Instacart Platform debuts new features for retailers
Following a brand refresh of the company, delivery service Instacart has launched Instacart Platform, a set of tools that gives retailers new capabilities when it comes to eCommerce, fulfillment, advertising and more.
The new platform will further enable grocers’ “digital transformation” with a new suite of technologies that can be used to promote and enhance private label selections. Retailers like Publix, ALDI, Schnuck Markets and more have already utilized the new service.
"The grocery industry is undergoing a digital transformation where customers expect a seamless experience across many channels, but behind the scenes it's taking an incredible amount of work and investment for retailers to deliver these new services," said Fidji Simo, CEO of Instacart. "We're looking to change that with Instacart Platform. We started as the e-commerce and fulfillment partner of choice for grocers, and we've been building on that foundation to broaden and deepen our capabilities, in order to help retailers innovate faster than ever on their own properties."
Instacart has continued to expand its digital offerings in the past month. The service recently added the new Shoppable Recipes feature, which came shortly after it added three new features to its experience: live phone support, a safety toolkit and an in-app navigation feature.
Instacart Platform is comprised of five tools, as described by Instacart:
- eCommerce: eCommerce storefronts custom-built for grocers and a-la-carte recommendation and merchandising capabilities.
- Fulfillment: Solutions for grocers to do online delivery and pickup from stores or warehouses, from 15-minute ultrafast to next-day delivery.
- In-store: Digital integrations and connected hardware to enhance the brick-and-mortar store experience, from scanless carts to technology that helps manage operations.
- Ads: Advertising solutions to help brands connect and engage with consumers in the digital aisles.
- Insights: Data tools to help retailers optimize operations, provide more connected experiences, and make informed business decisions
Through the new Instacart Platform, the service has launched three new capabilities to aid retailers.
- Carrot Ads opens up new digital revenue streams for retailers by bringing the best of Instacart advertising – including the company's industry leading technology, products, engineering and sales talent, and data insights – to retailers' owned and operated eCommerce sites. Carrot Ads unlocks new monetization capabilities, including revenue share models, to create an additional source of profit for retailers. Instacart is currently piloting its new ad service with Schnuck Markets Inc., Good Food Holdings, Plum Market, and other select retailers, with plans to roll it out more broadly later this year.
- Carrot Warehouses helps retailers create more flexible, local fulfillment models to unlock capabilities such as 15-minute ultra fast delivery. As a full stack solution within Instacart Platform, Instacart works with retailers to enable end-to-end fast delivery solutions customized to their needs, including building new nano-fulfillment centers (NFCs), devising floor plans, establishing automation services, and running ongoing operations. In an industry first, Carrot Warehouses will power 15-minute ultra fast delivery for Publix customers in Atlanta and Miami over the coming months.
- Carrot Insights gives retailers near real-time visibility into their operations to help them make informed, proactive business decisions. Carrot Insights dashboards track key performance and operational metrics such as order volumes and out of stocks across Instacart Platform and retailers' own Instacart App storefronts. Instacart's new data analytics software helps retailers better understand geographic sales, out of stocks, and customer buying trends. Carrot Insights is helping retailers like Key Food manage and optimize their omnichannel operations, and is live today for all Instacart Platform customers.
“Our goal is to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience. Partnering with Instacart and leveraging Instacart Platform technologies has enabled us to build, maintain, and grow a robust e-commerce business," said Bob Hardester, chief information and supply chain officer at Schnuck Markets Inc. "We're excited to expand our long-standing partnership by launching Carrot Ads to power advertising across our digital offering amongst other capabilities, and give customers even more ways to discover new products and old favorites from Schnucks."
Instacart partners with more than 750 retail banners, providing delivery service from 70,000 stores in more than 5,500 cities in North America.
"Instacart Platform continues to fuel our omnichannel strategy, powering delivery and curbside pickup across our markets,” said Maria Brous, director of communications at Publix. “Our partnership also enables Publix to serve customers in new ways, solving for additional customer use cases by enabling meals delivery and virtual convenience. Our new NFCs, built with Instacart Platform, unlock ultrafast delivery in our major metro areas, allowing customers to get what they need in as fast as 15 minutes. We are eager to continue to test and iterate on these new concepts as consumer needs continue to evolve."