How Del Monte Uses Instacart to Engage With Younger Consumers
Instacart has become a crucial channel for CPG giant Del Monte Foods to reach younger consumers as it targets Millennials and Gen Z buyers who are predisposed to mobile-first, according to Jamie Decker, VP omni activation of Del Monte Foods, speaking at the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Big Show in New York.
“Our heritage dates back to the late 1800s, and we were one of the first plant-based nutrition companies with an ethos to be accessible for all,” she said. “The majority of products are still below $2 to this day. Our conversations about the consumer [we want to attract] meant that we needed to figure out how we get after the Millennials and Gen Z, who make up 50% of the global population and have 40% of spending power.”
Decker pointed out that neither generation is typically brand loyal and said that, in defining its approach, Del Monte had focused on how they are similar (notably both digital first) rather than their differences.
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“So we knew we had to be mobile oriented and think about how what we are doing is going to show and pop on a small device,” she said. “Gen X is all about the reviews, for younger consumers it was about how we can lean into influencers. Younger shoppers are always consuming data, they are busy and time-starved but happy scrolling on the sofa with the TV on and their laptop on.”
Decker added: “Their busy looks different, Millennials are starting families, Gen Z are just finishing college and starting to earn more money. That’s where Instacart comes in because they [younger consumers] have more delivery apps on their mobiles than streaming apps.”
She said that this was the audience that Del Monte needed to reach but stressed that the brand’s success with Instacart did not happen overnight.
“Our digital search budgets in 2022 were anaemic but with Instacart we saw returns straight away, saw all the ships rise across all our categories and that benefitted everyone,” she said. “Investment now is based around where we can target and work with customers who have the same direction and intent, whether working with a retailer or advertiser, and how they target that audience. We work with those who over-index in this area.”
Decker added that in-store versus online investment was evolving and said that the reason the company had been able to go from small budgets in 2022 to greater investment in 2025 is because internally Del Monte had looked at Instacart as a sales platform and had been able to reinvest some of the profits in increasing its presence over the period.
Ryan Garvey, head of midmarket sales at Instacart, said that one of the reasons the partnership had been successful was because 70% of Instacart’s audience is Millennials and Gen Z and added that the company will continue to focus on product enhancements and strong consumer marketing to connect with this demographic.
“Recent research showed that 50% of these consumers discovered a brand on Instacart, 41% bought a new brand after looking at Instacart, and 26% bought instore after discovering on Instacart. Because of this, many brands launch with us,” he said.
Del Monte has seen a 21% additional sales lift in store among users exposed to ads on Instacart, Decker said. “We’re seeing consolidation of retail media, and working with Instacart has allowed Del Monte to be across all the [retail] sites on one platform as a single source for retail partners and customers,” she added.
This was originally published on P2PI, a CGT sister publication.
