Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, has launched “Immersive Feed.” A new short-form, vertical video feed that showcases meals and recipes, currently in pilot as part of Instacart’s suite of inspiration ads. Customers can browse the video feed directly within their favourite retail storefronts on Instacart and add items to their cart. The new experience gives consumers a familiar way to scroll, discover, and shop for meal ideas on Instacart. This includes finding the best appetizers to pair with rosé or planning a meal for seasonal occasions, such as a family summer picnic.
Immersive Feed is designed to boost discovery, drive engagement, and unlock incremental reach across the Instacart Ads ecosystem. Content in the Immersive Feed will be provided by Instacart’s 9,000+ brand partners. Instacart has plans to expand to organic content through third-party partnerships and sponsored creator integrations. Brand partners can launch Immersive Feed campaigns directly through Instacart’s Ads Manager, using existing vertical video assets or creating assets.
“For more than a decade, people have come to Instacart for unmatched convenience, selection, and quality from their favourite grocers. We have seen customers discovering meal ideas and recipes along the way,” said Ali Miller, GM of Advertising at Instacart. “Snackable vertical video has transformed how people get inspired with new recipes. Or the latest food trends to bring into their kitchen. Our Immersive Feed brings that familiar experience directly into our shopping journey. Now, our brand partners can meet consumers now of inspiration through our latest ad experiences. This solution makes it effortless to move from discovery to purchase.”
Boosting out of aisle awareness
Instacart’s announcement builds on its existing suite of Inspiration Ads. These solutions are designed to boost out-of-aisle awareness, drive conversion at tentpole moments, and build brand affinity. Results show consumers are already discovering and converting through these formats:
- Instacart Recipe Ads deliver an average of 78% out-of-aisle impressions and 43% new-to-brand sales.
- Instacart Occasion Ads drive an average of 90% out-of-aisle impressions and 36% new-to-brand sales.
Immersive Feed is available as 9:16 vertical video between 5 and 30 seconds in length. It is currently in early pilot with select brand partners and other curated content.
Brand partner thoughts
According to Niccoló Gloazzo, Director of Media and Omnichannel at Kettle & Fire, “Consumers don’t just want inspiration. They want an easier path from discovery to dinner. Instacart’s Immersive Feed pairs the kind of recipe and creator content our community already loves with a seamless shopping experience. For Kettle & Fire, it’s an exciting opportunity to connect with people as they plan nourishing meals and discover ingredients. This will bring those meals to life.”
Enterprise Times: What this means for businesses
For brands and retailers, this signals a shift from search-led grocery advertising to inspiration-led commerce. A relationship where discovery, content and checkout happen in the same journey. Instacart’s “Immersive Feed” gives brands a way to turn short-form recipe and meal-planning videos into directly shoppable moments. This helps reach consumers earlier in the decision process rather than only at the point of search or aisle browsing.
For retailers, it strengthens their digital storefronts by making them more engaging and content-rich, while also creating new advertising inventory. Therefore, potential revenue opportunities. The early performance data around Recipe Ads and Occasion Ads suggests that these formats can drive out-of-aisle discovery and attract new-to-brand shoppers. At the same time, it makes shoppable video a potentially valuable tool for brand building as well as conversion. It will be interesting to see if this new shoppable vertical video feed format works in other sectors or industries. Will it be applicable in fashion or re-invented and embraced by luxury brands?
