AWG, Instacart Expand Services To Independent Grocers
Associated Wholesale Grocers and Instacart have expanded their partnership that will bring a variety of services including same-day delivery solutions to more than 2,300 independently-owned supermarkets.
In addition to the delivery services offered through Instacart, the expanded agreement will also give retailers access to e-commerce solutions and Caper Carts, Instacart’s AI-powered smart carts. Currently, more than 800 AWG memes are using Instacart.
"We've witnessed the tremendous value Instacart brings to many of our local independent grocers, making innovation, growth, and deeper customer engagement possible,” said Shelly Moore, chief information officer of AWG. “That's why we're partnering to streamline access to the technology and service our retail partners need to grow via a proven e-commerce offering. By partnering with Instacart, we’re making it even easier for our member retailers to bring the convenience of e-commerce to life and ultimately drive business growth.”
According to AWG, Instacart and AWG are working to help retailers set up online shopping and delivery services to meet their customers’ needs. Once the grocer is live on the Instacart App, customers can visit the Instacart website or download the mobile app, enter their city, select their store, and start adding items to their Instacart grocery cart. An Instacart shopper will pick and deliver the order within the customer’s chosen time frame—whether on the same day or scheduled up to two weeks in advance.
In addition to offering same-day delivery, Instacart also equips retailers with in-store technology solutions like Caper Carts, which use computer vision and AI to automatically identify items as they are placed in the cart.
AWG members will deploy these smart carts to transform the traditional checkout experience, allowing customers to bag items as they shop and make payments from anywhere in the store. Customers will also be able to link their loyalty account to the carts, gaining access to personalized promotions and savings as they shop.
"Our joint effort with AWG is more than a partnership; it’s a dedicated effort to empower independently owned grocers to navigate the digital landscape," said Nick Nickitas, general manager, Local Independent Grocery at Instacart and Founder of Rosie. "Through this collaboration, AWG’s retailers now have access to convenient, cost-effective solutions that allow them to easily bring their stores to their customers' doors. We're excited about what we can achieve together.”
