Criteo partners with DoorDash for multi-year retail media expansion

Criteo and DoorDash announced a multi-year partnership on October 6, 2025, designed to expand retail media advertising across DoorDash's marketplace for grocery, convenience, and non-restaurant retailers. According to the companies, Criteo will function as an extension of DoorDash's U.S. advertising sales team, working directly with brands and agencies while the two companies explore technology integration opportunities over time.

The partnership addresses a growing opportunity in delivery-based retail media. Retail media has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments of digital advertising, with European markets reaching €13.7 billion in spending during 2024, representing 21.1% growth. Industry projections indicate retail media will capture 20% of global advertising revenue by 2030, exceeding $300 billion in spending.

"This is an exciting moment for Criteo, DoorDash, and the advertisers and retailers we serve," stated Stephen Howard-Sarin, Managing Director, Retail Media Americas at Criteo, according to the announcement. "Delivery is the most important new path in the CPG consumer journey, and DoorDash has become a must-buy destination for convenience, grocery and alcohol brands."

The collaboration provides advertisers working with Criteo access to DoorDash ad formats including onsite video, display banners, Sponsored Product, and Sponsored Brands. Offsite channels spanning display, video, search, and social will also become available through the partnership. This multi-format approach enables brands to reach consumers across the full purchase journey, from awareness to conversion.

DoorDash selected Criteo based on established relationships across grocery, convenience, and retail categories. "We're building an ad platform that lets every business grow on DoorDash and beyond," said John Roswech, Head of Business for Symbiosys at DoorDash, according to the statement. "We chose Criteo for its strong brand and agency relationships across grocery, convenience, and other retail categories."

The partnership structure positions Criteo to bring brand and agency demand to DoorDash's platform, which has expanded since its 2013 founding to operate in more than 40 countries. DoorDash's international presence includes acquisitions of Deliveroo and Wolt, combining global scale with local expertise across multiple markets.

For Criteo, this partnership extends its retail media infrastructure beyond traditional retail environments into delivery marketplaces. The company became the first onsite retail media partner for Google Search Ads 360 in September 2025, enabling advertisers to create campaigns across its retail network through Google's interface. Criteo operates retail media programs for approximately 225 retailers globally and serves around 4,000 brands through its platform.

The timing aligns with sustained growth in Criteo's retail media segment. The company reported second quarter 2025 revenue of $483 million in July 2025, with retail media showing particular strength and prompting the company to raise its full-year guidance. Platform adoption expanded to 4,000 brands during that quarter, with new retailer partnerships including Thermo Fisher, BJ's Wholesale Club, and grocers Weis Markets, Winn-Dixie, and Harveys Supermarkets.

Technology integration between the two companies remains under exploration. Criteo's AI-powered advertising platform processes more than $1 trillion in annual commerce sales, according to company data. The platform utilizes artificial intelligence to connect brands, agencies, retailers, and media owners across digital commerce environments. DoorDash operates technology and logistics infrastructure that shapes local commerce, providing businesses tools to grow and giving consumers access to neighborhood retailers.

The partnership addresses fragmentation challenges in retail media buying. Stephen Howard-Sarin noted the collaboration will help advertisers "defragment retail media buying between delivery marketplace and retailer sites," according to the announcement. This unified approach contrasts with existing requirements that typically force advertisers to manage separate campaigns across multiple retail media networks.

Delivery platforms represent an increasingly important channel for consumer packaged goods brands. The shift toward online grocery and convenience purchasing accelerated during recent years, establishing delivery marketplaces as critical touchpoints in the shopping journey. DoorDash's platform connects consumers with local retailers across grocery, convenience, and other categories, creating advertising opportunities at the moment consumers make purchase decisions.

Platform interoperability has emerged as a key trend in retail media. Recent developments include partnerships enabling advertisers to access retail media inventory through unified interfaces rather than managing campaigns separately across each network. These integrations address operational complexity that has limited advertiser adoption of retail media platforms beyond the largest players.

The commercial structure of the partnership includes multi-year commitments, though specific financial terms were not disclosed in the announcement. Criteo will collaborate with brands and agencies to facilitate advertising across DoorDash's marketplace, with particular focus on grocery, convenience, and consumer packaged goods sectors. The companies indicated they will explore technology integration opportunities as the partnership develops over time.

