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Criteo retail media

Criteo Commerce Max: Retail Media Management

Criteo Commerce Max is a self-serve retail media DSP. A brand whose products are sold on other retailers' sites can buy sponsored products in the retailer's search results, display and video on its pages, and offsite open web ads powered by the retailer's customer data. Sales are measured at SKU level from the retailer's own checkout. We recommend Commerce Max only when the retailers that sell your products are in Criteo's network.

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Illustrative view: illustrative view of a sponsored product on a retail site.
Purpose and appearance

What do we use this format for?

We use Commerce Max to help brands sold through retailers stand out on retailer search and category pages, and to reach category shoppers offsite with retailer data. Our aim is to measure sales at SKU level and steer budget toward the most profitable products. If suitable retailers aren't in the network, we don't recommend this model and turn to marketplace ads instead.

Funnel stages it serves

  1. Awareness
  2. Consideration
  3. Conversion
  4. Loyalty

How retail media differs from advertising your own site

On Criteo's Commerce Growth side, the sale happens on your site and is measured with OneTag. In Commerce Max, the sale happens on the retailer's site or in its store; targeting and measurement come from the retailer's own customer data. So you don't need OneTag or your own product feed, but your products need to be correctly listed at the retailer, in stock and competitively priced. Promoting a product with a weak page through sponsored products burns budget fast.

Criteo states that Commerce Max provides access to more than 200 retailers worldwide from a single dashboard. Which retailers in your market are part of this network varies by project. That's why in the first meeting we discuss the retailer list before the ad budget; a plan built for a retailer outside the network, however good, can't go live and wastes the team's time.

Onsite sponsored products and display vs. offsite retail media

Sponsored product ads appear in the retailer's search results and category pages, among organic products. They are bought per click in a first-price auction, and the image comes directly from the product listing at the retailer. We put this format first because it sits at the moment closest to purchase.

Onsite display and video run on CPM and suit launches and category visibility. Offsite campaigns target audiences on the open web using the retailer's shopping data; this is how you reach people who looked at your category at the retailer but didn't buy. We usually put budget into sponsored products first and shift it offsite as data accumulates.

Commerce Max for brands in Türkiye and Turkish exporters

In Türkiye, most marketplace sales happen on a handful of large marketplaces, and each sells its ad products in its own dashboard. We couldn't find Turkish retailers covered by Commerce Max on a verified public list. So for every project, we first list the retailers that sell the brand and confirm with Criteo which of them can be reached through Commerce Max.

Commerce Max can show its real value for Turkish manufacturers selling abroad: a brand whose products are sold in European chains can manage inventory across several retailers from a single dashboard. For these brands we tie budget allocation by country and retailer to the marketing plan and decide which SKU to push at which chain based on stock and pricing in that country. The points we check before setup are:

  • A breakdown of the retailers where the brand's products are listed
  • Whether these retailers are available on Commerce Max
  • Whether the retailer allows offsite use of its data
  • Whether reporting provides new-to-brand buyers and an SKU breakdown

Retail media measurement: reading Commerce Max reports

Commerce Max reports show sales at SKU level, new-to-brand buyers and revenue per user. Closed-loop measurement is a strong advantage, because sales come from the retailer's checkout. Even so, part of the sales in the report are organic sales that would have happened without ads. We read the new-to-brand rate together with total product sales compared against a period without ads. If Amazon DSP or marketplace ads are also running for the same product, we bring the reports together in a single table in Data Studio.

Commerce Max (Retail Media): when do we recommend it?

We recommend it

  • FMCG, cosmetics and electronics brands whose products are sold by several retailers
  • Turkish manufacturers stocked in chains abroad that want to grow sales there
  • Brands wanting to reach category shoppers offsite with retailer data
  • Teams that want to see sales at SKU level and allocate budget by product

We don't recommend it

  • Brands selling only through their own site; Commerce Growth is the right fit for them
  • Brands whose retailers aren't on Commerce Max
  • Products with weak product pages, reviews or stock at the retailer

How we manage Commerce Max (Retail Media)

  1. Retailer mapWe map the retailers that sell your products and their availability on Commerce Max.
  2. Product page checkWe review images, reviews, price and stock for the SKUs going into sponsored products.
  3. Onsite setupWe split sponsored product campaigns by category and product group and set CPC bids.
  4. Offsite expansionOnce enough data has built up, we launch open web display and video campaigns with retailer audiences.
  5. SKU reportWe review sales, new-to-brand buyers and ad spend by product every week.

Commerce Max (Retail Media): metrics and requirements

Metrics we track

  • ROAS by SKU
  • New-to-brand rate
  • Sponsored product CPC
  • Revenue per user
  • Share of sales by retailer

What you need to get started

  • A list of the retailers that sell your products
  • Complete, in-stock product pages at the retailer
  • Priority SKUs and profit margin information
  • A decision on budget allocation by retailer

Official sources

The Brand Move Criteo Team

To learn more about Commerce Max (Retail Media) or other Criteo ad formats, contact The Brand Move Criteo team today.

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Frequently asked questions

Commerce Max (Retail Media): frequently asked questions

What is Criteo Commerce Max?

Commerce Max is Criteo's self-serve DSP for retail media. From one dashboard, brands buy sponsored products and display on retailer sites, plus offsite ads powered by retailer data, with sales measured at SKU level from the retailer's checkout. Criteo states that it gives access to more than 200 retailers worldwide.

Do we need our own product feed or OneTag?

No. In Commerce Max the sale happens at the retailer, so targeting and measurement come from the retailer's data. What matters is that your products are correctly listed at the retailer, in stock and competitively priced.

Will we use Commerce Max on a self-serve basis?

Commerce Max was designed as self-serve, and Criteo also offers a managed service. We open the dashboard in the brand's account and manage the campaigns ourselves, working with the Criteo team on retailer-specific rules or inventory questions.

How do you set sponsored product bids?

Because it's a first-price auction, you pay what you bid when you win. We calculate the starting bid from the product's profit margin and target cost per sale, then adjust it by product based on impression share over the first two weeks.

Do we need Commerce Max if we already run marketplace ads?

A marketplace's own ads run only on that marketplace. Commerce Max reaches several retailers in the network from one dashboard. If the places you sell in Türkiye aren't in the network, marketplace ads may be the better choice.

Let's run a first Commerce Max (Retail Media) review together.

In a free call we review your audience, inventory needs and measurement setup, then tell you in writing which platform makes sense to start with.

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