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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.
The job market continues to hum.
The labor market continued to show strength to start 2023, as the monthly jobs report posted big numbers.
Key data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly jobs report:
The Current’s view: The labor market continues to be an economic outlier. While there are signs of consumer pullback and belt-tightening among tech companies and retailers after months of high inflation, the job picture remains bright. While tech companies and some retailers are cutting back markedly, there are few signs of the widespread “pain” that economists predicted in this indicator of the economy.
What brands and retailers are thinking: Jobs are a major indicator of demand, and the labor market continues to hum along. That means the consumer pullback is tied to choices about discretionary spending and holding off on certain purchases in the face of high prices, moreso than being unable to afford items altogether.
What the Fed is thinking: Here’s more evidence that a soft landing might be possible. The Fed has been raising interest rates to bring down inflation. There is risk that this will slow down the economy, including employment. There was some slowing in job growth in December, but this report indicates labor market softening still hasn’t happened for a sustained period, even as inflation is cooling. After the central bank scaled back its latest interest rate hike to 0.25% on Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he sees a “path” to bringing down inflation without a significant rise in unemployment. Here’s one more piece of data to bolster that belief.
Keep in mind: The labor market is still out of balance between supply and demand. This report shows a big rise in jobs and the labor force participation rate remaining the same. Job openings actually increased in December, the Labor Department found. So there a still the case. Eventually, it will likely have to come into balance. But given the unpredictability of this economic era, it’s tough to know when, or even how.