Google × Criteo — When Search Finally Meets Shelf

Alt titles The Bridge Between Intent and Purchase: Inside the Google–Criteo Alliance Search Meets Shelf: The Quiet Revolution in Retail Media

The Quiet Revolution in Retail Media The most significant retail media move of 2025 didn’t come from Amazon, Walmart, or Meta. It came from an unexpected alliance — Google and Criteo.

Together, they’ve connected the world’s biggest intent engine with one of the largest retail media ecosystems. The result: a seamless flow between search-driven demand and on-site retail conversion.

It’s not just a partnership. It’s a power shift — one that could redefine how brands plan, measure, and scale media in the commerce age.

What Really Happened

Google announced that advertisers using Search Ads 360 (SA360) can now extend their campaigns directly into Criteo’s retail media network — a federation of more than 200 global retailers.

In practice, it means this: A brand running a search ad for “best protein powder” can now reach that same shopper again — not just in Google results, but on a retailer’s product listing page — with unified measurement connecting the two moments.

It’s intent meeting inventory, in real time.

Why It Matters

1. The Intent–Purchase Gap Just Collapsed

Search has always been the start of the journey, and retail media the end. Now, those two ends have finally met. Marketers can trace the path from “click” to “cart” with unprecedented clarity.

2. Google Is Getting Serious About Commerce

This is Google’s most aggressive play yet to compete with Amazon. By partnering with the Alliance of retailers, Google is turning its powerful search data into a direct commerce activation engine, providing a unified answer to the walled garden problem.

3. Retailers Finally Get Their Fair Share

This partnership democratizes retail media access. Mid-tier retailers who could never compete with Amazon’s ad reach can now monetize their inventory more effectively — using Google’s demand flow.

4. Unified Measurement = Real Optimization

Advertisers can now view search and retail performance in a single lens, closing the loop on what’s been one of media’s most persistent black boxes.

The Strategic Signal: Convergence Wins

At MediaAMP, we’ve always argued that the future isn’t about choosing between walled gardens and open ecosystems — it’s about building bridges between them.

That’s exactly what Google and Criteo are doing. Google brings data precision; Criteo brings commerce context. Together, they’re building a connected advertising fabric that mirrors how people actually shop — fluidly, across touchpoints.

For marketers, this means one thing: Stop planning in silos. Start orchestrating across systems.

The MediaAMP POV

This isn’t a technical integration. It’s a strategic preview. Google and Criteo are signaling where the next decade of marketing is headed:

From channels to connected experiences
From clicks to outcomes
From platform loyalty to portfolio fluency

In short — the brands that win won’t be the ones who go all-in on one ecosystem, but the ones who can flex across them with clarity, measurement, and intent.

Search has finally met shelf. And that means the next frontier of retail media has just begun.