Overview

Skai, formerly Kenshoo, is an enterprise-grade marketing platform that provides tools for managing and optimizing paid media campaigns across various digital channels. Established in 2006, the platform targets large advertisers and agencies requiring a unified solution for complex advertising portfolios. Skai's architecture is designed to integrate data and operations across search, social, and e-commerce advertising, aiming to improve campaign efficiency and return on ad spend (ROAS) for high-volume accounts.

The platform is particularly suited for organizations with significant ad spend and a need for sophisticated automation, bidding strategies, and cross-channel attribution. Its core products—Skai Search, Skai Social, Skai Commerce, and Skai Apps—address specific advertising verticals while operating within a cohesive framework. Skai Search focuses on paid search platforms like Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising. Skai Social extends capabilities to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Skai Commerce is tailored for retail media platforms, including Amazon, Walmart, and Instacart, offering specialized tools for product listing ads and sponsored product campaigns. Skai Apps provides a framework for mobile app marketing.

Skai's value proposition centers on its ability to consolidate data from disparate ad platforms into a single interface, enabling centralized reporting, budget allocation, and performance analysis. This consolidation is intended to provide a more holistic view of marketing performance compared to managing each channel independently. For example, a study by WordStream indicated that advertisers often struggle with managing multiple platforms, leading to inefficiencies in budget allocation and optimization efforts WordStream's cross-channel marketing insights. Skai attempts to address this by offering a unified approach. The platform also emphasizes data security and compliance, adhering to standards such as SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and CCPA Skai compliance information.

Developer engagement with Skai typically involves its API, which is primarily designed for enterprise clients to facilitate data integration and automation. Access to the API and associated developer resources generally requires an existing customer relationship and direct coordination with Skai's support and account management teams. This approach suggests that the developer experience is geared towards custom integrations and advanced data workflows for established enterprise users rather than broad public access.

Key features

  • Cross-Channel Campaign Management: Centralized management of ad campaigns across search engines (Google, Microsoft), social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok), and e-commerce marketplaces (Amazon, Walmart).
  • Automated Bidding Strategies: Algorithmic bidding tools designed to optimize performance metrics such as ROAS, CPA, and Clicks, leveraging machine learning to adjust bids in real-time.
  • Budget Management and Allocation: Tools for setting, monitoring, and dynamically allocating budgets across various campaigns and channels based on performance targets and business objectives.
  • Advanced Analytics and Reporting: Customizable dashboards and reporting features to track key performance indicators (KPIs), visualize trends, and generate insights from consolidated ad data.
  • Marketing Intelligence: Provides competitive insights, audience analysis, and market trend data to inform strategic decision-making and identify growth opportunities.
  • Creative Optimization: Functionality to test and optimize ad creatives, including A/B testing and dynamic creative assembly, to improve engagement and conversion rates.
  • Audience Management: Tools for segmenting audiences, creating custom audience lists, and applying audience targeting strategies across different ad platforms.
  • API for Data Integration: An enterprise-focused API for programmatic access to campaign data, enabling custom reporting, automation, and integration with internal systems Skai Help Center.

Pricing

Skai operates on a custom enterprise pricing model. Specific costs are not publicly disclosed and are determined based on factors such as the client's ad spend, the scope of services required, the number of channels managed, and the level of support. Prospective clients typically need to request a demo to receive a tailored quote.

Service Tier Description Pricing Model (As of 2026-05-09)
Enterprise Platform Access Full suite of Skai Search, Social, Commerce, and Apps products. Includes advanced bidding, analytics, and dedicated account support. Custom enterprise pricing, based on ad spend and feature requirements.
Individual Product Access Access to specific products like Skai Search or Skai Social for targeted channel management. Custom pricing, typically scaled to ad spend within the chosen channel.
API Access Programmatic access for data integration and automation. Included with enterprise agreements; specific terms negotiated based on usage.

For detailed pricing information, contact Skai directly via their request a demo page.

Common integrations

Skai integrates with various advertising platforms and data sources to provide a unified campaign management experience. While a comprehensive public list of all integrations is not readily available, the platform is designed to connect with major players in search, social, and e-commerce advertising.

  • Google Ads: Integration for managing search campaigns, bidding, and reporting on Google's advertising network Google Ads Help.
  • Microsoft Advertising: Connects for managing campaigns across Bing and other Microsoft properties.
  • Facebook Ads (Meta): Supports campaign management, audience targeting, and creative optimization for Facebook and Instagram Facebook Business Help Center.
  • LinkedIn Ads: Integration for B2B advertising campaigns.
  • TikTok Ads: Management of advertising campaigns on the TikTok platform TikTok Ads Help Center.
  • Amazon Advertising: Specializes in managing sponsored product, sponsored brands, and display ads on Amazon.
  • Walmart Connect: Integration for retail media advertising on Walmart's platforms.
  • Google Analytics: Data integration for deeper web analytics and attribution insights Google Analytics.
  • CRM Systems: Enterprise API allows for custom integrations with CRM platforms like Salesforce for lead and customer data synchronization.

