June 23, 2026
Photo courtesy of Instacart
Instacart’s New ‘Immersive Feed’: Another Step Towards Video-Driven (and Scrollable) Online Retail?
On June 22, Instacart announced the launch of its new “Immersive Feed,” a short-form vertical video feed playing host to a slew of delicious meals and easy-to-execute recipes designed to drum up interest (and spend) from app users — while also benefiting advertising and brand partners.
“For more than a decade, people have come to Instacart for unmatched convenience, selection, and quality from their favorite grocers, and we’ve seen firsthand how much they love discovering new meal ideas and recipes along the way,” Ali Miller, General Manager of Advertising at Instacart, said.
“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 at the moment of inspiration through our latest ad experiences that make it effortless to move from discovery to purchase,” she added.
And brand partners will be relied upon heavily to serve as the base for the Immersive Feed content stew — with big players such as Hellmann’s, Kettle & Fire, Nutrish, Rachael Ray, and Siete Foods being named in Instacart’s press release. The discovery and conversion stats called to the front by the company were equally impressive, with Instacart Recipe Ads driving an average of 78% out-of-aisle impressions alongside 43% new-to-brand sales. On the Instacart Occasion Ads side the numbers were just as strong, seeing an average of 90% out-of-aisle impressions paired with 36% new-to-brand sales.
Instacart Introduces New Shoppable Vertical Video Feed for Advertisers https://t.co/PpQATBDAjL
— PR Newswire Top Stories (@PRN_TopStories) June 22, 2026
Instacart Bets on Emerging Consumer Expectations While Creating an AI-Driven Data/Preference Flywheel
According to Sharon Henderson, editor for BriefGlance, this is another move to satisfy a notable shift in consumer preferences. The proliferation and embrace of TikTok and Instagram Reels have conditioned today’s shoppers to discover and learn via what Henderson termed “snackable” vertical video content — and Instacart believes that its own platform can do the very same.
“This move brilliantly addresses a long-standing friction point in the consumer journey. A user might see a compelling recipe on a social app, but the path to purchase is fragmented—they must manually list ingredients, search for them on a grocery site, and add them to a cart. Instacart’s feed collapses this entire process into a single, seamless action,” Henderson wrote.
“See a 15-second video for a summer salad? Tap a button, and all the Hellmann’s mayonnaise, fresh greens, and other components are in your cart. It’s a powerful mechanism for driving impulse buys and increasing average order value. Eric Le, VP of Growth Marketing at Siete Foods, one of the pilot partners, aptly dubbed the experience a shift from ‘doomscrolling’ to ‘yumscrolling,’” she added.
Henderson added that this play was also “genius” in another fashion — placing Instacart’s existing RMN capabilities, pitted against Walmart Connect and Amazon Ads, in a much more competitive position. Innovation, differentiation, and challenging social media platforms for the top-of-funnel “inspiration phase,” the BriefGlance editor suggested that the message Instacart was delivering to brands considering placing bets on other platforms: “Why inspire them over there, when you can inspire and sell to them right here?”
“Underpinning this is Instacart’s sophisticated use of its over 150 proprietary AI models. These algorithms can personalize the feed, ensuring that a user interested in healthy, nourishing meals sees content from Kettle & Fire, while a family planner sees kid-friendly recipes. This level of targeting maximizes relevance for the consumer and return on ad spend for the brand, creating a powerful flywheel effect: better user engagement leads to more data, which leads to better targeting, which attracts more ad spend,” she concluded.
BrainTrust
Shep Hyken
Chief Amazement Officer, Shepard Presentations, LLC
Nolan Wheeler
Founder and CEO, SYNQ
Bhargav Trivedi
Solutions Architect, Bloomreach
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Do you believe Instacart’s Immersive Feed will be a successful pilot? If so, do you think other ecomm platforms will adopt the scrollable vertical video format as standard?
Which obstacles, either coming from the target demographic or from the tech itself, do you think could prevent adoption of this ad and sales format? How can Instacart (and potentially others) best address this proactively?
What are your thoughts on attempts to replace the habit of ‘doomscrolling’ with an alternative incitement to buy?
Poll
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This is a good move in that it allows Instacart to appeal to those wanting TikTok style content. There is a demand for this and having it within the app does two things. First, it can potentially drive sales and cart sizes. Second, allow Instacart to make money from brand sponsorship. There are, however, two big caveats. First, social works best when it feels authentic and interesting – overkill by brand sponsorships and/or weak content will kill the feed. Second, this will remain a niche way of shopping for groceries. Around 83% of grocery purchases are routine and habitual, so most online grocery shopping will continue to involve scrolling through product lists and adding items to the cart. That may sound dull, but it remains the most efficient way to buy groceries online.
delicious meals and easy-to-execute recipes designed to drum up interest (and spend) from app users — while also benefiting advertising and brand partners.
