Instacart Launches Platform with Solutions for Retailers

The new tool, Instacart Platform, offers enterprise-grade technologies that provide grocers the ability to power their own digital properties and retail operations. The suite of services includes:

• Custom-built e-commerce storefronts for grocers and a-la-carte recommendation and merchandising capabilities;
• Fulfillment solutions through retailers’ warehouses or stores, ranging from 15-minute ultrafast to next-day delivery;
• Digital integrations and connected hardware to enhance the in-store experience, such as scanless carts technology;
• Advertising solutions; and
• Data insights.

The platform comes as many grocery retailers have created their own retail media networks, offering brands more advertising opportunities on their websites. The advertising solutions on Instacart Platform are another indicator that the retail media space is red hot.

“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,” Fidji Simo, CEO of Instacart, said in a press release. “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 also launched three capabilities as part of Instacart Platform for retailers to better serve customers. The platform added Carrot Ads, an advertising solution that enables retailers to unlock new monetization capabilities, including revenue share models, to create an additional source of profit for retailers. Schnuck Markets Inc., Good Food Holdings, Plum Market and select other retailers are piloting the capability, and Instacart is planning a broader rollout later this year.

In addition, Instacart launched Carrot Warehouses to help retailers create more flexible, local fulfillment models to unlock capabilities such as 15-minute ultra-fast delivery. Carrot Warehouses will power 15-minute ultra-fast delivery for Publix customers in Atlanta and Miami over the coming months. The third solution is Carrot Insights, which gives retailers near real-time visibility into their operations. The Insights feature tracks key performance indicators and operational metrics, such as order volume and out-of-stocks across Instacart Platform and a retailer’s own storefront.