Core Insights - Instacart and Pinterest are collaborating to enhance advertising campaigns by utilizing first-party data to connect brands with high-intent audiences [1][2] - The partnership will allow Pinterest ads to become directly shoppable via Instacart, enabling users to purchase products quickly [3][4] Group 1: Partnership Details - The initial phase of the partnership will enable select brands to target Instacart's first-party audience segments based on real-world retail purchase behavior [2] - A future phase will introduce closed-loop measurement to link Pinterest ads to actual product sales across Instacart's marketplace of over 1,800 retailers [2] Group 2: Advertising Capabilities - Brands will be able to leverage Instacart's retail media data to reach Pinterest users at the moment of intent, transforming ads into shoppable experiences [4][5] - This collaboration aims to bridge the gap between inspiration and action for millions of Pinterest users, allowing for quick purchases [4][5] Group 3: Instacart's Ecosystem - Instacart operates with over 7,000 active brands and 1,800 retail partners, simplifying advertising strategies across fragmented retail networks [6] - The Instacart advertising ecosystem includes various platforms where consumers make shopping decisions, enhancing the overall shopping experience [5][6] Group 4: Company Backgrounds - Instacart partners with nearly 100,000 stores across North America, facilitating online shopping, delivery, and pickup services [7] - Pinterest is a visual search and discovery platform with over half a billion monthly active users, focusing on inspiration and shopping [9]

Group 1 - Costco Executive Members in the US and Canada will receive a $10 monthly credit towards delivery orders starting June 30, 2025, applicable on orders of $150 or more [1][3] - The monthly credit is automatically applied to qualifying orders placed through sameday.costco.com, sameday.costco.ca, or Instacart, and is exclusive to Executive Members [3][4] - Instacart has been partnering with Costco for same-day delivery since 2017, with an expansion of services in 2021 to include Costco's same-day delivery website [4] Group 2 - Instacart operates as a leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with over 1,800 retailers to facilitate online shopping and delivery services [6] - The Instacart platform supports more than 100,000 stores across North America, enabling millions of consumers to access groceries from their preferred retailers [6] - Instacart provides a suite of technology products and services to enhance e-commerce experiences for retailers, including advertising services and insights [6]

Core Insights - The Trade Desk, Inc. (TTD) has expanded its partnership with Instacart, integrating grocery selection data into TTD's platform, which enhances programmatic advertising capabilities for marketers [1][10] - Advertisers can now access Instacart's grocery catalog for custom audience segmentation and real-time campaign adjustments, improving agility and effectiveness [2][3] - The integration allows for closed-loop measurement, enabling advertisers to track sales impact and Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) in real-time [4][10] Group 1: Partnership and Integration - The partnership positions Instacart as a full-funnel advertising solution, with over 7,000 active CPG brand partners and 1,800 retail partners in North America [6] - Advertisers can engage consumers across various platforms, including mobile and streaming TV, ensuring a comprehensive omnichannel approach [8] Group 2: Technological Advancements - TTD's Kokai platform features tools like frequency capping and brand safety controls, enhancing the advertising experience [3] - The recent launch of Deal Desk within the Kokai platform aims to improve deal management and transparency in programmatic advertising [9] Group 3: Market Impact - Major brands like Danone have successfully utilized the integrated setup for real-time campaign optimization, demonstrating the effectiveness of the partnership [5] - The integration spans over 220 e-commerce grocery partner sites, solidifying Instacart's role as a central hub for omnichannel campaign execution [7][10]

Group 1 - The article emphasizes a focus on active stock picking, particularly favoring "growth at a reasonable price" stocks that exhibit resilience against macroeconomic pullbacks [1] - The number of such resilient stocks is decreasing, indicating a challenging environment for investors seeking these opportunities [1] - The author has extensive experience in the technology sector, having worked on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley, which informs their perspective on current industry trends [1] Group 2 - The author has been a contributor to Seeking Alpha since 2017 and has been quoted in various web publications, indicating a recognized presence in the investment community [1] - The article highlights the author's role as an adviser to seed-round startups, suggesting a connection to emerging trends and innovations within the technology industry [1]

Core Insights - Instacart has expanded its partnership with The Trade Desk to enhance programmatic campaign performance using retail media data, allowing advertisers to create custom audiences based on specific product criteria [1][4][6] - The integration enables real-time sales measurement signals from Instacart to be accessed directly within The Trade Desk platform, facilitating closed-loop measurement for advertisers [5][6] Group 1: Partnership and Integration - The partnership allows approved advertisers to build first-party custom audiences and optimize campaigns mid-flight without the need for insertion orders [4][6] - Instacart is the first U.S. retail media network to integrate its grocery selection with The Trade Desk platform, streamlining self-service use cases for advertisers [1][4] Group 2: Advertising and Measurement - Advertisers can now measure the impact of Instacart audience segments on business outcomes, including attributed sales and return on ad spend (ROAS) [5][6] - The closed-loop reporting feature provides clear insights into sales impact, enabling media teams to optimize campaigns in real-time [5][7] Group 3: Market Position and Ecosystem - Instacart collaborates with over 7,000 active brands and 1,800 retail partners, simplifying the advertising process across fragmented retail networks [9] - The expanded functionality is part of Instacart's growing advertising ecosystem, which includes partnerships with major platforms like Google, Meta, and NBCUniversal [8][9]

