ROFDA wholesalers, representing more than 2,250 stores, will use Instacart’s Carrot Ads to power their retail media networks.
The partnership enables advertisers to drive sales at thousands of local independent grocers more easily and efficiently, better supporting the communities they serve.
“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.”
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, ROFDA wholesalers and their retailers gain direct access to Instacart Ads’ expert grocery advertising team, offering tools to monetize their websites and providing 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 toward larger retailers. Independent retailers want to participate but have not had the tools or scale to do so until now,” said Nick Nickitas, general manager, local independent grocery at Instacart and founder of Rosie.
“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. This partnership reinforces our dedication to supporting retailers and brands of all sizes, aiming to boost their sales and profitability.”
Mike Violette, chairman of ROFDA’s board of directors, welcomed the decision.
“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,” Violette said.
“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.
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.
Its 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.
Read more wholesaler news from The Shelby Report.
