Massmart Retail Media Expands With Criteo

Massmart has partnered with Criteo to strengthen its retail media capabilities across South Africa, introducing sponsored product and onsite display advertising on its digital properties. The collaboration enables brands and marketplace sellers to reach shoppers with data-driven advertising throughout the purchase journey while positioning Massmart to capitalize on the rapid growth of retail media across Africa’s evolving eCommerce landscape.

Retail media continues to reshape digital advertising as retailers increasingly monetize their first-party data and digital storefronts. Massmart, a subsidiary of Walmart and one of Africa’s largest retail groups, is the latest major retailer to expand into this fast-growing advertising channel by selecting Criteo’s retail media platform to power its onsite advertising strategy.

The rollout introduces Sponsored Product Ads and Onsite Display Ads across Massmart’s digital properties, beginning with Makro.co.za, the retailer’s flagship eCommerce marketplace. These ad formats allow advertisers to promote products at high-intent shopping moments while providing shoppers with native, contextually relevant recommendations that integrate naturally into the online buying experience.

Unlike traditional digital advertising, retail media leverages retailers’ first-party commerce data to deliver highly targeted advertising directly where purchasing decisions occur. Brands can reach consumers based on shopping intent, browsing behavior, and purchase history, making retail media increasingly attractive as third-party cookies continue to disappear and privacy regulations reshape digital marketing.

Criteo will provide the technology infrastructure through its Commerce Yield retail media platform, giving advertisers a centralized environment for campaign management across Massmart’s website and mobile applications. The platform combines audience targeting, campaign optimization, analytics, and closed-loop measurement, allowing brands to directly connect advertising investment with product sales and return on ad spend (ROAS).

Sponsored Product Ads are designed to increase product visibility within search results and category pages, helping brands capture demand from consumers actively researching products. Onsite Display Ads complement this strategy by increasing brand awareness and promoting product discovery across multiple customer touchpoints throughout the shopping journey.

For Massmart, the partnership represents more than a new advertising product—it establishes an additional revenue stream while strengthening relationships with consumer brands and marketplace sellers. Retailers worldwide are increasingly viewing retail media as a high-margin business capable of generating incremental revenue beyond traditional merchandise sales.

The collaboration also reflects broader developments across the global retail media landscape. Companies including Amazon, Walmart, and Criteo have accelerated investments in commerce media platforms that combine retailer data with sophisticated advertising technology. As advertisers seek alternatives to cookie-based targeting, retail media networks have become an essential component of omnichannel marketing strategies.

Africa’s digital commerce sector presents a particularly significant opportunity. Growing internet penetration, expanding online shopping adoption, and increasing mobile commerce activity are encouraging retailers to invest in advertising infrastructure that connects brands with consumers closer to the point of purchase. South Africa remains one of the continent’s most mature eCommerce markets, making it a strategic location for retail media expansion.

Industry analysts expect retail media to remain one of digital advertising’s fastest-growing segments. According to eMarketer, retail media advertising continues to outpace growth across many other digital advertising channels as brands prioritize measurable commerce outcomes and access to high-quality first-party data. Forrester has also identified retail media as a strategic investment area for retailers seeking to diversify revenue while delivering personalized customer experiences.

Beyond monetization, retail media platforms are becoming increasingly dependent on artificial intelligence and machine learning. AI-powered optimization enables advertisers to automate bid management, personalize product recommendations, improve audience segmentation, and optimize campaign performance in real time. While the current announcement focuses primarily on onsite advertising capabilities, future enhancements across Massmart’s ecosystem could include more advanced AI-driven personalization and omnichannel measurement capabilities.

The partnership initially launches on Makro.co.za, but both companies indicated they are exploring opportunities to expand advertising placements across Massmart’s broader digital ecosystem. Such expansion could create a unified commerce media environment serving advertisers across multiple retail brands while providing consumers with more personalized shopping experiences.

As retail media networks become increasingly central to digital advertising strategies, collaborations between retailers and specialized AdTech providers are likely to accelerate. For advertisers, the ability to combine first-party retail data, measurable sales outcomes, and privacy-conscious targeting offers an increasingly valuable alternative to traditional display advertising. For retailers, retail media represents a long-term opportunity to transform digital commerce platforms into scalable advertising businesses while enhancing customer engagement through more relevant product discovery.

Top Insights

Massmart is expanding its retail media strategy by partnering with Criteo to introduce Sponsored Product Ads and Onsite Display Ads across its digital commerce properties.
Criteo’s Commerce Yield platform enables advertisers to manage campaigns using first-party commerce data, audience targeting, and closed-loop performance measurement.
The partnership strengthens South Africa’s growing retail media ecosystem while creating new advertising revenue opportunities for retailers and marketplace sellers.
Retail media allows brands to engage shoppers at key purchasing moments, improving campaign effectiveness through privacy-friendly first-party data strategies.
The collaboration reflects increasing investment in commerce media infrastructure as retailers compete with global retail media leaders and diversify digital revenue streams.

FAQ

What did Massmart announce?

Massmart partnered with Criteo to launch retail media advertising solutions across its digital properties, beginning with Makro.co.za.

What is Criteo Commerce Yield?

Commerce Yield is Criteo’s retail media platform that enables retailers to manage sponsored advertising, audience targeting, campaign optimization, and performance measurement.

How do Sponsored Product Ads work?

Sponsored Product Ads promote products within shopping results and category pages, helping brands increase visibility when shoppers are actively considering purchases.

Why is retail media important for advertisers?

Retail media provides access to retailers’ first-party commerce data, allowing brands to deliver highly targeted advertising with measurable sales outcomes.