Instacart (Nasdaq: CART) is taking retail media to social, announcing a new integration with TikTok that allows select CPG advertisers to leverage first-party retail data directly within TikTok Ads Manager. The move makes Instacart the first retail media network to provide end-to-end campaign capabilities natively on TikTok, from audience targeting to purchase measurement.
The integration aims to help brands reach consumers with high purchase intent, drive seamless product purchases, and measure performance without leaving TikTok’s platform. By combining Instacart’s grocery selection and transaction data with TikTok’s social reach, advertisers can now optimize campaigns in real time and assess sales outcomes with closed-loop measurement.
What Advertisers Can Do
CPG brands using the new integration will be able to:
- Target smarter: Access Instacart audience segments designed to reach consumers likely to convert.
- Enhance shoppable ads: Utilize TikTok Smart+ campaigns with Instacart grocery data for relevant product placements.
- Measure performance: Track daily conversions directly within TikTok Ads Manager using Instacart purchase data.
“By bringing our rich, first-party retail media data to TikTok, we’re empowering brands to reach the right consumer, optimize campaigns in real-time, and deliver seamless commerce experiences,” said Ali Miller, GM of Advertising at Instacart.
Lorry Destainville, Global Head of Product Partnerships at TikTok, added, “Through our partnership with Instacart, more brands can reach customers at the exact moment of inspiration, whether they’re ready to stock up on groceries or motivated to try a new item.”
How It Works
Instacart’s data is integrated directly into TikTok Ads Manager across three dimensions:
- Audience Data: Identify consumers most likely to convert.
- Grocery Selection Data: Power shoppable ad formats linking TikTok users to specific Instacart products.
- Conversion Data: Enable closed-loop measurement to assess performance and optimize campaigns.
This builds on Instacart’s broader retail media ecosystem, which already spans its Marketplace, 240+ grocery e-commerce sites, in-store smart carts, and off-platform partnerships. By consolidating fragmented retail media data, advertisers can now bring consistent, high-intent reach to TikTok without building bespoke campaigns across multiple networks.
Why It Matters
The partnership reflects a larger trend in retail media: blurring lines between commerce and social media. With TikTok reaching over 180 million monthly active users in the U.S., and 87% of users taking action after viewing ads, brands now have an opportunity to engage consumers at the exact moment of purchase inspiration.
For marketers, this integration reduces complexity, enabling campaigns to run efficiently across social, streaming, and retail channels—all while leveraging real purchase behavior, not just browsing history. In a fragmented ad ecosystem, this can be a game-changer for CPG brands looking to combine engagement and measurable outcomes in a single workflow.