Core Viewpoint - Momentum investing focuses on following a stock's recent price trends, aiming to buy high and sell higher, with the expectation that established trends will continue [1][2]. Company Overview: Maplebear (CART) - Maplebear currently holds a Momentum Style Score of B and a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating a favorable outlook for the stock [3][4]. - The stock has shown significant price performance, with a 2.91% increase over the past week, and a 17.87% increase over the past month, outperforming the Zacks Internet - Commerce industry, which remained flat [6]. - Over the past quarter, shares of Maplebear have increased by 21.84%, and over the last year, they have gained 52.07%, while the S&P 500 has moved -0.81% and 12.32%, respectively [7]. Trading Volume - The average 20-day trading volume for Maplebear is 4,581,467 shares, which serves as a useful indicator of price movement and market interest [8]. Earnings Outlook - In the past two months, 10 earnings estimates for Maplebear have been revised upwards, while only 1 has been revised downwards, leading to an increase in the consensus estimate from $1.61 to $1.70 [10]. - For the next fiscal year, 8 estimates have moved upwards, while 3 have been revised downwards, indicating a positive trend in earnings expectations [10]. Conclusion - Considering the positive momentum indicators and earnings outlook, Maplebear is positioned as a promising investment opportunity with a Momentum Score of B and a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [12].

Leadership Transition - Instacart has promoted Chris Rogers to CEO, effective August 15, replacing Fidji Simo who is moving to OpenAI [3][6] - Simo praised Rogers as "the right leader" for Instacart's next stage, highlighting his vision and operational excellence [4][6] Chris Rogers' Background - Rogers joined Instacart in 2019 after nearly 11 years at Apple, where he served as managing director for Apple Canada [5] - He has over 20 years of experience across consumer goods, technology, retail, and media, overseeing various functions at Instacart [5] Future Vision - Rogers expressed confidence in leading Instacart's next chapter, emphasizing the company's world-class team, deep partnerships, and leading technology [6] - Simo's new role at OpenAI will focus on scaling the company's traditional functions as it transitions into a new growth phase [7]

Core Insights - Instacart has appointed Chris Rogers as the new CEO, effective August 15, following the resignation of Fidji Simo, who will join OpenAI as CEO of Applications while remaining Chair of the Board at Instacart [1][4]. Company Leadership Transition - Chris Rogers, previously the Chief Business Officer, has extensive experience overseeing retailer relationships, ad sales, R&D, partnerships, and mergers & acquisitions at Instacart [2]. - Rogers joined Instacart in 2019 after nearly 11 years at Apple, where he served as Managing Director for Apple Canada, and he began his career at Procter and Gamble [2]. Vision and Strategy - Rogers emphasized Instacart's mission to transform grocery shopping and address everyday needs, highlighting the company's world-class team, deep partnerships, and leading technology [3]. - Under Rogers' leadership, Instacart will maintain its focus on growing opportunities for retailers and brands, as well as providing flexible earnings for shoppers on its platform [3][6]. Support from Previous Leadership - Fidji Simo expressed confidence in Rogers' ability to lead the company, noting his critical role in shaping Instacart and commitment to a smooth transition [4][6].

Company Overview - Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with over 1,800 retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery, and pickup services from nearly 100,000 stores across the continent [6][7] - The company enables approximately 600,000 shoppers to earn by picking, packing, and delivering orders on a flexible schedule [6] Leadership Change - Chris Rogers has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Instacart, effective August 15, 2025, and will also join the Board of Directors [1] - Fidji Simo, the current CEO, will transition to the role of Chair of the Board, ensuring a smooth leadership transition [1][3] Chris Rogers' Background - Rogers has over 20 years of experience in consumer goods, technology, retail, and media, having joined Instacart in 2019 as Chief Business Officer [2] - Prior to Instacart, he spent nearly 11 years at Apple, where he served as Managing Director for Apple Canada, driving significant iPhone adoption [4] Company Vision and Strategy - The company aims to reshape the grocery industry by leveraging technology and deep partnerships, focusing on solving everyday needs for consumers [4] - Rogers emphasized the importance of a world-class team and a bold vision for the future, indicating a commitment to growth and innovation [4] Board Support - The Board of Directors expressed confidence in Rogers' leadership, highlighting the strong, mission-driven team at Instacart [4][3] - Lily Sarafan, Lead Independent Director, acknowledged Simo's contributions in transforming Instacart into a leading grocery technology platform [4]

Retail Sector Overview - U.S. retail sales grew 0.1% in April after a revised 1.7% increase in March, with a year-over-year rise of 5.2% [3] - Online store sales increased by 2% in April, while food services and drinking places saw a 1.2% rise [3] - The retail sector has shown resilience despite challenges from tariffs and consumer sentiment [4] Impact of Tariffs and Trade Deals - A temporary pause on tariffs was announced after the U.S. and China reached a trade truce, which is expected to benefit the retail sector [1][6] - The retail sector's growth was hindered by fears of tariffs, but upcoming trade deals may provide a boost [5] Inflation and Economic Outlook - U.S. consumer inflation showed signs of cooling, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rising 0.2% in April and 2.3% year-over-year, the smallest gain since February 2021 [7] - Lower inflation rates may lead to potential rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, which would positively impact the retail sector and the broader economy [8] Investment Opportunities in Retail Stocks - Recommended retail stocks include Maplebear Inc. (CART), PC Connection, Inc. (CNXN), Carvana Co. (CVNA), and Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN), all showing positive earnings estimate revisions [2] - Maplebear Inc. has an expected earnings growth rate of 7.6% for the current year, with a Zacks Rank of 2 [10] - PC Connection has an expected earnings growth rate of 6.8% for the current year, also holding a Zacks Rank of 2 [11] - Carvana Co. is projected to have over 100% earnings growth next year, with a Zacks Rank of 2 [13] - Nordstrom has an expected earnings growth rate of 1.8% for the current year, maintaining a Zacks Rank of 2 [15]