ROFDA Members Select Instacart for Retail Media Network

ROFDA wholesalers, initially representing more than 2,250 stores across the U.S., will launch new online retail media networks powered by Instacart's Carrot Ads solution

SAN FRANCISCO and CHICAGO, May 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Instacart (Nasdaq: CART), the leading grocery technology company in North America, and members of Retailer Owned Food Distributors & Associates (ROFDA), a coalition of wholesale food distributors cooperatively owned by their U.S. independent retail grocer members, today announced that ROFDA wholesalers, representing more than 2,250 stores, will leverage Carrot Ads to power their retail media networks. This partnership enables advertisers to drive sales at thousands of local independent grocers more easily and efficiently, better supporting the communities they serve.

Carrot Ads helps retailers and their wholesalers establish and grow their retail media networks on their owned and operated websites and apps. With Carrot Ads, these wholesalers and their retailers gain direct access to Instacart Ads' expert grocery advertising team, offering tools to monetize their websites and providing valuable data and insights to grow their business and strengthen customer relationships. Initial ROFDA participants include but are not limited to Associated Food Stores, URM Stores, Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Company, Associated Grocers of New England, Associated Grocers of Baton Rouge, and Affiliated Foods Amarillo.

"As shopper marketing budgets have grown, a significant amount of that funding has been directed towards larger retailers. Independent retailers want to participate, but have not had the tools or scale to do so until now. Instacart is committed to helping local independent grocers succeed and we're excited to help them build strong partnerships with brand advertisers to tap into the booming retail media flywheel," said Nick Nickitas, General Manager, Local Independent Grocery at Instacart and Founder of Rosie. "This partnership reinforces our dedication to supporting retailers and brands of all sizes, aiming to boost their sales and profitability."

"This is one of the largest examples of cooperation and collaboration across the independent grocery industry. Our goal is to equip grocers with the tools, technology, and talent they need to engage customers efficiently and succeed in an ever-changing industry," said Jeff Pedersen, President and CEO of ROFDA. "By strengthening our partnership with Instacart and selecting Carrot Ads as a primary component of our retail media network, we're paving the way for local retailers and their wholesalers to innovate and connect with brands in new ways."

"This group of ROFDA wholesalers collectively offer our CPG marketer partners the opportunity to reach 24 million households, a quarter of all households in the U.S. – many of which are in underserved areas, " said Mike Violette, ROFDA Chairman of the Board. "We're thrilled to partner with Instacart to provide the support and technology our independent retailers need to thrive, enhancing the shopping experience for their customers while strengthening their presence in the digital landscape."

Retail media continues to be one of the most effective advertising channels, offering brands closed-loop insights, a highly engaged audience, and a direct path to purchase. These networks also unlock new revenue streams, improve customer experiences, and build loyalty for retailers and their wholesale partners by making it extremely easy to stand up a retail media business.

For more information about Carrot Ads and Instacart Platform, visit www.instacart.com/company/platform.

About Instacart
Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, works with grocers and retailers to transform how people shop. The company partners with more than 1,500 national, regional, and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 85,000 stores across North America on the Instacart Marketplace. Instacart makes it possible for millions of people to get the groceries they need from the retailers they love, and for approximately 600,000 Instacart shoppers to earn by picking, packing and delivering orders on their own flexible schedule. The Instacart Platform offers retailers a suite of enterprise-grade technology products and services to power their e-commerce experiences, fulfill orders, digitize brick-and-mortar stores, provide advertising services, and glean insights. With Instacart Ads, thousands of CPG brands – from category leaders to emerging brands – partner with the company to connect directly with consumers online, right at the point of purchase. With Instacart Health, the company is providing tools to increase nutrition security, make healthy choices easier for consumers, and expand the role that food can play in improving health outcomes. For more information, visit www.instacart.com/company, and to start shopping, visit www.instacart.com.

About ROFDA
Retailer Owned Food Distributors and Associates (known as ROFDA), is an organization of wholesale food distributors that are owned by their U.S. retail independent retail grocer members. ROFDA's focus is to create benefits for the independent retail grocer member-owners through sharing information; leveraging collective resources and developing tools to assist them in competing against big-box stores.

SOURCE Instacart