How Rosauers Supermarkets Turned E-Commerce Into a Profitable Growth Engine With Instacart’s Storefront Pro

Growing Profitably in a Competitive Market

Rosauers Supermarkets has been serving communities across the Inland Northwest for decades. With 23 stores under the Rosauers, Super 1 Foods, and Huckleberry’s Natural Market banners, the company has built its reputation on quality, variety, and customer service.

As one of the region’s early adopters of digital commerce, Rosauers launched e-commerce to meet their customers wherever they want to shop. However, to take their program to the next level, the team needed to grow sales and profitability. That’s why in late 2024, Rosauers upgraded to Instacart Storefront Pro, a platform designed to make e-commerce a sustainable, revenue-generating part of their business.

The Challenge: Building E-Commerce That Pays for Itself

Independent grocers often face the challenge of balancing the cost of running e-commerce with the need to stay competitive against national chains. For Rosauers, the goal was clear: make e-commerce a profitable growth driver while continuing to elevate the guest experience.

The team wanted a solution that would: 

• Deliver a premium, branded online shopping experience

• Reduce operational complexity

• Unlock new ways to fund and scale digital growth

The Solution: Storefront Pro With Built-In Retail Media Monetization 

With Storefront Pro, Rosauers gained a white label e-commerce solution that keeps their brand and customers at the center. A key differentiator was the built-in integration with Instacart Carrot Ads, which enables grocers to monetize their own e-commerce sites.

Carrot Ads brings the best of Instacart advertising — technology, demand, and expertise — directly to a retailer’s digital storefront. With this capability directly integrated within their e-commerce platform, as well as access to more than 7,500 national advertisers, the grocer could monetize its site with relevant, high–quality ads that enhance the shopping experience. 

The result is a win-win: customers experience relevant, engaging ads, while Rosauers opened up an expanded revenue stream that directly supports profitability.

“Instacart Storefront Pro enabled us to accelerate growth and profitability by harnessing retail media in our e-commerce experience. This isn’t just an added cost of doing business — it’s created a new revenue stream. The built-in monetization through Carrot Ads allows us to fund digital growth in a way that’s sustainable and profitable for the long term.” — Cliff Rigsbee, President and CEO, Rosauers Supermarkets

Results: Simple, Scalable, and Profitable

Since launching with Storefront Pro in November 2024, Rosauers has proven the value of having retail media natively integrated into their operations. They have:

• Covered an average of 66% of e-commerce fees from Carrot Ads revenue in the first 11 months on Storefront Pro, peaking as high as 85% in stronger sales months. 

• More than doubled average monthly monetization revenue compared to before they upgraded to Storefront Pro, demonstrating the benefits of the platform’s built-in monetization.

• Increased sales by 11% year-over-year with the help of enhanced merchandising, search, and AI-powered personalization.

Beyond revenue, Storefront Pro has made it simple for Rosauers to scale digital operations with delivery in as fast as one hour across its banners, while maintaining full brand ownership and customer focus.

Conclusion: A Profitable Path Forward

For Rosauers, the shift to Storefront Pro represents more than a technology upgrade — it’s a strategic shift to build a more profitable digital business. By pairing a best-in-class e-commerce platform with built-in monetization from Carrot Ads, the grocer has proven that independents can grow online without sacrificing margins.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on being early adopters when it comes to serving our customers. Storefront Pro has laid the foundation for a profitable digital business today, while giving us the flexibility to innovate with new technologies tomorrow.” — Marti Sunderlin, Chief Merchandising Officer, Rosauers Supermarkets

E-commerce is no longer just a necessity to compete. For Rosauers, it has become a powerful revenue engine — one that strengthens the business while keeping the customer at the center.

Disclaimer: These results are based on store-level performance. Past performance is not indicative of future outcomes. Actual results may vary by store, region, and retailer.