What is an Instacart Ads agency?
An Instacart Ads agency is a managed-service team that operates Instacart Ads campaigns on behalf of CPG brands — covering Sponsored Products, Display, Brand Pages, Search & Browse, Coupons & Promos, and Caper Carts. The terms "Instacart Ads agency", "Instacart advertising agency", and "Instacart ads management" describe the same service tier. The unique value of a CPG-specialized agency (like Sequence) is operational depth across the full Instacart ad stack, knowledge of retailer-cluster bid strategies across the 1,500+ Connected Stores, and the ability to tie Instacart performance back to Amazon and Walmart in a unified attribution model.
What is Instacart Ads?
Instacart Ads is Instacart's retail media network — a $3B+ advertising platform growing 19%+ year-over-year that monetizes the Instacart marketplace, the Instacart shopper app, and Instacart Connected Stores (1,000+ retailer partners including Kroger, Costco, Sam's Club, Aldi, Wegmans, Publix, and most major US grocery chains). Roughly 90% of Instacart Ads spend comes from CPG brands — food, beverage, household, and personal care.
Is Sequence an Instacart Ads partner?
Yes. Sequence operates as an Instacart Ads agency partner with platform-level API access and direct rep relationships. Sequence also holds Walmart Connect Partner Network certification, Amazon Ads Verified Partner, Target Plus Approved Partner, Roundel Retail Media Certified, TikTok For Business Partner, Shopify Plus Partner, Klaviyo Master Partner, and Google Premier Partner status. The cross-retail-media partnership lineup is the structural advantage for CPG brands running multiple retail media networks simultaneously.
What ad formats does Instacart Ads offer?
Instacart Ads offers six core ad formats: (1) Sponsored Products — keyword-targeted ads in search and category browse, (2) Display — banner and rich media placements, (3) Brand Pages — custom landing pages for the brand, (4) Search & Browse — premium category-level placements via direct deals, (5) Coupons & Promos — native digital coupons and price reduction promotions, and (6) Caper Carts — in-store advertising on Instacart's AI-powered smart shopping carts. Most agencies only run Sponsored Products. Sequence runs all six.
What are Caper Carts and how do brands advertise on them?
Caper Carts are Instacart's AI-powered smart shopping carts deployed in select retail partner stores — they automatically scan items as shoppers drop them in, surface promotions and recipe pairings on a built-in screen, and process checkout via the cart itself. Brands advertise on Caper by sponsoring contextual on-screen placements at the moment of physical purchase decision — for example, a beverage brand placement when a shopper adds chips to the cart. Caper Carts is the underexploited wedge in the Instacart ad stack: most agencies haven't onboarded it yet. Minimum managed spend runs $10K+/month.
How is Instacart Ads different from Amazon Ads or Walmart Connect?
Three structural differences: (1) CPG-native — roughly 90% of Instacart Ads spend is CPG vs ~25% on Amazon and ~55% on Walmart. The platform is operationally built for grocery and household categories. (2) Cross-retailer reach — Instacart Ads runs across 1,000+ retailer partners (Kroger, Costco, Aldi, etc.) vs Amazon-only or Walmart-only on the other networks. (3) Caper Carts in-store — Instacart is the only retail media network with AI-powered in-store cart advertising. Best practice: run all three rather than substitute one for another.
What's the typical Instacart Sponsored Products CPC?
Instacart Sponsored Products CPCs typically range from $0.40 to $1.20 depending on category, keyword competitiveness, and retailer cluster. Branded keyword campaigns run $0.25–$0.50. Competitive non-branded category keywords run $0.80–$2.00. Display is priced on CPM ($8–$18 typical). Caper Carts is priced via direct deal with custom CPM. Sequence's typical client average CPC across formats is $0.65 for Sponsored Products.
Can Sequence work alongside my existing Amazon or Walmart agency on just Instacart?
Yes. Brands often keep their existing Amazon or Walmart agency and engage Sequence for Instacart only via shared attribution dashboards and weekly sync calls. That said, brands typically see better integrated results when one team runs all retail media networks — about 50% of Instacart-only engagements convert to multi-network programs within 12 months once the cross-channel attribution gaps become visible.
Does Sequence handle Instacart 1P vendor relationships?
Yes. Sequence supports both Instacart 1P (vendor relationships where the brand sells inventory directly to Instacart) and 3P listings (brand catalog appearing on Instacart via retailer relationships). 1P is more common for established CPG portfolio brands; 3P often emerges via existing grocery DSD relationships. Sequence consulted on Liquid IV's Instacart 1P expansion as part of the broader $100M Unilever portfolio strategy.
CPG-specialized Instacart Ads team
