Adcart
Adcart operates a patented shopping cart billboard advertising network in 3,000+ US grocery stores across 33 states, serving roughly 2,600 SMB advertisers—primarily local real estate, insurance, and medical practices—through a consultative direct sales force under parent ShopperLocal.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersDurham, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Adcart does
Adcart is a private US company operating as a division of ShopperLocal that provides physical in-store advertising through patented billboards mounted on grocery store shopping carts. Founded in 1989 and headquartered at 3622 Lyckan Parkway, Suite 3003, Durham, North Carolina, the company has maintained the same core print-based product for over three decades, deliberately resisting digitization. Its operations span 33 states through a network of more than 3,000 partnering supermarkets including major regional chains such as Ingles, Weis Markets, Food City, ShopRite, Harris Teeter, Bi-Lo, Harvey's, and Winn-Dixie. The company has cumulatively sold 127 million advertisements and serves approximately 2,600 active business clients, with no venture, private equity, or institutional capital disclosed.
The product is a patented custom-designed frame system that bolts to shopping carts and supports three ad placement formats: Front Ad (8.25" × 11.25"), Directory Ad (6.00" × 8.25"), and Header Ad (4.85" × 3.00"). The Directory placement integrates an aisle directory for shopper utility, increasing dwell time on the advertising surface. Adcart enforces an exclusive advertising model (one advertiser per industry per store) and reports 18,000–30,000 shopper impressions per store per week, 80,000+ hours of weekly exposure time, and over 1 million daily footfall across the network. The company has 400,000+ cart frames in the field and processes ad campaigns entirely as physical print placements.
Adcart generates revenue through quote-based, multi-year advertising contracts sold via a consultative, direct sales force. Sales representatives guide SMB advertisers through store selection and ad-type selection, offering free consultations to build custom plans. Customer segments are dominated by local service businesses—real estate agents, insurance professionals, medical practices, auto dealers, financial advisors, small colleges, and local trades—with no enterprise-scale anchor customers visible. The 251–500 person workforce is organized around regional sales management (Senior VPs, Regional VPs, Regional Managers, National Accounts Director) under parent ShopperLocal, with no disclosed revenue, funding, or M&A activity in the source material.
Adcart firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Adcart
- Legal name
- ShopperLocal
- Website
- https://adcart.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Adcart operates a patented shopping cart billboard advertising network in 3,000+ US grocery stores across 33 states, serving roughly 2,600 SMB advertisers—primarily local real estate, insurance, and medical practices—through a consultative direct sales force under parent ShopperLocal.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Adcart industry classification
Industry- Product category
- In-Store Shopping Cart Advertising
- NAICS
- Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- OOH Media Planning, Buying & Inventory Aggregation (BPAFALAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Point-of-Sale (POS) & In-Store Promotion Services (BPAFAMAF)
Keywords
Where Adcart is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Adcart business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations
Revenue model
- Shopping Cart Advertising Placements: Adcart generates revenue by placing advertisements on shopping carts in grocery stores. Businesses pay for advertising placements in three formats (Front, Directory, Header) across a network of 3,000+ stores. The service is sold through direct sales with custom marketing plans based on store selection and ad type.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based custom advertising plans |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Adcart product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Adcart provides in-store advertising by placing custom billboard advertisements on shopping carts in partner grocery stores across the United States. Businesses purchase one of three placement options — Front Ad (8.25" X 11.25"), Directory Ad (6.00" X 8.25"), and Header Ad (4.85" X 3.00") — mounted via a patented frame system, with an integrated aisle directory to deliver repeat exposure to local shoppers.
Product overview
Adcart is a shopping cart advertising platform that places custom-designed billboard advertisements on grocery carts in partner supermarkets. The core offering consists of three ad placement options: Front Ad (8.25" X 11.25"), Directory Ad (6.00" X 8.25"), and Header Ad (4.85" X 3.00"), all mounted using a patented custom-designed frame system. The product also includes an aisle directory feature to assist shoppers. Adcart operates as a single unified advertising service rather than a modular platform, with ad placards bolted directly to shopping carts to provide businesses with repeat exposure to local shoppers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Front Ad An 8.25" X 11.25" advertisement billboard placed on the front of shopping carts, facing shoppers as they retrieve the cart from the corral and following them through the store. Targeted at businesses seeking maximum visibility for the duration of the shopping trip.
- Directory Ad A 6.00" X 8.25" advertisement placed on the side of the shopping cart facing the shopper throughout the store visit, integrated with an aisle directory featuring the most requested items. Targeted at businesses seeking sustained visibility paired with a utility feature that increases shopper engagement.
- Header Ad A 4.85" X 3.00" advertisement positioned directly above the aisle directory on the shopping cart, offering an affordable placement option for displaying a logo and photo in front of shoppers during their store visit.
