Podcast Summary: Powering Incremental Off‑Platform Media with Instacart’s Unique Data and Audiences

Podcast: The Commerce Collective Podcast
Host: Emma Irwin (Flywheel Digital)
Guest: Adam Silverblatt, Head of Sales & Go-To-Market Strategy for Off Platform at Instacart
Date: February 16, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores Instacart’s approach to off-platform retail media, focusing on how brands can leverage Instacart’s unique first-party purchase data to reach incremental audiences and drive full-funnel outcomes outside the Instacart app. Host Emma Irwin and guest Adam Silverblatt break down what “off-platform” means, how Instacart differentiates its data, strategic partnership approaches, and a practical case study with McCormick, Flywheel, and the Trade Desk.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining "Off Platform" Retail Media

[03:40 – 05:57]

• Traditionally, retail media was considered mainly lower-funnel, focused on ads within retailer websites or apps.
• Recent shifts leverage retail media data for targeting and measurement outside these "walled gardens," expanding efficiency and effectiveness for brand advertising in “mid- to upper-funnel” channels.
• Instacart’s off-platform efforts use purchase-led signals, integrating them in other media environments (like CTV, social, programmatic display) to broaden reach and drive better outcomes.

“Because this data now can be utilized outside of the retail media owned and operated site, it’s actually being infused into mid to upper funnel buys to make those work harder.”
— Adam Silverblatt, [05:20]

• Brands face a highly fragmented landscape: Over 250 retail media networks in North America complicate buyer choice and strategy.

2. Instacart’s Vision and Strategic Pillars

[06:09 – 09:44]

• Vision: Full-funnel commerce solutions powered by high-fidelity purchase data.
• Three Key Buckets:
  1. First-party audiences: Brands can target buyers (e.g., diaper shoppers) based on real purchase history from an authenticated user base.
  2. Commerce and media integration: Partnerships (e.g., Roku, Pinterest, TikTok, Trade Desk) enable ads to drive instant commerce “off platform” — e.g., a QR code in a CTV ad can lead directly to a shoppable product page with accurate inventory, delivered within an hour.
  3. Co-branding campaigns: Instacart collaborates with brands to amplify advertising across platforms, driving shoppers back to Instacart.

“We want to make sure that we empower brands to be able to tap into the breadth and depth of data that we have access to from the billions and billions of dollars of purchase that we see every year.”
— Adam Silverblatt, [06:19]

3. What Makes Instacart’s First-party Data Unique

[09:44 – 13:48]

• High-fidelity data: Real, up-to-date addresses and purchase behaviors due to grocery delivery logistics.
• Single point of entry: Instacart covers over 1,800 retailers, reaching 95–98% of North America, reducing data silos and audience fragmentation.
• Incremental audiences: 70–90% of Instacart buyers in a category are NOT shopping that category in-store during a 90-day window—providing true incremental reach for brands.

“We have an incredibly incremental and unique audience relative to brick and mortar in most categories…90% plus of that audience oftentimes cannot be reached with other first party data sets that are retail, brick and mortar based.”
— Adam Silverblatt, [12:33]

• Closed-loop measurement: Tools that allow brands to measure and optimize campaign performance in real-time for tangible outcomes.

4. Partnership Strategy

[14:17 – 17:42]

• Instacart selects partners (e.g., Trade Desk, TikTok, Pinterest) based on brand and consumer demand, seeking to add the most value via incremental audiences and advanced measurement.
• Buyer Simplicity: Embedding Instacart audiences directly into partner platforms allows buyers to add these segments to existing campaigns without new workflows—improving efficiency and reducing labor.
• Self-serve measurement & optimization: Real-time insights within partner platforms empower brands to optimize during campaigns, not months after.
• Full-funnel co-branding: Collaborations allow for unified upper and lower funnel campaigns with seamless shopper journeys.

