Instacart Launches New Innovative Tools Designed to Support Grocers of All Sizes

Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, today announced four new Instacart Platform technologies designed to help grocers offer more seamless, connected experiences to customers. The new offerings include online and in-store solutions that help retailers capture new ad revenue, bring more of their store online, better support store associates and seamlessly offer end-to-end fulfillment. These new capabilities are now available to grocers across North America, and are already being used by wholesalers like Associated Food Stores and retailers including New Seasons Market, Niemann Foods, The Fresh Market and Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace.

“Grocers are central to their communities – they help us put food on the table, create local jobs and connect us with our neighbors. At Instacart, we want to enable grocers of all sizes to grow, thrive and serve their customers, no matter how they choose to shop,” said Chris Rogers, Chief Business Officer, Instacart. “We’re proud to continue to expand the Instacart Platform to offer grocers new tools and technologies that help them evolve their online offering, create connected in-store experiences and develop an omnichannel strategy that supports the unique needs of their business and their customers.”

• Carrot Ads expands with display ads, opening up new revenue streams for grocers – Carrot Ads helps small and large grocers alike establish and grow their retail media networks to capture new revenue streams on their owned and operated websites and apps. Grocers can now offer display ads, in addition to Instacart’s sponsored product solution, to connect CPG brands with consumers on their e-commerce properties, creating new opportunities for growth. Display ads enable national CPG brands to promote engaging, targeted, creative banners to raise awareness and consideration of products, helping to drive bigger baskets for grocers. Carrot Ads also gives grocers and CPG brands access to closed-loop measurement and insights – helping them both understand the strategies that drive the most value for their businesses.
• FoodStorm support for items sold by weight enables digital ordering for more items– FoodStorm, Instacart’s order management system, now supports items sold by weight including all fresh food and prepared items typically found at deli and meat counters like deli meats and cheeses, premade dishes and salads, and specialty items like Thanksgiving turkeys and holiday hams. With this expansion, grocers can now support order management and offer digital ordering, pickup and delivery of their deli and meat departments through a single, connected platform. This creates incremental sales opportunities and reduces preparation pressure for retailers, and delivers a more seamless experience for customers.
• Caper Cart remote management offers powerful and easy auditing tools for store associates – Caper Carts, smart carts by Instacart, can now be managed remotely in real-time via tablet, giving retailers a remote bird’s-eye view of their stores, making it easy to see how many carts are being used, what types of items are being shopped, and to flag issues for audit.
• Integrated fulfillment for Rosie-powered websites make it easy for independent grocers to get online – Rosie, Instacart’s white-label e-commerce solution for local and independent grocers, now allows retailers to use Instacart fulfillment services to pick, pack, and deliver orders. With integrated fulfillment, independent grocers can now get everything they need for e-commerce in one place, affordably – from easily-customizable online storefronts with robust web page creation capabilities to fulfillment and customer support.

In addition to these new features, grocers have access to a full suite of technology and tools through the Instacart Platform, including white-label e-commerce solutions; end-to-end fulfillment through Instacart’s community of hundreds of thousands of shoppers; in-store technologies including Caper Carts, Scan & Pay, and Carrot Tags; and advertising solutions to deploy a retail media network directly on their e-commerce sites and unlock advertising opportunities with more than 5,500 CPG brand partners.

“We care deeply about empowering grocers of all sizes to serve their customers and communities,” said Nick Nickitas, General Manager of Local Independent Grocers at Instacart. “Instacart is building technology to invest in the future of our retail partners, and we believe that local and independent grocers in particular can benefit from easy, affordable solutions that are built just for them. We put your store in the palms of your customers’ hands so you can meet them where and how they want to shop.”

“We’re encouraged to see Instacart continue to invest in technologies that enable local and independent grocers to compete,” said Laura Strange, Senior Vice President of Communications and External Affairs at NGA. “Independent grocers are vibrant parts of their communities, and aim to help customers access quality, variety and value. We applaud Instacart’s efforts in furthering their commitment to independent community grocers.”

Instacart will be showcasing these technologies and more next week at the NGA Show – the National Grocers Association’s annual gathering – at booth #1349. On Sunday, Instacart’s Chief Business Officer Chris Rogers and Vice President and General Manager of Connected Stores David McIntosh will participate in a fireside chat on the future of grocery during the Technology Summit.