Retailers can now run ad campaigns to highlight the promotions they’re running on Instacart and secure more visible placements on Instacart Marketplace. Closed beta is now live in the US.
A typical Instacart order begins with a decision. Where should I shop? Long before consumers add any items to their cart, they’re looking at the retail banners available in their area and selecting one. This is what we call the store decision moment. And the retailers that stand out during this moment have the chance to win the entire basket, and sometimes an entirely new customer.
To help retailers attract new consumers, we are excited to introduce sponsored listings with promotions, a new ad format retailers can leverage to boost the visibility of their storefront and highlight the compelling offer they’re running on Instacart.
Sponsored listings can help your store stand out by displaying higher in the list of retailers on the home page when consumers are selecting a store to shop from—
They also highlight your store whenever consumers perform searches, on Instacart. So when consumers search for ice cream, the app displays all the stores near them which carry ice cream and their product selections. Your sponsored listing can help secure a premium placement on the search results page.
Entice consumers with your promotion — boost visibility with a sponsored listing
Currently, every sponsored listing ad must include a promotion which offers a basket-level discount, either dollars off or a percentage off eligible orders. So spend $20, get $2 off, say or spend $50 and get 5% off. You define the discount you want to offer as you set up your sponsored listing, set your budget, and how much you want to bid, and you’re all set.
The two work together. The promotion entices consumers to shop at your store. The sponsored listing ensures they see it.
Reach the consumers most important to your goals
Sponsored listing ad campaigns have several targeting options you can leverage to ensure your campaign reaches the consumers most important to your goals. Whether that’s capturing consumers new to Instacart so your store is top of mind when they start to order groceries online or you want to reinforce relationships with loyal consumers with offers aimed at consumers who’ve shopped your store recently, Instacart provides several levers to define the campaign targeting.
You can set up campaigns that reach consumers who have not ordered from your retail banner in the past 12 months, who have purchased but not recently, or who have recently purchased from your retail banner. These levers give you options to acquire new consumers, win back lapsed ones, or reward and defend your loyal customers.
You can also look at whether or not consumers have bought products from a specific department or category. This helps you attract consumers on different shopping missions. So you could target consumers who have not purchased pet food before. Or do buy pet food but not from your banner if you want to establish your stores in the minds of pet food consumers.
Self-serve reporting to track campaign success
In Ads Manager, the self-serve portal retailers use to manage their campaigns and promotions, you’ll be able to report on all of your sponsored listing campaigns and their results. Ads Manager reports on common ad metrics like spend, return on ad spend, clicks, attributed sales, and new-to-retailer customers. Use these results to understand the impact of your campaigns, compare segments or campaigns, and refine your campaigns and their targeting over time.
Sponsored listings with promotions are in a closed beta in the US right now. Eligibility is limited to grocery, club and warehouse, and select new vertical retailers. If you’d like to participate in the closed beta, reach out to ads-help@instacart.com.
Product features are not guaranteed and are subject to change at any time in Instacart's sole discretion.