DoorDash's advertising platform operates under the Symbiosys business unit, which focuses on building monetization capabilities across the company's marketplace. The platform enables businesses of various sizes to advertise on DoorDash, with the Criteo partnership extending that reach to brands and agencies working with Criteo's established network.

For marketers, the partnership creates a new channel to reach consumers during grocery and convenience shopping occasions. The ability to activate campaigns across both onsite DoorDash inventory and offsite channels provides flexibility in campaign strategy and audience reach. Measurement capabilities will enable advertisers to track performance across these placements, though specific metrics and attribution methodologies were not detailed in the announcement.

Criteo's presence in the delivery marketplace sector adds to its broader retail media portfolio. The company launched auction-based display technology in June 2025, introducing programmatic flexibility into retail media environments. This shift from fixed pricing to advertiser-driven bidding mechanisms reflects real-time category dynamics and seasonal demand patterns across retail media networks.

The partnership falls within industry consolidation trends around retail media technology. Over 90% of advertisers now partner with retailers to access first-party data, with brands working with four to six retail media networks doubling in 2025. This diversification strategy among advertisers reflects the fragmented nature of retail media inventory and the value of reaching consumers across multiple retail touchpoints.

Forward-looking statements in the announcement noted potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from predictions. Both companies referenced their respective Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, along with subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as sources for understanding potential risks. The companies stated they undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law.

The announcement positions both companies to capitalize on continued retail media growth. Industry analysts project sustained expansion through 2028, with European retail media spending expected to reach €28.8 billion by that year. North American markets show similar trajectories, with digital grocery sector revenue surpassing $200 billion in 2024.

Criteo operates as a global platform connecting the commerce ecosystem, trading on NASDAQ under the ticker CRTO. The company emphasizes its AI-powered advertising platform and access to commerce sales data as differentiators in the competitive retail media landscape. DoorDash trades on NASDAQ under ticker DASH and positions itself as one of the world's leading local commerce platforms.

The multi-year partnership structure suggests both companies view delivery-based retail media as a durable opportunity rather than a short-term trend. As consumer behavior continues shifting toward online grocery and convenience purchasing, advertising capabilities on delivery platforms become increasingly strategic for brands seeking to influence purchase decisions at critical moments.

Timeline

• October 6, 2025: Criteo and DoorDash announce multi-year retail media partnership
• October 7, 2025: IAB Europe releases retail media statistics showing €13.7 billion European market
• October 9, 2025: The Trade Desk enables programmatic retail media buying through Koddi partnership
• September 23, 2025: Topsort partners with Skai for global retail media access including DoorDash
• September 10, 2025: Criteo becomes first onsite retail media partner for Google Search Ads 360
• September 4, 2025: Omdia projects retail media to capture 20% of global advertising revenue by 2030
• July 30, 2025: Criteo raises guidance following second quarter growth in retail media
• July 28, 2025: Spotify's Global Head of Advertising Lee Brown departs to join DoorDash as Chief Revenue Officer
• February 5, 2025: Criteo reports record profits as retail media drives fourth quarter growth

Summary

Who: Criteo, a global commerce media platform trading on NASDAQ under ticker CRTO, and DoorDash, a local commerce platform trading under ticker DASH, announced the partnership. Key executives include Stephen Howard-Sarin, Managing Director of Retail Media Americas at Criteo, and John Roswech, Head of Business for Symbiosys at DoorDash.

What: A multi-year partnership enabling Criteo to serve as an extension of DoorDash's U.S. advertising sales team, providing brands and agencies access to DoorDash ad formats including onsite video, display banners, Sponsored Product, Sponsored Brands, and offsite channels across display, video, search, and social platforms. The companies plan to explore advertising technology integration over time.

When: The partnership was announced on October 6, 2025, with implementation beginning immediately. The multi-year agreement extends the collaboration over an extended timeframe, though specific end dates were not disclosed.

Where: The partnership initially focuses on DoorDash's U.S. marketplace, with Criteo bringing brand and agency demand to grocery, convenience, and non-restaurant retailers operating on the platform. DoorDash operates in more than 40 countries globally, though the Criteo partnership appears concentrated in American markets initially.

Why: The partnership addresses the growing importance of delivery platforms in the consumer packaged goods journey and aims to help advertisers reach consumers at purchase moments while defragmenting retail media buying between delivery marketplaces and traditional retailer sites. The collaboration enables DoorDash to leverage Criteo's established relationships across grocery and convenience categories while providing Criteo access to the fast-growing delivery marketplace advertising channel.