I posit that the success of this will be directly correlated with how people perceive this promotes the former, rather than the latter, of these (not necessarily, but nonetheless often, conflicting) goals.
But even at that, I see it as a middling opportunity: those old Betty Crocker cookbooks are treasured more for nostalgia than inherent value.
Hey! I still use my Betty Crocker cookbook.
Not enough chocolate for me 🙂
This one feels well-time. “Snackable” video is already how many people consume content, Instacart is just bringing that format into the shopping journey. When the consumer experience works, the brand partner case makes itself. The out-of-aisle impressions and new-to-brand stats suggest the format is already catching on.
At the top of the article, I thought, “Great. More cooking videos.”
Then I got to this: “You see a 15-second video… tap a button, and all the ingredients are in your cart.”
Now that’s brilliant. I’m in.
That’s magical. Must have!
I like it when brands find creative ways to drive more engagement, and this is a wonderful way to do so. Even if this doesn’t drive a large increase in sales, it should get more customers to “play” on the app. That in itself is a win. The sponsorship and advertising angle is good and will help cover the cost of creating this. I’m ready to learn a new recipe and order some groceries!
Anything that removes steps, helps shoppers save time, and boosts confidence in the kitchen is a winner. If Instacart’s Immersive Feed is marketed well and widely available, it should benefit Gen Z and Millenial video scrollers gain confidence in making good food planning and good cooking decisions. The key will be in having a strong library of options. For the long run, it will be better ideally if the video content isn’t only for top advertising partners, but represent all the brands in store.
Instacart’s Immersive Feed should be a successful pilot because it connects inspiration directly to conversion, which is where social platforms still create friction. Grocery is especially suited to this format: shoppers already need meal ideas, and recipes naturally translate into baskets. I do expect other ecommerce platforms to test vertical video, but success will depend on relevance, speed, and trust. The biggest obstacles are ad fatigue, poor personalization, slow load times, and shoppers feeling manipulated into impulse buys. Instacart should keep content useful, clearly sponsored, easy to skip, and tied to real value. “Yumscrolling” works only if it serves shoppers first.
I started reeding this article as a skeptic and finished reading as a supporter. I am not a fan of retail media, but this feels different. It feels both authentic and efficient. IF, that is, I am not bombarded with ads along the way. It sounds like the simplicity and efficiency of moving from discovery to purchase could make new menu opportunities easier and more accessible than they have otherwise been. I’d love to see it in action, and it would be great to read an update in 6 months.
Next possibility, but probably a lot more complicated. Helping customers build apparel outfits while cruising the aisles. It would be easy to quickly get to information overload, so skillful curation would be key.
TikTok conditioned consumers to act on 15-second inspiration. Instacart is reclaiming that behavior into a closed commerce loop it controls. That format move has strategic logic: if Instacart owns the moment between food inspiration and basket fill, it competes for top-of-funnel attention that currently belongs to social platforms while converting inside its own ecosystem. The data flywheel that follows makes its RMN position against Amazon Ads and Walmart Connect genuinely stronger.
The model works until Instacart commoditizes its own feed. Small innovative brands produce the authentic, discovery-worthy content that makes this format worth scrolling. Lock them out for large RMN budgets, and the feed fills with familiar names nobody needed to discover. Just another aisle end cap, vertical and scrollable. No more yumscrolling.
Instacart’s Immersive Feed will succeed because it reflects consumers’ shifting expectations of inspiration, brevity and mobile-first video marketing.
This efficient model reflects a convergence strategy. Collapsing the marketing funnel means the path from product discovery to purchase could take mere minutes.
The abundance of shopper data from loyalty programs supports refined ad targeting for a relevant, personalized experience that’s more likely to convert. It will drive B2C and B2B revenue growth.
Since Instacart’s partnerships span retail categories, I expect grocery is just the first of many exciting new promotion strategies.
Instacart’s new vertical video “Immersive Feed” is an interesting idea, and you have to applaud the innovation. Grocers should absolutely take a hard look at this and run their own tests. If this move successfully intercepts consumers before they head to TikTok—keeping that inspiration and economic loop entirely inside the retailer’s ecosystem—it is a huge strategic win.
