How Cleaning Supplies Took Over Instacart's Retail Media Network

A Surprising New Focus on Household Cleaning Supplies

Instacart’s retail media landscape recently took an unexpected turn, as impressions for Household Cleaning Supplies surged to an all-time high of 149M. In fact, Household Cleaning Supplies ranked as the 2^nd largest product category at Instacart, signaling a strategic shift for the delivery service, whose retail media advertising is typically led by food and beverage brands. Notably, Instacart’s advertising for Household Cleaning Supplies outpaced all other retailers in December, including the likes of Walmart and Target.

Febreze Took the Lead in Instacart’s Ad Push

Seven brands fueled Instacart’s campaign for Household Cleaning Supplies, with Febreze emerging as the frontrunner with 67M impressions. Febreze leveraged Facebook ads to showcase a variety of scents from their Febreze AIR lineup, with messaging that invited shoppers to “Transform your home into a haven.” Detergent brands Finish and Purex also launched large-scale efforts, rounding out the top three advertisers.

Instacart Implemented a Social-First Strategy

To promote the delivery of Household Cleaning Supplies, Instacart prioritized Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. These three channels have been central to Instacart’s retail media strategy over the past year, and December was no exception. As shown below, Household Cleaning Supplies advertisers largely kept their messaging consistent across platforms. Purex, for example, used Facebook and Instagram to promote a message that “Keeping a tidy home is easy with free delivery.”

Messaging Highlighted Convenience and $0 Delivery Fees

Instacart’s campaign didn’t just highlight cleaning products, it positioned their platform as a convenient, cost-effective way to stock up on household essentials. The creative prominently featured an offer for “$0 delivery fees on your first 3 orders,” which was consistently paired with messaging focused on speed and convenience. On YouTube, Clorox spotlighted its Scentiva line, with ads featuring an Instacart overlay promising “Delivery in as fast as 30 min.”

Are you ready to see how your competitors are investing in retail media networks? Pathmatics by Sensor Tower Retail Media Insights provides marketers with complete visibility into the co-branded digital advertising ecosystem and retail media networks. This monthly highlight provides only a small sample of the potential insights and use cases. Learn more by requesting a demo below.