Brands running display campaigns on Instacart aren't just influencing online purchases. New research shows they're driving consumers into stores, too.
Brands can reach millions of high-intent consumers with one buy on the Instacart Ads ecosystem. It is the largest grocery ad ecosystem in North America, connecting nearly 100,000 stores and 2,200+ retail banners on Instacart Marketplace with 310+ grocery ecommerce sites — retailer owned-and-operated sites for retailers like Publix, Costco, Sprouts, and also third-party marketplaces like Thrive Market. As well, it syndicates to Caper Carts in-store in over 100 cities.
Because display campaigns on Instacart reach consumers at the point of purchase, right when they’re actively deciding what to add to their cart, they can drive awareness and purchase intent simultaneously. They reach consumers who are shopping, paying attention, and open to discovery at a moment when it’s easiest for them to convert.
This drives strong performance online, but most consumers that brands reach through the Instacart Ads ecosystem are omnichannel, meaning they also shop at brick-and-mortar stores. Most brands do not consider how the ads consumers see online influence their buying decisions at the grocery store. Arguably, if an ad on Instacart influences what someone picks up at the store later that week, that sale belongs in the ad campaign’s results. Without including it, brands are underestimating the value of every dollar they spend.
Partnering with Circana to measure the full impact
To give advertisers a complete view of their campaign performance, Instacart partnered with Circana, a leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior, to measure the in-store sales impact of display advertising on the Instacart Marketplace. The methodology matches consumers who were exposed to Instacart Ads against a control group, then isolates the incremental in-store sales lift of the campaign.
Instacart previously published Circana research showing that sponsored product ads drive in-store purchases. These new studies extend that measurement to Instacart Ads’ suite of display formats — display ads, shoppable display ads, and shoppable video ads.
What the data shows
These numbers should change how brands score their display investments.
A pickle brand saw +11.8% in-store sales lift among consumers exposed to its display ads on Instacart.1 A household cleaning brand saw +5.6%.2
These results, alongside additional studies with Circana, suggest that advertising exposure on Instacart can influence purchasing behavior beyond online transactions alone. When a consumer sees a display, shoppable display, or shoppable video ad on Instacart, that impression doesn't stop there. It travels with them to the store — and helps move product off the physical shelf.
Adding more value to display campaigns
For brands measuring Instacart display campaigns purely by online metrics, these findings represent real, quantifiable value that isn't showing up in their numbers.
Display campaigns on Instacart reach consumers at one of the highest-intent moments in grocery advertising: the moment they're actively building a cart at their favorite retailer. That context makes the impression more meaningful and the lift more durable.
As brands evaluate where to put their display budgets, this data gives brands a stronger case to include Instacart display campaigns. Instacart sits at the point of purchase, where consumers are already building carts, making it one of the most attributable channels in grocery advertising. And now, Circana measurement provides additional evidence of the in-store impact associated with these campaigns.
1 Data for exposed users from 11/10/25-3/29/26, measured for 11/10/25-4/12/26 vs. Circana control group. Results provided by Circana. Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes.
2 Data for exposed users from 8/1/25-12/21/25 measured for 8/1/25-1/4/26 vs. Circana control group. Results provided by Circana. Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes.
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