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 different devices like computers, smartphones, and connected TVs. It utilizes data 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. The firm generates its revenue from fees based on a percentage of what its clients spend on advertising.