Criteo becomes first onsite retail media partner for Google Search Ads 360

Criteo announced on September 10, 2025, its designation as Google's first onsite retail media partner, marking a significant development in the digital commerce advertising landscape. The collaboration enables advertisers to create, launch, and optimize campaigns across Criteo's retail network directly within Google Search Ads 360.

The integration launches through a limited beta program for select customers in the Americas, with plans for global expansion and integration into additional Google Marketing Platform tools. According to the announcement, Criteo's network of over 200 retailers can opt into receiving demand from Google Search Ads 360, connecting with global brands across multiple categories.

"We're focused on building a seamless commerce media ecosystem," said Bill Reardon, General Manager, Enterprise Platform at Google. "With Criteo's expansive network of retailer partners, we're helping advertisers connect with customers at a critical moment in their shopping journey: onsite, through sponsored product ads."

The partnership addresses the scale and measurement challenges that have characterized the retail media sector. According to the companies, the integration provides unified measurement capabilities for retailers, giving brands visibility into how their advertising drives incremental impact. This measurement framework aims to enable more informed budget allocation and investment decisions across retail media networks.

Industry projections indicate the retail media sector will reach $204 billion by 2027, based on forecasts from Activate, eMarketer, GroupM, Madison & Wall. However, current spending remains concentrated among a limited number of dominant platforms. The Criteo-Google integration seeks to democratize access to retail media budgets by empowering a more diverse set of retailers to attract advertising investment.

"By connecting more brands to our global retail network and deepening investments from existing ones, we're helping retailers grow their media programs and maximize the value of their ad inventory while enabling advertisers to reach high-intent shoppers," stated Sherry Smith, President of Retail Media at Criteo.

The technical integration operates through Criteo's global retailer network, which spans more than 200 retail partners and facilitates connections with advertisers across numerous product categories. For advertisers, the platform offers campaign creation, optimization, and performance tracking capabilities within Google's established Search Ads 360 interface.

The partnership complements Google's existing suite of offsite advertising solutions, including Performance Max and Shopping Ads. According to Google, the integration aims to provide advertisers and agencies with comprehensive visibility into advertising performance across both onsite and offsite channels.

For the retail media industry, this collaboration represents a strategic shift toward platform interoperability. Rather than requiring separate campaign management across multiple retail media networks, advertisers can now access Criteo's inventory through Google's unified interface. This streamlined approach addresses the operational complexity that has limited advertiser adoption of retail media platforms beyond the largest players.

The announcement follows a period of significant expansion for Criteo's retail media business. The company reported retail media segment growth of 23% at constant currency during the fourth quarter of 2024, generating $90 million in contribution ex-TAC. Additionally, Criteo has introduced auction-based display technology and partnerships with companies including Mirakl Ads to expand its platform capabilities.

The timing coincides with broader industry consolidation around retail media technology. Google's selection of Criteo as its first onsite retail media partner reflects the competitive dynamics among commerce advertising platforms. According to PPC Land coverage, over 90% of advertisers now partner with retailers to access first-party data, with brands working with 4-6 retail media networks doubling in 2025.

The Google-Criteo integration addresses measurement standardization across retail media networks. Traditional retail media campaigns often operate with disparate measurement methodologies, making cross-platform performance comparison challenging for advertisers. The unified measurement approach aims to provide consistent metrics and attribution models across Criteo's retailer network.

Platform adoption metrics indicate substantial advertiser engagement with retail media technology. Criteo's platform currently serves approximately 4,000 brands and operates retail media programs for 225 retailers globally. Media spend activated through Criteo's platform reached $4.3 billion over the 12 months preceding the second quarter of 2025.

The partnership structure allows retailers within Criteo's network to maintain control over which advertisers access their inventory. Retailers can opt into receiving demand from Google Search Ads 360 while preserving existing advertising partnerships and revenue arrangements. This selective approach aims to balance retailer autonomy with expanded advertiser access.

For Google, the Criteo partnership represents an expansion into onsite retail media, complementing its established positions in search and display advertising. The integration enables Google to offer advertisers a more comprehensive commerce advertising solution that spans both Google properties and external retail environments.

The beta program's initial focus on the Americas market reflects strategic prioritization of markets with established retail media adoption. Retail media networks are projected to exceed $300 billion by 2030, representing approximately 20% of total global advertising revenue.

Advertisers interested in participating in the beta program can contact their Google account teams for eligibility assessment. The companies have not disclosed specific timing for global expansion or integration with additional Google Marketing Platform tools beyond the initial Search Ads 360 implementation.

The partnership addresses persistent challenges in retail media campaign management, including workflow standardization and performance measurement consistency. By enabling campaign execution through Google's established interface, the integration aims to reduce the operational overhead associated with managing multiple retail media platforms.

Technical implementation details indicate that the integration leverages existing Google advertising technology infrastructure. Advertisers can access Criteo's retail media inventory through their current Google relationships without requiring separate platform integrations or workflow modifications.

The announcement positions both companies to capitalize on continued retail media sector expansion. According to recent PPC Land coverage, European retail media spending grew 22% in 2024, significantly outpacing the broader advertising market's 6.1% growth rate.

Timeline

• November 19, 2024: Criteo unveils strategic growth plans focusing on retail media expansion
• February 13, 2025: Criteo reports record profits with retail media driving fourth quarter growth
• May 3, 2025: Criteo faces major retail media client changes impacting growth outlook
• June 21, 2025: Criteo debuts auction-based display ads for retail media flexibility
• July 17, 2025: Criteo and Mirakl Ads launch global integration for marketplace revenue
• July 30, 2025: Criteo raises guidance following second quarter growth in retail media and Criteo and WPP Media launch commerce-driven CTV activation
• September 5, 2025: Retail media projected to capture 20% of global ad revenue by 2030
• September 10, 2025: Criteo announced as Google's first onsite retail media partner

Summary

Who: Criteo, the global commerce media platform company, partnered with Google as the search giant's first onsite retail media partner. The collaboration involves Criteo's network of over 200 retailers and targets global brands and advertisers.

What: A strategic integration enabling advertisers to create, launch, and optimize campaigns across Criteo's retail media inventory directly through Google Search Ads 360. The partnership provides unified measurement capabilities and streamlined campaign management for onsite retail media advertising.

When: Announced on September 10, 2025, with initial availability through a limited beta program for select customers in the Americas. Plans include global expansion and integration into additional Google Marketing Platform tools.

Where: Initially launching in the Americas market through Google Search Ads 360, with planned global expansion across Criteo's network of more than 200 retailers spanning multiple geographic regions and product categories.

Why: The partnership addresses scale and measurement challenges in the retail media sector, aiming to democratize access to advertising budgets beyond dominant platforms while providing advertisers with comprehensive performance visibility and streamlined campaign management across retail media networks.