Snapchat Is Reportedly Working On Its Own Ad Tech

Snapchat is looking to expand its business with some new technology. The messaging app, popular for communications which disappear after a short amount of time, is reportedly working on building its own application programming interface (API) to help marketers start buying ads.

Snapchat’s proposed API will allow advertising partners to purchase ads more often and with more targeting capabilities than currently available on the app. Inside sources told Digiday Snapchat has reached out to advertising tech companies and agencies to ask them about what they need in an API. One undisclosed ad agency executive said Snapchat’s end goal with its API would be to “have many more opportunities for e-commerce on the platform and other stuff that is more about building audiences.” Snapchat’s API could be ready for testing as early as spring 2016.

Building an API could drastically improve Snapchat’s advertising capabilities, as well as overall business valuation if the technology proves successful. Up until now, the messaging app has only been selling ads directly to brands on a case-by-case basis, offering advertising options like sponsored “Lenses”, sponsored Live Stories, and branded advertising through its 3V content agency. Introducing an API will allow marketers more direct access to setting up, ordering, executing, and measuring ad campaigns, which would consequently help Snapchat better deliver targeted ads to its users.

Snapchat currently boasts around 100 million global monthly users who rack up 4 billion video views per day.