THG Commerce Brings Criteo Sponsored Products to AI Shopping Assistant

THG Commerce today announced that it has integrated Criteo Sponsored Products into its AI Shopping Assistant, built using Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise. THG Commerce is the first commerce technology provider in Europe to bring Criteo Sponsored Products into AI-powered conversational search, opening up a new retail media opportunity for retailers and brands.

Retailers can now monetise customer conversations through relevant sponsored product placements. The integration places sponsored and organic product recommendations side by side within the same conversation. Brands can reach shoppers in AI-driven discovery moments, when intent is high and recommendations are shaped by the shopper's own words.

Early results show sponsored products surfaced through the AI Shopping Assistant reached a click-through rate more than five times the average, and a conversion rate more than double the average*.

The way customers discover products is changing. More shoppers are starting their journeys by describing what they need rather than typing out a keyword: building a post-workout nutrition routine, finding a gift for a particular occasion, or comparing products before they choose. AI shopping assistants are already generating this kind of high-intent traffic for retailers, but until now much of it has not been monetised through retail media.

The AI Shopping Assistant draws keywords and filters from each conversation and turns them into tailored product recommendations. When a Criteo Sponsored Product is eligible and relevant, it appears clearly labelled within the assistant's response alongside organic recommendations, adding to the discovery experience rather than interrupting it. The same relevance models that power Criteo search advertising, including keyword matching, semantic understanding and strict relevance thresholds, apply in the conversational context. Sponsored recommendations appear only when they match what the shopper has asked for.

The integration builds on THG Ingenuity’s broader strategic partnership with Criteo and on its wider collaboration with Google Cloud. THG Commerce has developed a suite of agentic commerce solutions built on Gemini Enterprise. Alongside the AI Shopping Assistant, these include the AI Stylist, which offers AI-powered virtual try-on for beauty, apparel and footwear, and Shopping Assistant Insights, which is available in  Gemini Enterprise and helps retailers understand what their shoppers want and how the assistant is serving them. Each is delivered as a plug-and-play SaaS service, available through Google Cloud Marketplace and able to operate independently of the underlying storefront.

Darren Rajanah, Chief Revenue Officer, THG Ingenuity, said: “More and more, customers start their shopping journey with a conversation, describing what they need, the occasion they're shopping for or the problem they want to solve. That is some of the highest-intent traffic a retailer can have, and until now it has largely sat outside retail media. By bringing Criteo Sponsored Products into our AI Shopping Assistant, we're helping retailers monetise those moments using the infrastructure they already have, while making sure every sponsored recommendation is relevant to what the shopper asked for. As with all our AI capabilities, this works as a standalone service that can integrate with any commerce platform.”

Andy Stephen, Managing Director Retail Media UK, Criteo, said: “Shopping discovery is moving beyond the search box, and retail media needs to evolve with it. By bringing Criteo Sponsored Products into THG Commerce’s AI Shopping Assistant, brands can engage shoppers in high-intent moments with relevant, clearly labelled recommendations, while retailers retain control of the experience. This integration extends the value of Criteo Sponsored Products into conversational shopping and creates a new opportunity for retailers to monetise AI-led product discovery.”

Maureen Costello, vice president of UK, Ireland, and Sub-Saharan Africa at Google Cloud said: “Conversational AI is transforming how consumers discover and buy products online. Built on Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise, THG Commerce’s AI Shopping Assistant is setting a new benchmark for agentic retail. By combining our advanced AI capabilities with Criteo’s retail media expertise, THG Commerce is enabling retailers to turn natural shopping conversations into high-converting, monetisable discovery moments.”