The Trade Desk provides a self-service platform that helps advertisers and ad agencies programmatically find and purchase digital ad inventory (display, video, audio, and social) on devices like computers, smartphones, and connected TVs. It uses data in an iterative manner to optimize the performance of ad impressions purchased. The firm's platform is referred to as a demand-side platform in the digital ad industry, and it generates revenue from fees based on a percentage of what its clients spend on advertising.