No, it isn't an ad any more than a cactus is an automobole. It's a link which takes you to those things if you should so choose - imagine that, a link titled "Shopping" that will show you things that you might wish to buy, and someone else will certainly sell you. It's a tool for people who are looking for goods to purchase online.
There's a lot of reasons to criticize online advertising, this IMHO is not one of them.
There's a lot of reasons to criticize online advertising, this IMHO is not one of them.