Alternatives

Organizations evaluating Skai may also consider other enterprise-level advertising platforms that offer similar cross-channel management, optimization, and reporting capabilities.

  • Marin Software: A platform offering enterprise marketing software for advertisers and agencies to manage, measure, and optimize their digital ad spend across channels.
  • Kenshoo: Provides a suite of marketing automation and intelligence solutions for search, social, and e-commerce advertising.
  • Acquisio: An ad management platform designed for agencies and local marketing to automate and optimize campaigns across various ad channels.
  • Criteo: Focuses on commerce media, offering ad solutions for retailers and brands to drive sales and engagement across the open internet.
  • Microsoft Advertising Editor: A desktop application for managing Microsoft Advertising campaigns, useful for bulk operations and offline editing, though not a full cross-channel platform.

Getting started

Accessing Skai's platform and its developer API typically begins with a direct engagement process due to its enterprise focus. The following outlines a general path, assuming an existing client relationship and API access approval.

While a public "hello-world" example for Skai's API is not available, the general process for interacting with enterprise APIs often involves authentication via OAuth 2.0 or API keys, followed by making HTTP requests to specific endpoints. For example, retrieving campaign data might involve an authenticated GET request. The structure below is illustrative, demonstrating a common pattern for API interaction in Python, assuming a hypothetical skai_api_client library or direct HTTP calls.


import requests
import os

# --- Configuration (replace with your actual client ID, secret, and API endpoint) ---
SKAI_API_BASE_URL = "https://api.skai.com/v1"
SKAI_CLIENT_ID = os.environ.get("SKAI_CLIENT_ID")
SKAI_CLIENT_SECRET = os.environ.get("SKAI_CLIENT_SECRET")
SKAI_REFRESH_TOKEN = os.environ.get("SKAI_REFRESH_TOKEN") # Or an access token directly

# --- Step 1: Obtain an Access Token (if not using a static API key) ---
def get_access_token(client_id, client_secret, refresh_token):
    token_url = f"{SKAI_API_BASE_URL}/oauth/token"
    payload = {
        "grant_type": "refresh_token",
        "client_id": client_id,
        "client_secret": client_secret,
        "refresh_token": refresh_token
    }
    headers = {"Content-Type": "application/json"}
    try:
        response = requests.post(token_url, json=payload, headers=headers)
        response.raise_for_status()
        return response.json()["access_token"]
    except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
        print(f"Error obtaining access token: {e}")
        return None

# --- Step 2: Make an authenticated API Request ---
def get_campaigns(access_token, account_id, limit=10):
    campaigns_url = f"{SKAI_API_BASE_URL}/accounts/{account_id}/campaigns"
    headers = {
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {access_token}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json"
    }
    params = {"limit": limit}
    try:
        response = requests.get(campaigns_url, headers=headers, params=params)
        response.raise_for_status()
        return response.json()
    except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
        print(f"Error fetching campaigns: {e}")
        return None

# --- Main execution block ---
if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Replace with your actual Skai Account ID
    SKA_ACCOUNT_ID = "YOUR_SKAI_ACCOUNT_ID"

    if not SKAI_CLIENT_ID or not SKAI_CLIENT_SECRET or not SKAI_REFRESH_TOKEN:
        print("Please set SKAI_CLIENT_ID, SKAI_CLIENT_SECRET, and SKAI_REFRESH_TOKEN environment variables.")
    else:
        print("Attempting to get access token...")
        access_token = get_access_token(SKAI_CLIENT_ID, SKAI_CLIENT_SECRET, SKAI_REFRESH_TOKEN)

        if access_token:
            print("Access token obtained. Fetching campaigns...")
            campaign_data = get_campaigns(access_token, SKA_ACCOUNT_ID, limit=5)
            if campaign_data:
                print("Successfully fetched campaign data:")
                for campaign in campaign_data.get("data", [])[:5]: # Display first 5 campaigns
                    print(f"  - ID: {campaign.get('id')}, Name: {campaign.get('name')}, Status: {campaign.get('status')}")
            else:
                print("Failed to retrieve campaign data.")
        else:
            print("Authentication failed. Cannot proceed with API requests.")

To use Skai's API, you would typically:

  1. Contact Skai: Engage with your Skai account manager or support team to request API access and obtain necessary credentials (Client ID, Client Secret, Refresh Token).
  2. Review Documentation: Access the specific API documentation provided by Skai, which will detail available endpoints, request/response formats, and authentication methods Skai Help Center.
  3. Set up Authentication: Implement the specified authentication flow, often OAuth 2.0, to obtain an access token.
  4. Make API Calls: Construct HTTP requests to the desired API endpoints to retrieve data or perform actions, ensuring correct headers and parameters are used.
  5. Handle Responses: Parse the JSON responses and implement error handling for various API outcomes.

The developer experience is generally tailored for enterprise clients with specific integration needs, emphasizing secure and controlled access to campaign data.