Instacart has unveiled four new capabilities designed to help grocers improve the consumer experience. 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 offer end-to-end fulfillment.
“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,” said Nick Nickitas, general manager of local independent grocers at Instacart, in a statement.
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.
“We’re encouraged to see Instacart continue to invest in technologies that enable local and independent grocers to compete,” said Laura Strange, SVP of communications and external affairs at NGA, in a statement. “Independent grocers are vibrant parts of their communities, and aim to help customers access quality, variety, and value.”
One such service, Carrot Ads, helps grocers of all sizes grow their retail media networks to capture new revenue streams on their websites and apps. The recent expansion of the service means grocers can now offer display ads to connect CPG brands with consumers on their e-commerce properties. Display ads enable national CPG brands to promote targeted banners to showcase products, helping to drive bigger baskets for grocers, according to the company.
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. 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.
Caper Carts, Instacart’s smart carts, can now be managed remotely, giving retailers a 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.
Rosie, Instacart’s white-label e-commerce solution for local and independent grocers, allows retailers to use Instacart fulfillment services to pick, pack, and deliver orders. The integrated fulfillment service creates a unified service for a retailer’s ecommerce strategy.
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