But this is a clear example where “can we” and “should we” need to be carefully thought through. Grocery shopping is ultimately a utility-driven chore where speed and efficiency rule. High-volume, high-frequency shoppers are on a mission to get the list done. Forcing an entertainment loop into a transactional environment adds a ton of friction to a process users just want to optimize and finish.
Instacart’s Immersive Feed is a smart step because it connects inspiration and purchase in the same journey. Grocery shopping is usually very task-driven, but customers still look for ideas around meals, occasions, and new products. If Instacart can make recipe discovery feel useful instead of purely promotional, the format can help increase basket size and create better visibility for brands.
The challenge is balance. Short-form video works when it feels authentic, relevant, and easy to act on. If the feed becomes too ad-heavy, customers will ignore it quickly. I do think more eCommerce platforms will test this format, but it will not replace traditional product search or replenishment. The biggest opportunity is in moments where customers are open to discovery, such as recipes, seasonal meals, entertaining and new product launches.
The inspiration-to-cart story is compelling, and the numbers are real: 78% out-of-aisle impressions and 43% new-to-brand sales are meaningful signals.
One question worth adding is what happens downstream when this works exactly as intended.
Routine grocery baskets are relatively predictable. Pick paths are familiar, substitutions are often pre-established, and delivery windows can usually be managed. Discovery-driven baskets are different. A shopper sees a 15-second recipe video, adds unfamiliar items, and may have no prior substitution preferences. That creates new pressure on inventory accuracy, substitution logic, pick time, and service recovery.
Instacart’s AI can certainly help by using shopper behavior, basket patterns, and personalization to improve relevance. But a viral or highly successful feed can also create concentrated demand for the same promoted items in a short window. That is not just a marketing win; it is a fulfillment challenge for the grocery partners who must execute the order.
This is where the conversation needs to move from campaign performance to operating readiness: inventory accuracy, substitution rules, pick-path impact, exception handling, and last-mile promise management.
The format is genuinely clever. The real test is not only whether it drives inspiration and conversion, but whether retailers can fulfill those new baskets reliably, profitably, and without disappointing the customer at the last mile. I would be interested to compare notes with retailers looking at this as an operating-design challenge, not only as a media or engagement opportunity.
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This is a good move in that it allows Instacart to appeal to those wanting TikTok style content. There is a demand for this and having it within the app does two things. First, it can potentially drive sales and cart sizes. Second, allow Instacart to make money from brand sponsorship. There are, however, two big caveats. First, social works best when it feels authentic and interesting – overkill by brand sponsorships and/or weak content will kill the feed. Second, this will remain a niche way of shopping for groceries. Around 83% of grocery purchases are routine and habitual, so most online grocery shopping will continue to involve scrolling through product lists and adding items to the cart. That may sound dull, but it remains the most efficient way to buy groceries online.
I posit that the success of this will be directly correlated with how people perceive this promotes the former, rather than the latter, of these (not necessarily, but nonetheless often, conflicting) goals.
But even at that, I see it as a middling opportunity: those old Betty Crocker cookbooks are treasured more for nostalgia than inherent value.
Hey! I still use my Betty Crocker cookbook.
Not enough chocolate for me 🙂
This one feels well-time. “Snackable” video is already how many people consume content, Instacart is just bringing that format into the shopping journey. When the consumer experience works, the brand partner case makes itself. The out-of-aisle impressions and new-to-brand stats suggest the format is already catching on.
At the top of the article, I thought, “Great. More cooking videos.”
Then I got to this: “You see a 15-second video… tap a button, and all the ingredients are in your cart.”
Now that’s brilliant. I’m in.
That’s magical. Must have!
I like it when brands find creative ways to drive more engagement, and this is a wonderful way to do so. Even if this doesn’t drive a large increase in sales, it should get more customers to “play” on the app. That in itself is a win. The sponsorship and advertising angle is good and will help cover the cost of creating this. I’m ready to learn a new recipe and order some groceries!
Anything that removes steps, helps shoppers save time, and boosts confidence in the kitchen is a winner. If Instacart’s Immersive Feed is marketed well and widely available, it should benefit Gen Z and Millenial video scrollers gain confidence in making good food planning and good cooking decisions. The key will be in having a strong library of options. For the long run, it will be better ideally if the video content isn’t only for top advertising partners, but represent all the brands in store.
Instacart’s Immersive Feed should be a successful pilot because it connects inspiration directly to conversion, which is where social platforms still create friction. Grocery is especially suited to this format: shoppers already need meal ideas, and recipes naturally translate into baskets. I do expect other ecommerce platforms to test vertical video, but success will depend on relevance, speed, and trust. The biggest obstacles are ad fatigue, poor personalization, slow load times, and shoppers feeling manipulated into impulse buys. Instacart should keep content useful, clearly sponsored, easy to skip, and tied to real value. “Yumscrolling” works only if it serves shoppers first.