Quantifiable outcome
- 18,000-30,000 local shoppers reached per store each week
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Adcart
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Adcart technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Adcart partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Ingles MarketscoreMajor grocery chain partner operating stores primarily in the Southeast US. Adcart places advertising on shopping carts in Ingles locations, reaching thousands of local shoppers weekly. The partnership enables Adcart to offer targeted advertising in Western North Carolina and surrounding regions.
- Weis MarketscoreRegional grocery chain partner. Adcart provides shopping cart advertising services in Weis store locations.
- Food CitycoreGrocery chain partner operating in multiple states. Carter Quality Plumbing case study shows ads appearing in Food City stores in the Carolinas region.
- ShopRitecoreGrocery chain partner in the Adcart network. Enables advertising reach in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
- Harris TeetercoreUpscale grocery chain operating primarily in the Southeast US. Multiple testimonials reference advertising at Harris Teeter locations. Partnership provides access to affluent demographic targeting.
- Bi-LocoreGrocery chain partner in the Southeast. Now largely converted to Harvey's brand in some markets, continuing partnership relationship.
- Harvey's SupermarketcoreSoutheastern grocery chain that replaced several Bi-Lo locations. Harvey's has invested significantly in conversions and provides increased foot traffic for advertising. Partnership enables minimum 800,000 impressions per store each week in Charlotte market.
- Winn-DixiecoreGrocery chain operating in the Southeast US, particularly Florida. Partnership enables advertising reach in Tampa and St. Petersburg markets.
- ShopperLocalcoreParent company of Adcart. ShopperLocal is the operating company that developed and owns the shopping cart advertising patents. Privacy policy states that ShopperLocal and related companies collect and process user data. Adcart is described as 'a division of ShopperLocal'.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Adcart competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Outfront Media: Large publicly-traded OOH media company operating billboards, transit, and place-based advertising across the US. Comparable as a broad OOH inventory aggregator, though not focused on shopping carts.
- JCDecaux: World's largest street furniture and outdoor advertising company. Compares through its street-furniture OOH inventory (bus shelters, kiosks) which parallels the in-cart frame network conceptually.
- Lamar Advertising: Major US OOH operator with billboard and digital out-of-home inventory nationwide. Compares as a broad OOH incumbent selling impression-based advertising to local and national brands.
- Clear Channel Outdoor: Global OOH advertising company with a large US footprint across billboards, street furniture, and transit. Overlaps with Adcart in selling local-business advertising on physical surfaces at scale.
Direct peers
- Shopper Media Group: Operates in-store retail media programs (cart, shelf, and endcap) in US grocery chains. Closely comparable business model of selling advertising on physical in-store surfaces to local and national advertisers.
- Ads on Carts: Direct competitor running shopping cart advertising networks in US grocery stores with similar SMB advertiser targets. Most analogous business model and format to Adcart, though smaller scale.
- The Ad Group: Specializes in shopping cart and in-store advertising in supermarkets across the US. Highly comparable format and customer base to Adcart, serving SMBs in real estate, insurance, and local services.
Emerging players
- Grocery TV: Runs a digital in-store advertising network on screens in grocery checkout lanes and aisles. Targets the same CPG and local advertisers as Adcart but uses dynamic, measurable digital screens in place of static cart billboards.
- InMarket: Operates a location-based and in-store retail media platform reaching shoppers inside grocery and convenience stores. Competes for the same advertiser budgets but with a digital-measurement-led approach rather than static print.
- AdQuick: Programmatic OOH advertising platform that lets brands plan, buy, and measure out-of-home campaigns digitally. Comparable as a competitor for local-advertiser OOH budgets, but with measurement-led, digital-buying technology.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Adcart social profiles
Digital presenceAdcart financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Adcart leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Adcart funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Adcart M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Adcart
What does Adcart do?
Adcart provides in-store advertising by placing custom billboard advertisements on shopping carts in partner grocery stores across the United States. Businesses purchase one of three placement options — Front Ad (8.25" X 11.25"), Directory Ad (6.00" X 8.25"), and Header Ad (4.85" X 3.00") — mounted via a patented frame system, with an integrated aisle directory to deliver repeat exposure to local shoppers.
Is Adcart a public or private company?
Adcart is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Adcart founded?
Adcart was founded in 1989. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Adcart based?
Adcart is headquartered in Durham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Adcart make money?
One revenue line is on record: shopping Cart Advertising Placements.
Who are Adcart's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Outfront Media, JCDecaux, Lamar Advertising and Clear Channel Outdoor. Direct peers are Shopper Media Group, Ads on Carts and The Ad Group. Emerging players are Grocery TV, InMarket and AdQuick.
Does Adcart have an API?
No public API is recorded for Adcart.
What industry is Adcart in?
Adcart's product category is In-Store Shopping Cart Advertising. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFALAJ, OOH Media Planning, Buying & Inventory Aggregation, with a secondary code of BPAFAMAF, Point-of-Sale (POS) & In-Store Promotion Services. Its NAICS code is 54185 and its SIC code is 7310.