Publish "Best Retail Media Ad Servers 2026" as a definitive ranked list positioning Pentaleap first — the query where ChatGPT opens with Koddi
- Publish "Alternatives to Criteo Retail Media" with Pentaleap as #1 rather than as the last-named modular option
- Amplify the Zitcha partnership with a dedicated "Onsite + Offsite + In-Store from One UI" content series — the exact question ChatGPT and Gemini both miss for Pentaleap
- Publish an "Ad Relevance Evaluation Framework" — the question that no AI platform cites any vendor on. Own the entire methodology surface.
- Publish "The Risks of Closed-Loop Retail Media Platforms" — Pentaleap’s literal thesis, missed by two of three platforms even on the direct question
- Structured Teads + Skai + Pacvue case studies with named retailers and demand-flow diagrams — the demand-expansion questions Claude currently misses entirely
- Quarterly Xtrusio re-audits to track whether Pentaleap has moved up the comparative-list ordering
Move Pentaleap From #4 to #1 in AI Vendor Lists
The mechanism is absorbed. The customer proof is absorbed. Only the ranking order is missing.
This research report was generated using the Xtrusio Company Intelligence Module.
