Criteo Debuts Auction-Based Display Ads to Help Clients Unlock More Value in Retail Media

Rhea-AI Summary

Criteo (NASDAQ: CRTO) has launched its Auction-Based Display technology for retail media environments, offering a new programmatic advertising solution. The technology introduces biddable trading options alongside traditional fixed pricing, allowing for more flexible and dynamic pricing based on real-time market demands. Major retailers including Costco, Shipt, and soon Albertsons Media Collective are implementing this solution. The technology enables advertisers to manage Sponsored Products, Display, and Video campaigns from a single platform, while helping retailers maximize yield on premium ad placements. Key features include streamlined workflows, advanced ad relevancy controls, and the ability to access national media budgets. This development represents a significant advancement in retail media advertising, offering both retailers and brands more efficient ways to monetize and optimize their advertising investments.

Positive

• Introduction of flexible, auction-based pricing alongside fixed pricing models expands monetization opportunities
• Partnership with major retailers like Costco and Shipt demonstrates strong market adoption
• Unified platform for managing multiple ad formats (Sponsored Products, Display, Video) improves campaign efficiency
• Technology enables retailers to access national media budgets and maximize yield on premium placements

Negative

• None.

Insights

AdTech Analyst

Criteo's new auction-based display ads modernize their retail media offering, potentially expanding revenue streams while addressing advertiser flexibility needs.

Criteo's introduction of Auction-Based Display technology represents a significant evolution in their retail media strategy. By adding programmatic auction capabilities alongside traditional reservation-based deals, Criteo is addressing a crucial market need for greater buying flexibility in retail media environments.

The technology creates a dual monetization pathway for retailers like Costco and Shipt, allowing them to maintain premium pricing for guaranteed placements while simultaneously capturing incremental revenue through auction-based inventory. This hybrid approach should help retail partners maximize yield during high-demand periods while maintaining inventory sellthrough during slower periods.

For advertisers, the auction model introduces dynamic pricing efficiency that better reflects real-time market conditions and seasonal demand fluctuations. The standardized campaign execution across formats (Sponsored Products, Display, and Video) within a unified platform addresses a major pain point in the fragmented retail media landscape – the complexity of managing multi-retailer campaigns at scale.

This launch positions Criteo to capture a larger share of national media budgets that typically require programmatic buying capabilities. The auction environment could also drive higher overall spend as advertisers gain confidence in performance-based pricing rather than fixed-rate commitments.

Most importantly, this represents Criteo's strategic adaptation to market demands as retail media continues maturing beyond sponsored product ads into more sophisticated formats. The ability to offer AI-driven relevancy controls while maintaining the commercial benefits of auction dynamics demonstrates Criteo's understanding of retail media's unique requirements versus traditional digital advertising.

 Empowering retailers and brands with greater flexibility, AI-driven automation, and scalable retail media solutions

NEW YORK, June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Criteo (NASDAQ: CRTO), the global platform connecting the commerce ecosystem, today announced the launch of its Auction-Based Display technology, bringing programmatic flexibility into retail media environments and helping to propel the industry forward. This advancement, paired with Criteo's full suite of ad formats, empowers brands to inspire product discovery and buy retail media in a way that best suits their needs.

Reimagining Display for the Next Chapter of Retail Media

Criteo's Auction-Based Display technology is purpose-built for the unique dynamics of retail environments, helping leading players like Costco, Shipt and soon to come Albertsons Media Collective bolster their media offerings with biddable trading optionality, flexible pricing, streamlined and efficient workflows, and advanced controls for ad relevancy. By complementing existing reservation-based deals with auction-based buy types, retailers and marketplaces can also unlock new monetization opportunities and access national media budgets.

Unlike traditional publisher sites, retail platforms demand highly relevant and timely ads. Criteo's Auction-Based Display technology adds a new buying option alongside fixed pricing, allowing advertiser-driven bidding that better reflects real-time category dynamics and seasonal demand. Combined with advanced controls for ad relevancy, this approach helps retailers maximize yield on high-demand placements while staying competitive across the ecosystem.

