Skip to main content
Blog

Instacart and TikTok team up: What it means for brands - and where to invest next

The new Instacart and TikTok partnership unlocks a faster, smarter way to connect with high-intent consumers, meeting them where inspiration strikes and making it easier than ever to turn engagement into a purchase.
Written by
Florence Wright
October 16, 2025

Instacart just announced a new partnership with TikTok, bringing its retail media network data directly into TikTok’s ad platform. For brands, this unlocks a faster, smarter way to connect with high-intent consumers, meeting them where inspiration strikes and making it easier than ever to turn engagement into a purchase.

How it works

Select CPG advertisers can now use Instacart’s first-party shopper signals to target audiences on TikTok and run shoppable ads. When a consumer clicks, products are instantly added to their Instacart cart, with delivery available in as little as 30 minutes. Even better, advertisers can measure campaign performance right inside TikTok’s tools, closing the loop between ad spend and real-world sales.

What’s in it for Instacart, TikTok, and brands looking to get ahead?

Unlocking new audiences and precision targeting

Instacart’s partnership with TikTok opens the door to a massive, highly engaged audience and offers brands incremental reach beyond Instacart’s core consumers. TikTok brings over 170 million active users in the US, while Instacart’s shopper base is approximately 25 million shoppers across the US and Canada. For brands, this means more opportunities to reach new, relevant consumers with smarter targeting.

By integrating Instacart’s rich first-party data into TikTok’s ad platform, advertisers can serve high-intent audiences with targeted, shoppable ads. This approach delivers the right message at the right moment. With closed-loop measurement, brands also gain actionable insights on what’s working, where, and how products are selling.

This is a win for performance-driven media, but the opportunity doesn’t stop there. Brands looking to build awareness and reach shoppers through authentic, creator-driven content should also consider TikTok Shop. This channel goes beyond targeting and enables brands to show up in thousands of moments of inspiration that drive both awareness and conversion.

Turning unique consumer behaviors and category selections into brand advantages

The path to purchase is not one-size-fits-all. Instacart is a go-to for Food & Beverage, with over 80% of its sales coming from these categories. In contrast, TikTok Shop is strongest in beauty, fashion, and entertainment. This clear category split minimizes direct competition and creates more opportunities for brands to stand out where their consumers are most active.

For brands, the integration means shoppers can move seamlessly from discovery on TikTok to instant checkout on Instacart. Everyday essentials can be added to cart with a click, streamlining the process and capturing purchase intent at the moment it’s sparked. This partnership brings together the efficiency of targeted performance ads and the brand lift of creator-driven content, helping brands convert inspiration into sales faster than ever.

Speed and scale as a competitive edge

Instacart’s fulfillment network is a strategic advantage. With 1,800-plus retail banners, 100,000-plus locations, real-time inventory, and delivery in as little as 30 minutes, Instacart enables brands to deliver on consumer expectations for speed, convenience, and reliability. As TikTok Shop invests in its own fulfillment capabilities, often through partnerships with established players, this collaboration sets the stage for even tighter and more efficient commerce experiences in the future.

Instacart’s media ambitions power the next wave of retail media

Instacart is rapidly moving beyond its own marketplace to become a true retail media powerhouse. The evolution is clear:

  1. Building on-platform ad solutions
  1. Expanding into shoppable display and video
  1. Taking retail media off-platform through integrations with TikTok, Roku, NBCU, Pinterest, Meta, and even physical retail through Caper Cart

Each move brings the point of purchase closer to the moment of inspiration. As Adam Silverblatt, Head of Off-Platform Ad Sales & Strategy at Instacart, put it: “The idea of bringing commerce to media has been dreamed about for a long time, but that’s changing and it’s changing fast. We’re the tip of the spear for that.”

The bottom line: early movers win  

As retail media and social commerce converge, brands that act quickly will gain an edge. Now is the time to evaluate where TikTok and Instacart fit in your broader media and commerce strategy, balancing performance-driven investment with authentic brand-building on TikTok Shop.

Ready to make the most of the next chapter in retail media? Let’s connect.

FAQs
No items found.
Florence Wright
Florence Wright
Director, Retail Insights

Ready to grow your business?

Let’s discuss the best approach to meet your brand’s specific needs.

Let's connect