Saffron Road Drives New Customer Growth and Category-Defining Results with Instacart Ads

Saffron Road, the better-for-you food brand renowned for its globally inspired flavors and ethical sourcing, is celebrating outsized digital success built on a strategic partnership with Instacart Ads. Deeply rooted in the culinary traditions of India, Thailand, Mexico, and more, Saffron Road’s premium frozen entrées, wraps, and crunchy chickpea snacks have become a favorite among modern consumers who crave restaurant-quality taste and adventure—without compromising on ingredient integrity or social responsibility.

Early Adoption Fuels Digital Ambition

As one of the earliest adopters of Instacart’s advertising solutions, Saffron Road recognized the opportunity to meet consumers where they’re already making purchase decisions: the digital grocery aisle. With distribution in stores nationwide, advertising on Instacart was a logical next step—connecting with both loyal fans and first-time buyers at precisely the moment of intent. 

“Showing up in those moments—meeting consumers where they already were, driving trial among new consumers, and reinforcing our presence alongside our in-store footprint—made Instacart a natural and strategic fit from the start," said Kate Tayloe Pearson, CMO of Saffron Road. “As online grocery evolved, so did our partnership.” Through close collaboration with Instacart’s team and the Nimble Ads team, sharing insights and refining approaches, Saffron Road deeply integrated the platform into its core digital marketing mix.

Breakthrough Results Exceed Category Benchmarks

Saffron Road’s commitment to leveraging Instacart’s ad formats, including sponsored product, shoppable display, and shoppable video ads, has paid off in measurable ways. In a recent six-week sponsored product lift test, the brand achieved incremental sales lift that outpaced the frozen food category average by more than five times and exceeded benchmarks for similar-sized brands by over four times. These results helped to validate Instacart as a key growth engine for the company.

Most notably, nearly half of attributed sales came from new-to-brand consumers, demonstrating the power of Instacart to drive discovery and trial.
“In a freezer aisle dominated by legacy mainstream brands, getting a new consumer to reach past the familiar and try something new is the hardest thing we do. That's why the new-to-brand number is the one we care about most," emphasized Pearson. Instacart’s high-intent environment continues to deliver both robust repeat engagement and meaningful new-to-brand reach for the company.

A Strategic Partnership That Powers Growth

Saffron Road attributes much of its success to a collaborative and data-driven relationship with Instacart’s team, emphasizing the importance of actionable insights and hands-on strategic planning. “What works best is the access to actionable insights and the willingness of the Instacart team to work alongside us as strategic partners—not just as an ad vendor,” said Pearson. For Saffron Road, integrating Instacart Ads has become not just a marketing tactic, but a core pillar of its full-funnel digital strategy.

A Platform for Growth and Innovation

As Saffron Road continues to expand its national footprint and launch innovative new products, such as the newly introduced Crossroads frozen sub-brand, which remixes classic pasta with bold, global flavors, Instacart remains a key channel in its go-to-market approach. The brand will continue to utilize Instacart Ads to drive trial, awareness, and incremental sales as it embarks on a robust pipeline of product innovations and retail activations.

“At Saffron Road, we believe the journey to better is never finished—and for a brand built on discovery and connecting people to the world of food and culture, the road ahead has never looked more exciting,” said Pearson.

For brands looking to engage today’s online grocery shopper and accelerate incremental growth, Saffron Road’s results on Instacart offer a compelling case for embracing retail media as a strategic lever for both brand building and performance.

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