Marketing
26 May 2022
Instacart rolls out shoppable ads
Video and "pop-up shop" ads are being piloted by CPG brands ahead of general release.

Click video to buy. (Photo courtesy of Instacart)
Video and "pop-up shop" ads are being piloted by CPG brands ahead of general release.
Click video to buy. (Photo courtesy of Instacart)
Instacart is making ads more shoppable.
On Thursday, the grocery ecommerce platform is launching a pair of new advertising offerings for CPG brands. They include:
This move that signals Instacart is seeking to enhance its advertising offerings with the kinds of click-to-buy capabilities that are growing on social media platforms and streaming TV. Earlier this year, it launched shoppable recipes that can be used by creators. These new ads bring the direct-to-cart capabilities to its own marketplace, where ads exist alongside the product listings that customers browse as they order items for grocery delivery from nearby stores.
In a grocery store, end caps, and store entrance product displays are the tried-and-true promotional tools brands use to stand out in the aisle. Instacart's platform shows that digital grocery shopping is remaking this experience with product curation, video and targeting capabilities.
"Advertisers choose Instacart because we've built a platform with high-intent consumers, unparalleled scale of retailers, and closed-looped measurement, all of which drives meaningful results for our brand partners," said Ali Miller, Vice President of Ads Product at Instacart, in a statement. "We designed our new shoppable ad products to create more brand storytelling opportunities for CPGs, help them inspire and reach new and existing consumers, and ultimately drive sales in a singular unit.”
Miller said that the ads are also proving to resonate with shoppers, bringing “more discovery and inspiration to the online shopping experience.”
The new ad offerings come as Instacart is preparing for an initial public offering, bringing its shares to a public stock exchange. In a move that was widely speculated over for months, the company filed confidentially for the IPO earlier this month. This, in turn, came about a month after Instacart cut its valuation by about 40%, to $24 billion.
Advertising is key to Instacart’s future growth, company leaders have said. At ShopTalk earlier this year, CEO Fidji Simo said that, in the long-term, she sees the company making a profit on ads, while essentially breaking even on delivery.
Following that talk, advertising was prominent in the launch of a suite of tech offerings called Instacart Platform, as the company rolled out capabilities to stand up ad services on grocers' websites. With the new shoppable ads, the company is upgrading what it can offer the brands who sell at grocery stores on its own platform.
With the launch, Instacart is touting pilot work on the new ads with brands that are familiar on grocery store shelves, such as Dove, Oreo and Ritz owner Mondelēz International, PepsiCo and S.Pellegrino. In all, it said 40 CPG brands piloted the new display ads.
"Partnering with Instacart helps us stay ahead of the curve when it comes to inspiring and engaging consumers along their shopping journey," said Emily Frankel, SVP of eCommerce Marketing head at PepsiCo, which has multiple brands in the pilot. “Shoppable display has proven to be an effective way to drive first-time purchase of our products via the Instacart platform, and while we're just getting started with shoppable video, we look forward to continuing our work to give consumers a compelling omnichannel experience."
These ads follow moves earlier this year to launch dedicated brand pages on the Instacart platform where CPG brands could offer a curated selection of products, and auction-based ads. It also expanded existing sponsored product offerings to Canada. The company said it offers self-service and managed ad services for more than 5,000 CPG brands.
On the Move has the latest hiring update from The Vitamin Shoppe and At Home.
Heidi O’Neill has a new role at Nike. (Courtesy photo)
This week, Unilever, Nike and BigCommerce are seeing major transitions in the executive ranks. Meanwhile, The Vitamin Shoppe named a permanent CEO, and At Home brought on a longtime Walmart executive as president.
Conny Braams. (Courtesy photo)
Consumer goods giant Unilever announced key changes in top leadership roles. These include:
Graeme Pitkethly will retire as chief financial officer, effective at the end of May 2024. The board is set to launch a formal search for his successor. Pitkethly has been with Unilever for 21 years.
Conny Braams, who serves as chief digital and commercial officer, will leave the company, effective August 2023. Braams previously held senior management roles including Executive Vice President (EVP) of Middle Europe; and EVP Foodsolutions Asia, Africa and Middle East.
Craig Williams. (Courtesy photo)
Nike, Inc. announced several key leadership changes focused on consumer-led growth and marketplace. They are as follows:
Heidi O’Neill who is currently president of consumer and marketplace, will become president of consumer, product and brand.
Craig Williams, who is currently president of the Jordan Brand, will become president of geographies and marketplace at Nike, Inc.
Matthew Friend, EVP and Chief Financial Officer at NIKE, Inc., will expand responsibilities to include procurement, global places and services and demand and supply management.
Jared Carver will serve as CEO of Converse. Over the last four years, he served as VP/GM of North America for Converse.
Scott Uzzell, the previous CEO of Converse, transitioned to a new role as VP/GM, North America for Nike, Inc.
“These shifts will allow us to streamline our focus across product, brand storytelling and marketplace, mining deep consumer insights to deliver breakthrough innovation and engagement, while building long-term growth and profitability,” said Nike CEO John Donahoe, in a statement.
Lee Wright. (Courtesy photo)
Lee A. Wright was named CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe on a permanent basis, after serving as interim CEO since January 2023. Wright previously served as Chief Commercial Officer of Franchise Group and in executive roles at Conn’s.
Muriel Gonzalez was promoted to president of the retailer, after serving as EVP and chief merchandising and marketing officer of The Vitamin Shoppe since August 2020.
BigCommerce announced the following leadership roles:
Daniel Lentz was promoted to chief financial officer of BigCommerce, effective July 1. He previously served as SVP of finance and investor relations. Lentz will succeed CFO Robert Alvarez, who is retiring after a 12-year stint as CFO.
Chuck Cassidy was promoted to general counsel, effective June 2. Cassidy previously served as VP and associate general counsel. He will succeed Jeff Mengoli, who is retiring.
Hubert Ban was named chief accounting officer. He will replace Vice President of Accounting and Principal Accounting Officer Thomas Aylor, who departed the ecommerce platform on May 19.
Jeff Evans. (Courtesy photo)
Jeff Evans was named president and chief merchandising officer of At Home, the home goods retailer.
Evans previously served as EVP of entertainment, toys and seasonal at Walmart, managing the largest general merchandise business for the retailer. He rose to the position after serving in executive roles at Walmart US and Sam’s Club.