I started reeding this article as a skeptic and finished reading as a supporter. I am not a fan of retail media, but this feels different. It feels both authentic and efficient. IF, that is, I am not bombarded with ads along the way. It sounds like the simplicity and efficiency of moving from discovery to purchase could make new menu opportunities easier and more accessible than they have otherwise been. I’d love to see it in action, and it would be great to read an update in 6 months.
Next possibility, but probably a lot more complicated. Helping customers build apparel outfits while cruising the aisles. It would be easy to quickly get to information overload, so skillful curation would be key.
TikTok conditioned consumers to act on 15-second inspiration. Instacart is reclaiming that behavior into a closed commerce loop it controls. That format move has strategic logic: if Instacart owns the moment between food inspiration and basket fill, it competes for top-of-funnel attention that currently belongs to social platforms while converting inside its own ecosystem. The data flywheel that follows makes its RMN position against Amazon Ads and Walmart Connect genuinely stronger.
The model works until Instacart commoditizes its own feed. Small innovative brands produce the authentic, discovery-worthy content that makes this format worth scrolling. Lock them out for large RMN budgets, and the feed fills with familiar names nobody needed to discover. Just another aisle end cap, vertical and scrollable. No more yumscrolling.
Instacart’s Immersive Feed will succeed because it reflects consumers’ shifting expectations of inspiration, brevity and mobile-first video marketing.
This efficient model reflects a convergence strategy. Collapsing the marketing funnel means the path from product discovery to purchase could take mere minutes.
The abundance of shopper data from loyalty programs supports refined ad targeting for a relevant, personalized experience that’s more likely to convert. It will drive B2C and B2B revenue growth.
Since Instacart’s partnerships span retail categories, I expect grocery is just the first of many exciting new promotion strategies.
Instacart’s new vertical video “Immersive Feed” is an interesting idea, and you have to applaud the innovation. Grocers should absolutely take a hard look at this and run their own tests. If this move successfully intercepts consumers before they head to TikTok—keeping that inspiration and economic loop entirely inside the retailer’s ecosystem—it is a huge strategic win.
But this is a clear example where “can we” and “should we” need to be carefully thought through. Grocery shopping is ultimately a utility-driven chore where speed and efficiency rule. High-volume, high-frequency shoppers are on a mission to get the list done. Forcing an entertainment loop into a transactional environment adds a ton of friction to a process users just want to optimize and finish.
Instacart’s Immersive Feed is a smart step because it connects inspiration and purchase in the same journey. Grocery shopping is usually very task-driven, but customers still look for ideas around meals, occasions, and new products. If Instacart can make recipe discovery feel useful instead of purely promotional, the format can help increase basket size and create better visibility for brands.
The challenge is balance. Short-form video works when it feels authentic, relevant, and easy to act on. If the feed becomes too ad-heavy, customers will ignore it quickly. I do think more eCommerce platforms will test this format, but it will not replace traditional product search or replenishment. The biggest opportunity is in moments where customers are open to discovery, such as recipes, seasonal meals, entertaining and new product launches.
The inspiration-to-cart story is compelling, and the numbers are real: 78% out-of-aisle impressions and 43% new-to-brand sales are meaningful signals.
One question worth adding is what happens downstream when this works exactly as intended.
Routine grocery baskets are relatively predictable. Pick paths are familiar, substitutions are often pre-established, and delivery windows can usually be managed. Discovery-driven baskets are different. A shopper sees a 15-second recipe video, adds unfamiliar items, and may have no prior substitution preferences. That creates new pressure on inventory accuracy, substitution logic, pick time, and service recovery.
Instacart’s AI can certainly help by using shopper behavior, basket patterns, and personalization to improve relevance. But a viral or highly successful feed can also create concentrated demand for the same promoted items in a short window. That is not just a marketing win; it is a fulfillment challenge for the grocery partners who must execute the order.
This is where the conversation needs to move from campaign performance to operating readiness: inventory accuracy, substitution rules, pick-path impact, exception handling, and last-mile promise management.
The format is genuinely clever. The real test is not only whether it drives inspiration and conversion, but whether retailers can fulfill those new baskets reliably, profitably, and without disappointing the customer at the last mile. I would be interested to compare notes with retailers looking at this as an operating-design challenge, not only as a media or engagement opportunity.