Instacart Shoppable Video Ads: Combining Storytelling With Conversion

As retail media networks evolve and mature, brands have more options than ever to engage consumers throughout their shopping journey. What started as a primarily search-driven ad environment has become a rich, diverse ecosystem of advertising formats designed to meet consumers at different stages of intent. Among these advancements is the rise of video ads, a format that tells compelling stories and directly drives conversions.

Instacart’s shoppable video ads exemplify this evolution, blending rich video storytelling with actionable e-commerce functionality. With seamless add-to-cart options embedded directly in videos, brands can inspire larger basket sizes while giving consumers an easy path from discovery to purchase. 90% of marketers report strong ROI from video marketing, and 87% say video has directly increased their sales.

This ad format captures the essence of modern retail media, where engaging content meets convenience. Video marketing is a powerful driver of consumer behavior, with 82% of people convinced to buy a product after watching a video , and 77% of people report downloading an app after watching a video. Instacart’s shoppable video ads tap into this potential by turning engagement into purchases, helping brands maximize their presence and impact on Instacart – the leading grocery technology company in North America .

Now, let’s explore the key features, metrics, and best practices for making the most of Instacart’s shoppable video ads.

How Instacart’s shoppable video ads work

Instacart’s shoppable video ads seamlessly combine the power of video storytelling with direct ecommerce functionality, offering a unique opportunity for brands to engage consumers at various points in their shopping journey.

These ads can inspire bigger baskets and: 

• Allow consumers to engage with and instantly shop your ad
• Build emotional connections with consumers
• Maximize creativity with our most powerful storytelling ad format

Here’s a breakdown of how they function and the key features that make them stand out:

Engaging storytelling meets actionable shopping

Shoppable video ads allow brands to showcase their products in an engaging, dynamic format while offering consumers the ability to add items directly to their carts within the video. This seamless integration of content and commerce drives both brand affinity and immediate action. Instead of simply watching a promotional video, consumers are now just one click away from purchasing the featured products. 82% of people report being convinced to buy a product or service after watching a video.

Interactive add-to-cart feature

The most defining feature of Instacart’s shoppable video ads is the add-to-cart functionality. Advertisers can pin up to 20 products, but consumers can add up to five products (three on mobile) directly from the video, reducing friction between discovery and conversion. This leads to larger baskets and encourages multiple purchases in a single transaction, providing brands with immediate ROI.

Self-service and auction-based model

Instacart’s shoppable video ads operate on a first-price auction system with a $15 CPM floor, meaning advertisers pay only for viewable impressions. This cost-effective structure allows brands of various sizes to participate while ensuring visibility in high-traffic, high-intent areas like search results.

Targeting and customization

Instacart offers advanced behavioral targeting options, allowing advertisers to focus on specific customer segments based on purchasing behaviors, prior interactions, or brand loyalty. The platform also supports keyword targeting, enabling brands to place their videos in front of users who are actively searching for related products, ensuring high-intent engagement.

Comprehensive reporting metrics

Shoppable video ads come with detailed reporting capabilities. Advertisers can track a range of performance metrics, including impressions, clicks, view-through rate (VTR), and direct sales. They also provide insights into new-to-brand and halo sales, allowing brands to measure the broader impact of their video ads. Additionally, landing page metrics such as page views, item detail views, and add-to-carts give a full picture of how consumers interact with the content post-click.

By combining compelling visuals with direct conversion opportunities, Instacart’s shoppable video ads provide brands with a powerful tool to engage shoppers and drive significant results, positioning them to thrive in the rapidly expanding retail media landscape.

Best practices for creating successful shoppable video ads

Creating a successful program requires creativity, strategy, and technical execution. Instacart Ads offers certification in its ads academy around Shoppable Display and Video if you want to really to become an expert in these ads.

And to get the most out of Instacart’s shoppable video ads, brands should follow these best practices to ensure their content is both engaging and optimized for conversion:

• Keep videos short and engaging. Shorter videos (30-60 seconds) are most effective for capturing attention and driving conversions. 39% of marketers say this format yields the best ROI.
• Focus on the first few seconds. Viewers are most likely to decide whether to continue watching within the first few seconds of a video. Grabbing attention early with dynamic visuals or an engaging headline is critical to success.
• Incorporate product demonstrations. Product demonstrations build an emotional connection and can lead to immediate purchases. By showcasing key product features in action, you guide consumers toward adding the items to their cart.
• Use clear calls-to-action (CTAs). Strong, straightforward CTAs like “Add to Cart” or “Shop Now” encourage immediate interaction. A clear CTA directs viewers to take action quickly, turning interest into purchases.
• Optimize for mobile. A significant portion of video content is consumed on mobile devices. Ensuring your ads are mobile-friendly with bold, easy-to-read text and fast load times provides a seamless experience, which is vital for reaching your audience where they are most active.
• Leverage behavioral and keyword targeting. Instacart’s advanced targeting tools help place your video ads in front of high-intent shoppers by focusing on their behaviors and search terms. This ensures your message reaches the most relevant audience segments, driving more conversions.

How Skai can help

Skai’s Retail Media solution empowers brands to optimize their Instacart shoppable video ads and other retail media efforts. By providing a comprehensive set of tools and insights, Skai helps brands drive stronger performance and streamline their campaigns across platforms.

Skai offers an omnichannel platform that allows brands to manage their Instacart shoppable video ads alongside campaigns across 100+ retail media networks. This single interface streamlines ad operations, enabling seamless performance optimization across retail media formats like search, video, and display ads but also other key commerce channels such as paid search and social advertising.

With advanced targeting and optimization, Skai’s AI-driven tools provide real-time insights and recommendations. These tools help brands fine-tune their targeting, bidding strategies, and creative assets specifically for Instacart shoppable video ads, ensuring they reach the most relevant audience and drive maximum conversions.

Skai provides comprehensive analytics, offering detailed reporting metrics like ROAS, view-through rate, and new-to-brand sales for Instacart shoppable video ads. This allows brands to track ad performance in real time and make data-driven decisions to optimize future campaigns.

Through automation for efficiency, Skai automates key aspects of campaign management, including budget pacing and optimization for Instacart shoppable video ads. This allows brands to focus on strategy while ensuring campaigns perform consistently well with minimal manual intervention.

These are just a few of the benefits of Skai for retail media marketers. Talk to our team to see a demo of our omnichannel platform. 

Drive more conversions with a data-driven video ad strategy

As you integrate video ads into your retail media strategy, remember that optimization is a continuous process. While it’s crucial to start with best practices like short video length and strong calls to action, the real key to long-term success is experimenting and iterating. Test different elements such as video content, product placement, and targeting strategies. By frequently analyzing performance metrics and refining your approach, you can drive even stronger results and stay ahead of the competition.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to take risks with your shoppable video ads. Try out new creative concepts, bold CTAs, or fresh audience segments. While some experiments may not work as expected, every test gives you valuable insights into what resonates with your customers. The most innovative brands are those that view each campaign as an opportunity to learn, ensuring that even failures lead to actionable insights and future growth.

Skai supports this process with a robust test-and-learn culture embedded in its platform. By leveraging Skai’s tools, brands can efficiently run marketing experiments, testing everything from creative elements to audience segments. Skai’s AI-powered capabilities help marketers get quick insights from these experiments, empowering them to make data-driven decisions confidently. Whether you’re testing new shoppable video strategies or refining existing campaigns, Skai ensures you have the tools and support to improve and adapt continuously in the fast-paced retail media environment.

We invite you to schedule a brief demo with our team to see all of our cutting-edge retail media innovation firsthand to make the most of your Instacart shoppable video ads investments and 100+ retailer media networks.