• DE&I Commitment
  • Careers
  • Locations
  • Book a Meeting
    Book a Meeting
  • Company
    Learn a little more about us, our values, and our team
    Our Values
    We don't just talk the talk; we live by our core values
    About Us
    Empowering brands to realize their potential with data, insights, and technology
    Leadership
    Meet our leadership team
    Secure Data Architecture
    Our promise of data security and privacy. We keep your data safe from publishers, competitors and bad actors
    Corporate Social Responsibility
    We are committed to making a positive impact on our communities and our planet
  • Platform
    Plan, manage, optimize, and measure your campaigns with our omnichannel platform
    Our Platform
    A platform that connects all walled garden media
    Connected Media
    Create and manage campaigns across search, social, retail media and apps, in one platform
    Connected Data
    Make data-driven decisions as you plan and strategize
    See the industries we serve
    Learn how our customizable solutions can help with your unique needs
    Explore our partner integrations
    See the media, retailer, and data partners we work with
  • Clients
  • News and Events
    Check out recent announcements and see what we’re up to
    News
    Check out our recent media coverage
    Events
    Join us for our next conference or webinar
    Roundtable discussion: Beyond Onsite
    Tackle the next phase of retail media over breakfast with Nectar360 and peers
    Retail Media for Grocery Webinar
    Join us to dig into trends and challenges shaping the industry in 2023
  • Resources
    From new releases, to industry trends and best practices, Skai has you covered
    Blog
    Read the latest insights and thought leadership from our industry experts
    Capabilities
    Take your campaigns to the next level by enhancing your platform capabilities
    Research
    Explore our reports and whitepapers so you can keep up on the latest industry trends
    Subscribe
    Sign up to get the latest updates straight to your inbox
    Quarterly Trends Report
    Learn digital advertising campaign performance trends from Q4 2022
Back to Blog

Instacart Ads: A Brief Guide

Skai™

March  09, 2022
instacart ads

Over the course of the pandemic, Instacart saw its business expand at an unprecedented rate, over 500% in the first year of the pandemic. But even before concerns around Covid-19 caused more shoppers than ever before to explore their delivery options, the online grocery market was slated to grow from 3-30% of total grocery retail by 2025, according to a report by FMI & Nielson published in February 2020. 

And even as more businesses are opening their doors, many shoppers still love the ease and convenience of delivery, coupled with Instacart’s wide-ranging relationships with retailers even beyond the grocery industry, such as Walmart, 7-Eleven, Sephora, Best Buy, Bed, Bath & Beyond, DICK’s Sporting Goods, among others. In fact, Instacart now offers more than 500 million products to 9.6 million active users, putting them in the same league as online shopping giants Walmart and Amazon. 

For brands who sell their products in any of the stores patronized by Instacart’s millions of shoppers, Instacart ads offer a unique opportunity to reach shoppers on a local level right as they’re browsing the platform’s virtual aisles. 

Here are a few tips for grabbing shoppers’ attention with Instacart ads: 

Here’s how Instacart ads work

Back in March 2020, Instacart launched a self-service advertising platform, allowing advertisers whose brands are featured in Instacart-serviced stores to offer featured products to customers as they grocery shop online. The advertising platform is fairly simple and features a dashboard where advertisers can create ads and view data around how campaigns are performing, along with tools to adjust campaigns based on that performance data. 

And while some Instacart ads are based on keyword bidding, much like similar ads at Google and Amazon, ads can also appear in any stage of the shopper journey, from browsing to searching or even after shoppers have made related purchases. 

There are 3 main types of Instacart ads to choose from. 

1) Instacart Featured Product Ads

Instacart featured products appear in shoppers’ searches based on keywords, much like similar ads at Amazon or Walmart. So if a shopper is looking for “low sodium chicken stock,” advertisers who won bids on those keywords, then created ads for the product will appear at the top of search results. Featured product Instacart ads are sold based on a cost-per-click (CPU) model with no minimum bid. And, of course, featured product ads aren’t sold for retailers that don’t carry the product. But because these ads are served based on geographic availability and stock levels, they can be an excellent way to reach local customers, especially for seasonal items. 

2) Instacart Non-Search Ads

Non-search Instacart ads appear elsewhere across shoppers’ experience, including the Instacart home page, different departments of a retailer’s page, the “Buy It Again” section, and even on competitors’ item pages. Instacart also offers the option to purchase a hero banner, which is placed above search results, much like a traditional banner ad. 

And while much of marketers’ focus is often centered around winning keyword bids, these display ad campaigns shouldn’t necessarily be dismissed as ineffective. In fact, according to a recent study out of Stanford, shoppers who encountered a display ad campaign, such as a hero banner, made 5-25% more campaign-related searches than shoppers who didn’t. 

3) Other options for Instacart ads

Instacart also offers options for building campaigns around specials and promotions. The platform gives brands the options to run coupons through Instacart itself. These coupons show up beneath search results for selected items and become invalid for 30 days following purchase. Advertisers who offer coupons through Instacart only pay for the coupons that get redeemed. 

