Introduction
Instacart partnered with us to turn their shopping data into simple, newsworthy insights that could drive national and local media attention. Their internal data showed clear food and beverage trends across the country. Our goal was to translate these insights into stories that were easy to understand and easy for journalists to use.
The Challenge
Instacart had a large volume of rich internal shopping data, but it was not being used as a communications asset. They needed a way to:
- Turn purchase patterns into stories that could earn media
- Use state level insights to generate local coverage
- Highlight cultural trends tied to food, beverages, and holidays
- Create a repeatable system for ongoing seasonal reports
The objective was to help Instacart become the leading voice in national food trends.
The Solution
We worked with Instacart to build a series of research reports based on real customer shopping behavior.
1. Identifying High Interest Themes
We reviewed their internal data and selected themes that naturally created strong curiosity. These included:
- States that love hot sauce the most
- States that love pie the most
- States that drink the most and the least
- Favorite Thanksgiving sides by state
- Regional food and beverage trends
Each theme created clear and repeatable headlines.
2. Analyzing Internal Data
We turned raw purchase data into accurate insights that showed differences across states and regions. Every dataset was cleaned, validated, and structured for clear storytelling.
3. Creating Simple and Shareable Reports
We wrote clean and visual reports that highlighted the top findings. These stories were easy for journalists to reference and easy for readers to understand.
4. Pitching Local and National Media
State level trends allowed us to pitch every outlet with a local angle. This created strong coverage across food publications, lifestyle media, local newsrooms, and holiday trend segments.
The Impact
The Instacart data program became a reliable source of national and local food trend stories.
- Strong media pickup for every report
- State level insights featured across local television and digital outlets
- National coverage for major themes like hot sauce, pie, and Thanksgiving sides
- Higher visibility for Instacart during key seasonal moments
Instacart strengthened its position as a trusted voice in food trends, driven by real customer behavior.
