top of page

ChatGPT Ads in South Africa: How Criteo Helps Brands Reach Shoppers

Writer: 365 Digital
365 Digital
2 days ago
3 min read
Reach shoppers while they compare options inside ChatGPT, using Criteo’s commerce data. 365 Digital is Criteo’s exclusive partner in South Africa.

ChatGPT Ads are live in South Africa.

Here’s how Criteo fits in.


On 21 October 2026, OpenAI switched on ChatGPT Ads in South Africa as part of a 26-country expansion that takes the platform to 89 markets (Securities.io). For South African brands, that opens a new place to reach shoppers: inside the conversation where they ask for advice, compare options and decide what to buy.

Criteo, OpenAI's first advertising technology partner, gives brands a way into that environment built on commerce data, not keywords alone. Here is how the two fit together, and what it means for brands in South Africa.


ChatGPT Ads South Africa, How it works?


Ads appear only for people on ChatGPT's Free and Go plans; Plus, Pro and Enterprise stay ad-free (Securities.io, citing OpenAI).


ChatGPT Ads in South Africa_365 Digital & Criteo

  • Placement: a sponsored unit shown with ChatGPT's answer, clearly labelled and visually separate from it (Campaign Middle East).


  • Relevance: ads match the conversation as people describe what they need, ask follow-ups and narrow their options. OpenAI's example: a runner planning race-week meals sees an ad for grocery delivery.


  • Independence: OpenAI states that ads do not influence ChatGPT's answers.


  • Privacy: conversations stay private from advertisers and user data is not sold. Users can switch off ad personalisation, clear ad data, or move to an ad-free plan.


  • Safeguards: OpenAI has said ads will not show to users stated or predicted to be under 18, or next to sensitive topics such as health, mental health and politics.


  • Buying: advertisers in the new markets buy through technology partners like 365 Digital. 



What Criteo adds on top of the ChatGPT placement:


  • Commerce Audiences in ChatGPT Ads. Segments built from what shoppers actually search, view and buy across 17,000+ e-commerce sites and 200+ retailers, refreshed every 12 hours (Criteo). Brands decide who sees the ad, not only where it appears.


  • Prompt Smart Ads. Combines a brand's product catalogue with commerce data and the context of the prompt to generate ad copy matched to the shopper's question. In early tests, campaigns using it spent about 4x more after activation, a sign of stronger delivery.


  • Criteo GO. Self-service access to ChatGPT Ads for small and mid-sized businesses.


  • One workflow. ChatGPT activity runs in the same platform as a brand's other Criteo campaigns, so planning and reporting sit in one place.



ChatGPT Ads in South Africa_365 Digital & Criteo

What this means for South African brands


The clearest use is reaching new shoppers while they are still deciding. Pairing ChatGPT's conversational intent with Criteo's commerce data lets brands:



  • Reach high-value and seasonal shoppers, timed for Black Friday on 27 November and the festive season that follows.


  • Exclude people who already buy from you, so budget goes to new prospects.


  • Reach shoppers weighing up their next purchase in your category.


"more than 80% of ad-driven ChatGPT traffic comes from shoppers new to the brand"

Early results from Criteo's international markets point the same way. Click-through rates run two to three times higher than comparable formats elsewhere, and more than 80% of ad-driven ChatGPT traffic comes from shoppers new to the brand (Criteo). In the US, visitors referred from AI assistants converted at about 1.5 times the rate of other referral channels. Apparel, home furnishings, consumer electronics, automotive and beauty lead adoption so far.


These are global figures from a young channel. South African benchmarks will take time to build, which is why a structured test, with clear success measures set up front, is the sensible first step.



Getting started with 365 Digital


365 Digital is Criteo's exclusive partner in South Africa. We help brands plan, activate and measure ChatGPT Ads alongside their wider Criteo campaigns, from audience strategy and catalogue set-up to reporting.


Curious what ChatGPT Ads could do for your brand? Contact our team.


Download our Guide on how this works



Sources

Comments

bottom of page