Another way Instacart allows advertisers to offer savings to customers is through delivery promotions. Research shows that nearly a quarter of shoppers (24%) are willing to spend a bit more in order to qualify for free delivery. Instacart ad campaigns can offer free delivery to shoppers who spend a certain amount in order to encourage purchases.  

So which products should you promote via Instacart ads?

For those looking to buy featured product ads, Instacart offers a handy system for predicting the probability of winning a keyword bid. The real-time system highlights keywords advertisers have at least a 50% chance of winning in green, those with at least a 25% chance in yellow, and uses red for keywords advertisers have no chance of winning.

This system allows advertisers to play around with keywords that might be effective, focusing on top-selling items for starters and then branching out to items they’d like to promote, particularly seasonal or locally relevant products. Since there is a 1,000 keyword limit per ad group, constantly culling underperforming keywords and doubling down on successful endeavors is key for maintaining a robust, competitive Instacart ad strategy.

What’s your plan to take your Instacart Ads to the next level?

Because Instacart ads are still relatively new, the time is right for experimentation!

For more information on the ways Skai’s enterprise platform can help your brand reach its growth potential through Instacart ad campaigns, talk to an expert today.

Request a Demo

Related Posts

  • Brand logos for companies with retail media networks: target, gopuff, sephora, petsmart, petco, macys, wayfair, kmart, kroger.
    What Is a Retail Media Network and How Can It Help Your Brand?
    Read More
  • 2021 Publisher Holiday Trends: Instacart
    Read More
  • skai black friday amazon ads checklist fb
    The Skai Black Friday Amazon Ads Checklist 2021
    Read More
  • Gopuff ad that displays various household items, grocery items, and treats; daily essentials, delivered in minutes
    What Are Gopuff Ads? (Reach Consumers That Look For Convenience)
    Read More
  • Amazon sponsored ads on the laptop and smartphone show a customer searching for a kitchen mixer.
    How to Make Your Amazon Sponsored Products Ads Successful
    Read More
  • The Skai 5: Five Must-Knows for Instacart Advertising
    Read More
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share via Email
  • Copy Link
    Copied!

Subscribe to Updates

Media that matters.
Marketing that works.
© 2023 Kenshoo, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Recruitment Privacy Policy.
  • Connected Data
    • Market Intelligence
    • Our Approach
    • By Need
    • By Solution
  • Connected Strategy
    • Dynamic Marketing Mix
    • Budget Forecasting
    • Strategic Consulting
  • Connected Media
    • Overview
    • Retail Media
    • Paid Search
    • Paid Social
    • App Marketing
    • Auditing
    • Expert Services
  • Measurement
    • Incrementality
    • Experiments
    • Cross-Channel Attribution
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Glossary
    • Case Studies
    • Training & Enablement
    • Developer Hub
Privacy Preference

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential, while others help us to improve this website and your experience.

Privacy Preference

Save All

Save

Accept Only Essential Cookies

Manage Cookie Preferences

Cookie Details Privacy Policy Imprint

Privacy Preference

Here you will find an overview of all cookies used. You can give your consent to whole categories or display further information and select certain cookies.

Save All Save Accept Only Essential Cookies

Back

Privacy Preference

Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.

Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information

Name
Provider Owner of this website, Imprint
Purpose Saves the visitors preferences selected in the Cookie Box of Borlabs Cookie.
Host(s) .skai.io, skai.io
Cookie Name borlabs-cookie
Cookie Expiry 1 Year
Name
Provider Owner of this website
Purpose This cookie stores selections made by the user in the Accessibe tool in order to maintain those settings on future visits. These cookies help us make our website compliant with our obligations under US law.
Privacy Policy https://accessibe.com/privacy-policy
Cookie Name acsbState, acsbReset
Cookie Expiry n/a
Name
Provider Owner of this website
Host(s) skai.io
Cookie Name wordpress_sec_,wordpress_test_cookie,wp-postpass_*, wordpresspass_*, wordpressuser_*
Cookie Expiry Session / 1 Year

We use these cookies to enhance functionality and allow for personalisation, such as live chats, videos and the use of social media.

Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information

Accept
Name
Provider Owner of this website
Host(s) .chilipiper.com, skai.chilipiper.com
Cookie Name fs_uid, CHILI_PIPER_CLUSTER, guest-session, _sp_ses*, _sp_id*
Cookie Expiry Session / 2 Years
Accept
Name
Provider Owner of this website
Host(s) .comeet.co, www.comeet.co
Cookie Name visid_incap_, nlbi_#######, incap_ses_, referrer22_00a, incap_ses_1364_2167377
Cookie Expiry Session / 1 Year
Accept
Name
Provider Owner of this website
Host(s) skai.io
Cookie Name moduleFormPardotDownload
Cookie Expiry 30 days

Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website.

Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information

Accept
Name
Provider Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland
Purpose Cookie by Google used for website analytics. Generates statistical data on how the visitor uses the website.
Privacy Policy https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en
Cookie Name _ga,_ga_*,_gat,_gat_*,_gid
Cookie Expiry 2 Months
Accept
Name
Provider Hotjar Ltd., Dragonara Business Centre, 5th Floor, Dragonara Road, Paceville St Julian's STJ 3141 Malta
Purpose Hotjar is an user behavior analytic tool by Hotjar Ltd.. We use Hotjar to understand how users interact with our website.
Privacy Policy https://www.hotjar.com/legal/policies/privacy/
Host(s) *.hotjar.com
Cookie Name _hjClosedSurveyInvites, _hjDonePolls, _hjMinimizedPolls, _hjDoneTestersWidgets, _hjIncludedInSample, _hjShownFeedbackMessage, _hjid, _hjRecordingLastActivity, hjTLDTest, _hjUserAttributesHash, _hjCachedUserAttributes, _hjLocalStorageTest, _hjptid, _hjSessionUser_2229986, _hjIncludedInPageviewSample, _hjIncludedInSessionSample, _hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress, _hjFirstSeen
Cookie Expiry Session / 1 Year

Marketing cookies are used by third-party advertisers or publishers to display personalized ads. They do this by tracking visitors across websites.

Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information

Accept
Name
Provider Linkedin
Cookie Name lidc, li_gc, lang, AnalyticsSyncHistory, UserMatchHistory, li_sugr, bcookie, TDCPM, TDID, bscookie, ln_or
Cookie Expiry Session / 1 Year
Accept
Name
Provider Skai
Accept
Name
Provider 6sense
Cookie Name _gd_session, _an_uid, _gd_visitor, _gd_svisitor, 6suuid
Cookie Expiry Session / 400 Days
Accept
Name
Provider Pardot
Purpose Cookie name associated with services from marketing automation and lead generation platform Pardot. The visitor value is the visitor_id in your Pardot account. This cookie is set for visitors by the Pardot tracking code.
Host(s) .pardot.com, pi.pardot.com, skai.io
Cookie Name pardot, visitor_id*, lpv*
Cookie Expiry Session / 10 Years
Accept
Name
Provider Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland
Purpose Cookie by Google used for conversion tracking of Google Ads.
Privacy Policy https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en
Cookie Name IDE, 1P_JAR, NID, SOCS, CONSENT, AEC, _gcl_au, OTZ, test_cookie
Cookie Expiry Session / 400 Days
Accept
Name
Provider Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland
Purpose Cookie by Facebook used for website analytics, ad targeting, and ad measurement.
Privacy Policy https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies
Cookie Name _fbp,act,c_user,datr,fr,tr,m_pixel_ration,pl,presence,sb,spin,wd,xs
Cookie Expiry Session / 1 Year

Content from video platforms and social media platforms is blocked by default. If External Media cookies are accepted, access to those contents no longer requires manual consent.

Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information

Accept
Name
Provider Wistia
Host(s) .wistia.com
Cookie Name cb_anonymous_id, _sp_ses.2b40, _li_dcdm_c, __hssrc, _gcl_au, _clsk, hubspotutk, _sp_id.2b40, __hssc, __hstc, _uetsid, _uetvid, _gid, _ga, _ga_GQR109DZ3Y, _lc2, fpi, _ex-pricing-cta, _fbp, cb_group_id, cb_user_id, _clck
Cookie Expiry Session / 400 Days
Accept
Name
Provider Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland
Purpose Used to unblock Instagram content.
Privacy Policy https://www.instagram.com/legal/privacy/
Host(s) .instagram.com
Cookie Name pigeon_state
Cookie Expiry Session
Accept
Name
Provider Openstreetmap Foundation, St John’s Innovation Centre, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0WS, United Kingdom
Purpose Used to unblock OpenStreetMap content.
Privacy Policy https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Privacy_Policy
Host(s) .openstreetmap.org
Cookie Name _osm_location, _osm_session, _osm_totp_token, _osm_welcome, _pk_id., _pk_ref., _pk_ses., qos_token
Cookie Expiry 1-10 Years
Accept
Name
Provider Twitter International Company, One Cumberland Place, Fenian Street, Dublin 2, D02 AX07, Ireland
Purpose Used to unblock Twitter content.
Privacy Policy https://twitter.com/privacy
Host(s) .twimg.com, .twitter.com
Cookie Name __widgetsettings, local_storage_support_test
Cookie Expiry Unlimited
Accept
Name
Provider Vimeo Inc., 555 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011, USA
Purpose Used to unblock Vimeo content.
Privacy Policy https://vimeo.com/privacy
Host(s) player.vimeo.com
Cookie Name vuid
Cookie Expiry 2 Years
Accept
Name
Provider Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland
Purpose Used to unblock YouTube content.
Privacy Policy https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en&gl=en
Host(s) google.com
Cookie Name CONSENT
Cookie Expiry 6 Month

Borlabs Cookie powered by Borlabs Cookie

Privacy Policy Imprint