Inside Criteo’s India strategy: AI, agentic ads & quick commerce at play

Suppose you’re browsing Flipkart or Nykaa for skincare essentials. You land on curated product suggestions – some are labelled “sponsored”, others listed as “recommended”. That’s retail media: advertising served exactly where consumers are shopping, powered by real-time intent signals.

India’s retail media network, the ecosystem of ads on retailer sites and apps, is expected to jump from $1.5 billion in 2024 to $3.55 billion by 2030, a CAGR of 16.5%, as predicted by Grand View Research.

It’s against this backdrop that Criteo, a global platform connecting the commerce ecosystem for brands, agencies, retailers, and media owners, is sharpening its focus on India.

By mapping user journeys across the open internet and leveraging access to over $1 trillion in annual commerce sales, Criteo enables brands to reconnect with shoppers through personalised ads—driving discovery, return visits, and conversions.

Partners with Zepto to deliver a personalised, offsite media campaign

Most recently, Criteo announced the partnership with quick commerce platform Zepto. The collaboration aims to scale retail media campaigns, enabling brands to enhance their media offerings across the open internet and deliver a full-funnel, connected commerce advertising experience.

Citing a recent industry report, Criteo explains how the quick commerce sector is projected to grow at 75–100% year-on-year in India, outpacing traditional retail.
Melanie Zimmermann, the general manager of the global retail media company, discusses how this integration signifies a broader shift towards full-funnel strategies in digital marketing. Rather than viewing brand awareness and conversions as distinct objectives, Criteo’s solutions seek to unify both ends of the funnel.

“Quick commerce is where convenience meets intent. Partnering with Zepto allows us to bring brands closer to consumers when they are most ready to act and buy,” she adds. In other words, ads will not merely track consumer behaviour; they will proactively anticipate their needs.

Though there are no concrete plans as of yet, Criteo may expand collaborations with other quick commerce players as the segment gains momentum in India.

“Quick commerce is one of the key segments within retail. Currently, there are only four to five major players in the market, and we’re open to partnering with all of them as part of our long-term strategy,” says Zimmermann.

India among Criteo’s fastest-growing markets

Zimmermann highlights India’s increasing significance in Criteo’s global roadmap, as it is one of the company’s fastest-growing markets in the APAC region.

“The possibilities here are exciting, and we see tremendous potential as digital commerce continues to thrive,” she says.

Consumers are now shopping differently, moving seamlessly between discovery and purchase. They expect retailers to capture their intent and provide precise recommendations.

“For example, if you’re hosting a party, instead of searching for each item individually, retailers will help build a shopping list based on contextual clues,” she notes.

In these scenarios, advertising must adapt to become non-intrusive, relevant, and seamlessly integrated into the shopping journey. This is why Criteo is intensifying its focus on agentic commerce, which allows brands to maintain a presence at every stage of the consumer journey.

“Our goal is to help brands capture attention in that exact moment. Agentic commerce is the next big shift. With the power of AI, shopping will move beyond search-based discovery to intent-driven conversations. It is about understanding what the consumer wants even before they realise it themselves,” says Zimmermann.

Adding to this, Todd Parsons, chief product officer at Criteo, highlights how AI and automation are reshaping commerce globally.

“Consumers are no longer just searching; they’re conversing with technology to make purchase decisions. Over 180 million people are now using ChatGPT worldwide. That’s a behavioural shift marketers cannot ignore,” he says.

According to him, Criteo’s future strategy relies on leveraging agentic commerce—which involves using AI-powered signals and shopper intent data to deliver ads that feel less intrusive and more relevant. 

The retail media company is focusing on comprehensive retail strategies that help brands capture, convert, and retain customers effectively. By integrating on-site and off-site advertising, the company seeks to provide deduplicated measurement, enabling better tracking of return on investment (ROI).

“Brands don’t want to overinvest in just one channel. They’re carefully balancing upper-funnel awareness campaigns with lower-funnel conversions,” Zimmermann adds.
“Our deduplicated measurement ensures brands can clearly see where sales are coming from, avoiding double-counting between on-site and off-site campaigns.”

Retailers, she says, are equally enthusiastic about these strategies, as they help drive qualified traffic and improve budget efficiency.

Key global trends shaping commerce media

Zimmermann identifies three emerging trends shaping commerce media globally:

• Greater demand connectivity: Retailers are moving away from walled-garden ecosystems to build open, interconnected advertising networks.
• Full-funnel advertising: A shift from siloed strategies to integrated, end-to-end customer journeys.
• Modernised retail media transactions: Faster evolution of tools and technologies driving smarter, AI-powered commerce experiences.

Looking ahead, Criteo anticipates significant opportunities within India’s digitally driven economy. Although on-site advertising is expected to continue its growth, Zimmermann foresees a transition towards programmatic connectivity and the use of advanced tools to better integrate various retail platforms.

“India’s homegrown retail platforms are individually strong, but over time, we expect to see greater connectivity between platforms and ecosystems,” she says.

“It is an opportunity for Indian retailers to adopt consistent tools and unlock the full potential of commerce media.”