“We want to go where the brand demand is, where the consumer attention is, and then provide the bespoke and unique tooling so that brands can still buy the way they want to buy.”
— Adam Silverblatt, [16:55]

5. Case Study: McCormick, Flywheel, Trade Desk & Instacart

[17:55 – 20:06]

• Scenario: Cinco de Mayo 2025 — McCormick promoted their dry seasoning, activating Instacart audiences via the Trade Desk during a key cultural moment.
• Insights:
  • Only 7% overlap between Instacart and McCormick’s other first-party audiences—meaning the campaign reached a 93% incremental audience.
  • Ads enabled "shop now" functionality with a direct link to Instacart.
  • Real-time, in-flight optimization via Instacart’s measurement API led to:
    • Increased ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) and new-to-brand buyers
    • 25% reduction in CPMs (cost per thousand impressions)
  • The campaign’s success was significant enough that McCormick agreed to publish the case study.

“Had they not used our audiences in that buy, they would have missed 93% of the Instacart audience...they also saw nearly a 25% reduction in CPMs by using the optimization.”
— Adam Silverblatt, [18:57]

6. Future Outlook & Advice for Brands

[20:06 – 24:01]

Innovations Adam is Excited For:

• Fragmentation → Consolidation: Anticipates a shift toward fewer, more comprehensive media networks with increased accountability for true incrementality and outcome-driven results.
• Evolving consumer commerce: Predicts growth in frictionless, cross-platform commerce — e.g., watching a show and instantly shopping via QR code, all seamless for consumers.

“We are such early days and early innings, and I think you’ll see a lot more optionality for consumers now to continue to be wherever they are, doing whatever they want to do and...just click and buy and have it be there...”
— Adam Silverblatt, [21:12]

Top Advice for Brands:

1. Embrace the opportunity: Push beyond traditional commerce teams — encourage cross-team collaboration (e.g., national media & commerce) to break budget and strategic silos.
2. Demand accountability: Insist on transparency and demonstrable incremental reach from retail media partners; scrutinize claims of ROAS and unique value.

“Hold us accountable in the retail media space. Make sure that you are interrogating the RMN partners if you’re a brand or agency to demonstrate incremental reach, to demonstrate efficient reach…”
— Adam Silverblatt, [22:45]

7. Memorable Moments

• Peanut Butter Passion:
  Adam’s household consumes “a jar of peanut butter probably every two to three days.”

  “If you had to have one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? And mine is always peanut butter.”
  — Adam Silverblatt, [03:20]

• Digital Wish List:
  Adam’s “forever-in-cart” digital item: wiring his entire house with a smart home system, always researching but never pulling the trigger.

  “There’s too much optionality. I got to do more research.”
  — Adam Silverblatt, [24:19]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:40] – What is “off-platform”?
• [06:09] – Instacart’s off-platform vision and strategic pillars
• [09:56] – What makes Instacart’s data unique
• [14:17] – Instacart’s partnership philosophy
• [17:55] – McCormick case study breakdown
• [20:23] – Adam’s view on industry evolution
• [22:20] – Adam’s advice for brands
• [24:19] – Adam’s "digital wish list" answer

Notable Quotes

• On the power of Instacart’s data:
  “We have an incredibly incremental and unique audience relative to brick and mortar in most categories..” — Adam Silverblatt, [12:33]

• On campaign efficiency:
  “They also saw nearly a 25% reduction in CPMs by using the optimization.” — Adam Silverblatt, [19:45]

• Advice to brands:
  “Hold us accountable in the retail media space. Make sure that you are interrogating the RMN partners…to demonstrate incremental reach…” — Adam Silverblatt, [22:45]

Conclusion

This episode provides actionable insights for brands and agencies seeking to harness Instacart’s unique purchase data for off-platform campaign efficiencies, household penetration and incremental reach. With buyer simplicity, real-time measurement, and strategic partnerships at the core, Instacart is shaping the future of “full funnel” retail media — and brands are encouraged to demand accountability and push partners for proof of true incremental value.