In March 2026, we announced our integration with OpenAI’s advertising pilot in ChatGPT, becoming the first advertising technology partner to integrate. Criteo was selected because of our ability to bring immediate scaled demand, global market reach, and a proven platform that marketers already use across channels. That combination made it possible to move quickly while keeping activation familiar for marketers and operationally simple across platforms. Today, OpenAI is expanding that vision with the launch of self-service ads, a meaningful step forward for the ecosystem that makes conversational AI accessible to more marketers.
Criteo builds on the foundation of ads in ChatGPT by enabling brands and agencies to plug ChatGPT into a broader, cross-channel, full-funnel commerce strategy, with the same support and optimization they already rely on today from Criteo. Early results are positive with initial indications that this new surface is resonating with brands, agencies, and shoppers.
Early traction
While we’re still in the early stages of this partnership, momentum is building quickly:
- More than one thousand brands are now live with campaigns powered by our API integration, spanning both existing Criteo clients and new brands to our platform.
- As ChatGPT Ads expands to multiple markets including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, Criteo users are also able to activate ChatGPT Ads across international markets.
- For small and mid-sized businesses, we’re expanding access through Criteo GO, integrating ChatGPT as part of our self-service, cross-channel performance platform.
- Budgets are incremental, with marketers leaning into ChatGPT as an additive discovery channel rather than simply reallocating from existing channels.
- We’re seeing strong agency traction, as both holding companies and independents look for a seamless way to test conversational AI within familiar media planning and activation workflows.
This pace of adoption underscores the appetite for AI-native media. And our global brands and agencies are sharing the same enthusiasm:
“We see ChatGPT as a new way to show up for our customers earlier in their decision-making journey. Working with Criteo on this pilot is helping us meet shoppers where they’re actively exploring options and looking for recommendations.” — Laura Cobertera, Digital Marketing Director, Foot Locker Asia Pacific
“Criteo has enabled us to explore media within emerging AI environments like ChatGPT, unlocking a new opportunity that hasn’t previously been accessible. This partnership gives us a valuable test-and-learn foundation to understand how this emerging channel can complement traditional search and our broader omnichannel strategy.” — Colleen Gomez, Global Head of Channel eCommerce, HP
“ChatGPT is a new way to connect with pet parents. Working with Criteo on this pilot enables us to engage while they’re actively researching what’s best for their pet.” — Ben Zieschang, Senior Performance Manager, Petbarn
“Tinuiti has been thrilled to deepen our partnership with Criteo through their pioneering ChatGPT ad integration. As early adopters of this technology, we’ve seen immediate interest from clients eager to explore the intersection of generative AI and commerce. The Criteo team made activation easy for us: their proactive education and end-to-end support have been vital in helping us set our clients up for success in this emerging space.” — Michelle Merklin, VP of Paid Search Innovation & Growth, Tinuiti
“Working with Criteo on its ChatGPT integration has given us an early opportunity to explore how AI-driven discovery can support a range of brands, including those with more traditional marketing approaches. We’re focused on understanding how to engage consumers in these environments while balancing performance across channels.” — Joe Yakuel, Founder & CEO, WITHIN Agency
High-intent signals
Back in March, we shared that users referred from LLM platforms like ChatGPT were converting at approximately one and a half times the rate of other referral channels. Today, we’re seeing that signal strengthen, with key retail categories such as consumer electronics, lifestyle & wellbeing, and home & garden seeing close to two times higher conversion from AI-referred traffic compared with traditional search, consistent with the more complex, discovery-driven decisions shoppers make in these categories.
On top of that, click-through rates are roughly three times higher than comparable formats in other environments, signaling strong engagement.
Taken together, these signals point to conversational AI as a uniquely high-intent moment in the shopper journey, where well-timed, relevant product recommendations can meaningfully influence consideration. This positions Criteo at the forefront of a new, powerful discovery channel for our advertiser clients.
What comes next
As the pilot program continues to evolve, our focus remains on three priorities:
- Keeping the user experience central, ensuring that ads in ChatGPT are helpful and relevant, aligned with how people naturally explore and make decisions, and increasingly informed by our commerce intelligence to surface the right products for the brands we represent.
- Making AI-native media additive for marketers, by integrating emerging environments like ChatGPT into Criteo’s cross-channel advertising platform and expanding access for small and mid-sized businesses through Criteo GO.
- Continuing to learn and scale responsibly, working closely with OpenAI to test formats, inform roadmap priorities, and use early results to shape how we measure outcomes and unlock new opportunities for marketers.
If you’re interested in exploring ChatGPT ads with Criteo, please reach out to us here.
