Criteo vs Walmart Connect

German consumers prefer AI advice over AI advertising

A new study by Criteo, based on commerce data from hundreds of CPG brands and a survey of over 6,300 consumers across six markets, reveals that ChatGPT is increasingly driving traffic to product pages, with its share of entries averaging 60% higher than traditional search engines from January to July. In July, 86% of these clients recorded at least one transaction mediated by ChatGPT. However, German consumers are hesitant about automated reordering, with 39% rejecting AI assistants for this task, compared to a 32% average across markets. A separate survey by Censuswide for Verve among 2,000 German adults found that about two-thirds are open to purchasing based on AI chatbot recommendations, especially for travel, food, and fashion. Yet, reactions to AI-generated ads are polarized: 35% lose trust in the brand, while about 19% view such ads more positively. Younger consumers (18-24) are more critical, with 45% losing trust, but 30% responding positively.

• Criteo's CPG Pulse 2026 found that ChatGPT's share of product page entries averaged 60% higher than traditional search engines from January to July.
• In July, 86% of Criteo's CPG clients recorded at least one transaction mediated by ChatGPT.
• 39% of German consumers would not allow an AI assistant to automatically reorder everyday products, exceeding the 32% average across six markets.

Criteo SSP Recognized by Frost & Sullivan for Commerce Media Innovation

Criteo's SSP has been recognized by Frost & Sullivan for innovation in commerce media, as announced in a new press release dated October 5, 2026.

OpenAI's Path to $25B Ad Revenue: Five Key Hurdles

OpenAI's advertising business, launched seven months ago, is reportedly achieving a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate, with projections of $25 billion in ad revenue by end of this year and $100 billion by 2030. However, advertisers cite significant barriers to scaling spend beyond test budgets. Key challenges include inadequate measurement and attribution, rigid contract terms causing data and liability concerns, insufficient inventory, and the need to expand the advertiser base to include SMBs via integrations like Shopify. To support this growth, OpenAI is partnering with ad tech firms like Criteo and Kargo to broaden reach. Infrastructure development is also critical to meet demand. Industry observers note that OpenAI must address these issues to compete with established platforms like Google and Meta, especially given rising AI safety and privacy concerns.

• OpenAI's ad business has reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate seven months after launch.
• OpenAI projects $25 billion in ad revenue by end of this year and $100 billion by 2030.
• Advertisers report insufficient inventory to spend committed budgets.

Walmart outlines plan to dominate TV advertising

Walmart is aggressively expanding its retail media ambitions into TV advertising. The retailer, which acquired Vizio for $2.3 billion two years ago, is now building a streaming ecosystem that includes the recent acquisition of adtech firm Vibe.co for $1.4 billion. Walmart Connect, the retailer's ad business, is pitching itself to non-endemic advertisers, leveraging Vizio's smart TV OS and Vibe.co's performance-focused streaming platform. New partnerships with Skydance and Spotify aim to extend reach, and the Yahoo DSP integration is moving to alpha. Walmart's U.S. ad business grew 38% YoY in Q2, and the company is positioning its first-party commerce data as the key differentiator for TV ad targeting and measurement, even for brands that don't sell at Walmart.

• Walmart acquired Vizio for $2.3 billion two years ago to build a streaming ecosystem.
• In August, Walmart acquired adtech firm Vibe.co for a reported $1.4 billion.
• Walmart Connect is pitching non-endemic advertisers, with new partnerships with Skydance and Spotify.

Walmart Connect Expands to Linear TV with WBD

Walmart Connect announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring its shopper data to linear TV, enabling addressable advertising on channels like TBS and Food Network through Walmart DSP. The deal uses a private marketplace powered by FreeWheel, offering closed-loop sales measurement. Separately, Zeta Global agreed to acquire Digital Audience, a data infrastructure firm, to enhance its identity and activation capabilities across channels. Ofcom has opened an investigation into Meta over its Instagram Instants feature, examining whether risk assessments were conducted before launch, with potential fines if breaches are found.

• Walmart Connect partners with Warner Bros. Discovery for linear TV addressable advertising.
• The deal runs via a private marketplace in Walmart DSP, powered by FreeWheel.
• Zeta Global agrees to acquire Digital Audience for undisclosed terms.

Quartile Becomes Technology Partner for ChatGPT Advertising

Quartile, a retail media optimization platform, announced it has become a technology partner supporting advertising in ChatGPT. This partnership enables participating advertisers to access ChatGPT Ads through Quartile's existing tools and workflows, expanding its AI-powered advertising capabilities into conversational discovery. ChatGPT, with over 1 billion weekly active users, is increasingly used by consumers for product discovery and purchase decisions. The integration allows brands to incorporate advertising in ChatGPT into their broader media strategies, leveraging Quartile's technology and expertise. Quartile emphasizes its 'experts + AI' approach, combining AI-driven scale and speed with strategic human judgment. The company supports thousands of brands and manages billions in annual ad spend across major commerce and digital advertising channels.

• Quartile announced a technology partnership supporting advertising in ChatGPT.
• ChatGPT has more than 1 billion weekly active users.
• The partnership enables advertisers to access ChatGPT Ads through Quartile's tools.