• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, May 20, 2015

Retailers are largely responsible for the current boom in programmatic ad spending, according to fresh eMarketer findings. This year, the U.S. retail industry will spend $3.71 billion to purchase digital display ads programmatically -- nearly a quarter (24.9%) of the $14.88 billion U.S. advertisers will spend on programmatic buys, the research firm reports. The CPG and consumer products category is the second-largest sector for programmatic buying, and 63% of digital display ads among advertisers in that industry are purchased programmatically. With more than $2 billion in programmatic spending, this year, CPG will account for 14.1% of all programmatic display dollars -- compared to only 8.5% share of digital advertising overall. Among other shifts by industry leaders, Procter & Gamble announced last year that it would dedicate 70% of its digital ad budget to be purchased programmatically.