Advertisers also benefit from standardized campaign execution and measurement across Sponsored Products, Display, and Video—all within a single platform—making it easier to optimize multi-retailer campaigns at scale.

"Display advertising is a proven retail media format, but the needs of advertisers and retailers are evolving," said Melanie Zimmermann, General Manager of Global Retail Media at Criteo. "Our new auction-based offering is modernizing display technology—creating a flexible, automated solution that's tailored to the retail environment."

Criteo's Auction-Based Display technology is now available to retailers globally.

Contacts 

Criteo Public Relations
Jessica Meyers, j.meyers@criteo.com 

Criteo Investor Relations
Melanie Dambre, m.dambre@criteo.com 

About Criteo
Criteo (NASDAQ: CRTO) is the global platform connecting the commerce ecosystem for brands, agencies, retailers, and media owners. Its AI-powered advertising platform has unique access to more than $1 trillion in annual commerce sales—powering connections with shoppers, inspiring discovery, and enabling highly personalized experiences. With thousands of clients and partnerships spanning global retail to digital commerce, Criteo delivers the technology, tools, and insights businesses need to drive performance and growth. For more information, please visit criteo.com.

Forward Looking Statements Disclosure

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including our expectations regarding our market opportunity and future growth prospects and other statements that are not historical facts and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: failure related to our technology and our ability to innovate and respond to changes in technology, uncertainty regarding our ability to access a consistent supply of internet display advertising inventory and expand access to such inventory, investments in new business opportunities and the timing of these investments, whether the projected benefits of acquisitions or strategic transactions materialize as expected, uncertainty regarding international operations and expansion, including related to changes in a specific country's or region's political or economic conditions (such as changes in or new tariffs), the impact of competition or client in-housing, uncertainty regarding legislative, regulatory or self-regulatory developments regarding data privacy matters and the impact of efforts by other participants in our industry to comply therewith, the impact of consumer resistance to the collection and sharing of data, our ability to access data through third parties, failure to enhance our brand cost-effectively, recent growth rates not being indicative of future growth, client flexibility to increase or decrease spend, our ability to manage growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, our ability to grow our base of clients, and the financial impact of maximizing Contribution ex-TAC, as well as risks related to future opportunities and plans, including the uncertainty of expected future financial performance and results and those risks detailed from time-to-time under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's SEC filings and reports, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 28, 2025, and in subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q as well as future filings and reports by the Company. Importantly, at this time, macro-economic conditions including inflation and fluctuating interest rates in the U.S. have impacted and may continue to impact Criteo's business, financial condition, cash flow and results of operations.

Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events, changes in expectations or otherwise.

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SOURCE Criteo

FAQ

What is Criteo's new Auction-Based Display technology for retail media?

Criteo's Auction-Based Display technology is a programmatic advertising solution that introduces biddable trading options alongside fixed pricing, allowing for dynamic pricing based on real-time market demands in retail media environments.

Which major retailers are using Criteo's new Auction-Based Display technology?

The technology is being used by Costco and Shipt, with Albertsons Media Collective announced as an upcoming implementation.

How does Criteo CRTO's new display technology benefit advertisers?

Advertisers benefit from standardized campaign execution across Sponsored Products, Display, and Video in a single platform, making it easier to optimize multi-retailer campaigns at scale.

What advantages does the Auction-Based Display technology offer to retailers?

Retailers gain flexible pricing, streamlined workflows, advanced ad relevancy controls, improved yield maximization on premium placements, and access to national media budgets.

How is Criteo's new display technology different from traditional display advertising?

Unlike traditional display advertising, Criteo's technology is specifically built for retail environments, offering both fixed and auction-based pricing options while ensuring highly relevant and timely ads for retail platforms.