Instacart and Advantage Solutions Partner to Give CPGs Real-Time Shelf Visibility at Scale

Rhea-AI Summary

Instacart (NASDAQ: CART) and Advantage Solutions have announced a strategic partnership to enhance in-store execution for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. The collaboration leverages Instacart's network of 600,000 shoppers for in-store audits and Advantage's retail execution services to improve product availability and placement.

The partnership introduces a dynamic alert-based retail model where Instacart shoppers conduct audits on product availability, pricing, and display execution. These insights trigger immediate alerts to Advantage field teams for swift action, with Instacart shoppers later validating the execution. The companies have successfully piloted the program with plans for expansion in 2026.

Insights

Retail Technology Analyst

Instacart's partnership with Advantage creates a novel retail audit system leveraging 600,000 shoppers for real-time shelf monitoring, potentially boosting revenue.

This partnership represents a strategic expansion of Instacart's business model beyond its core delivery operations. By leveraging its community of approximately 600,000 shoppers to perform in-store audits, Instacart is monetizing its existing workforce in an entirely new way that creates additional earning opportunities for shoppers while generating a new revenue stream.

The solution addresses a critical pain point in the CPG industry - out-of-stock situations cost retailers and brands billions annually, with studies showing that 20-30% of grocery items are regularly out of stock. This partnership creates a real-time alert system that dramatically speeds up the traditional audit-to-action cycle, which typically takes days or weeks to identify and correct shelf problems.

What makes this offering particularly valuable is the closed-loop validation system: Instacart shoppers identify issues, Advantage teams fix them, and then Instacart shoppers verify the corrections. This provides CPGs with objective proof of performance, something that's been a significant challenge in retail execution.

For Instacart, this represents a high-margin expansion into retail analytics and technology services, diversifying beyond its core delivery business that faces intense competition and margin pressure. The partnership also positions Instacart as more of a retail technology platform rather than just a delivery service, potentially enhancing its valuation multiple over time.

New Partnership Helps CPGs Quickly Identify Gaps, Take Action, and Improve In-Store Execution

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Instacart (NASDAQ: CART) and Advantage Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: ADV), a leading sales and marketing agency for consumer goods manufacturers and retailers, today announced a strategic partnership to help consumer packaged goods companies (CPGs) of all sizes improve in-store execution. Together, Instacart and Advantage will deliver a transformative solution that combines Instacart's scale, technology, and speed with Advantage's retail relationships and expert workforce.

This offering combines Instacart's in-store audit capabilities with Advantage's retail execution services, enabling CPGs to quickly turn insights into action. The dynamic alert-based retail model allows CPGs to leverage Instacart's technology and community of approximately 600,000 shoppers to perform in-store audits on product availability, pricing, placement, and display execution. The insights generated by Instacart shoppers' in-store audits will trigger alerts to Advantage field teams, who can then act immediately to address the highest-priority areas.

Once Advantage completes follow-up action items, Instacart shoppers can validate execution, providing objective proof of performance. This integrated approach gives CPGs visibility into in-store conditions and the ability to act quickly, which will help improve compliance, address out-of-stock issues, and boost performance while also creating new earning opportunities for Instacart shoppers.

"Managing in-store inventory is one of the most costly and complex challenges in grocery, and when products aren't on shelves, everyone loses," said Andrew Nodes, VP and GM of Instacart Business & Supply Chain. "We're giving CPGs real-time data and insights to spot issues faster, act immediately, and do so in an expansive, yet affordable way. No one is better positioned to deliver this solution than Instacart, with our technology, scale, speed, and the unmatched power of our shopper community. Our goal is to enable retailers and brands with the supply chain visibility they need to streamline operations and create better experiences for their customers."

"We're excited to partner with Instacart to bring this new retail model to life," said Dave Peacock, CEO of Advantage Solutions. "By combining Instacart's shopper community and technology with Advantage's relentless retail execution and industry connectivity, we're helping CPGs ensure greater on-shelf availability, fewer out-of-stocks, and stronger display compliance, all while doing so in the highest ROI way for brands."

Instacart and Advantage have launched a successful pilot of the partnership, with plans to expand in 2026.

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 1,800 national, regional, and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from nearly 100,000 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. Maplebear Inc. is the registered corporate name of Instacart.

About Advantage Solutions
Advantage Solutions is the leading omnichannel retail solutions agency in North America, uniquely positioned at the intersection of consumer-packaged goods brands and retailers. With its data- and technology-powered services, Advantage leverages its unparalleled insights, expertise, and scale to help brands and retailers of all sizes generate demand and get products into the hands of consumers, wherever they shop. Whether it's creating meaningful moments and experiences in-store and online, optimizing assortment and merchandising, or accelerating e-commerce and digital capabilities, Advantage is the trusted partner that keeps commerce and life moving. Advantage has offices throughout North America and strategic investments and owned operations in select international markets. For more information, please visit youradv.com.

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SOURCE Maplebear Inc. dba Instacart

FAQ

What is the purpose of Instacart's partnership with Advantage Solutions?

The partnership aims to help CPG companies improve in-store execution by combining Instacart's shopper network for audits with Advantage's retail execution services to address product availability, pricing, and placement issues.

How will Instacart (NASDAQ: CART) shoppers contribute to this partnership?

Instacart's approximately 600,000 shoppers will perform in-store audits checking product availability, pricing, placement, and display execution, generating insights that trigger alerts for Advantage field teams.

When will Instacart and Advantage Solutions expand their partnership program?

Following a successful pilot program, the companies plan to expand the partnership in 2026.

How does the alert-based retail model work in the Instacart-Advantage partnership?

The model uses Instacart shoppers to conduct store audits, which generate alerts for Advantage field teams to take immediate action. Instacart shoppers then validate the execution, providing proof of performance.

What problems does the Instacart-Advantage Solutions partnership address?

The partnership addresses costly inventory management challenges in grocery retail, including out-of-stock issues, display compliance, and on-shelf availability through real-time monitoring and quick response capabilities.