Instacart Launches New Customer Product Features as Demand for Online Grocery Surges

Instacart announced the launch of two new product features designed to speed up service and unlock more delivery windows as demand for grocery delivery continues to surge in North America. The new features - "Fast & Flexible" and "Order Ahead" - which the company has been testing over the last few weeks, increase delivery availability for customers across North America and provide more choice and convenience for customers who are moving their weekly grocery shop online.

Instacart has become an essential service for millions of people in the U.S. and Canada who are depending on the platform to safely, reliably and affordably get the groceries and household goods they need. Last week, the company saw overall customer order volume up by more than...

Instacart Announces Plans to Bring on 300,000 New Personal Shoppers Over the Next 3 Months

Instacart announced plans to bring on an additional 300,000 full-service shoppers over the next 3 months to meet the growing customer demand for grocery delivery and pickup in North America. Instacart has become an essential service for millions of customers who are relying on the platform to get access to the groceries and household goods they need in a safe, reliable and affordable way.

In the last few weeks, the company has seen order volume grow by more than 150% year-over-year, with average customer basket size also increasing by 15%. By more than doubling the size of its full-service shopper community, Instacart will be better positioned to meet this increase in...

Instacart Rolls Out New Grocery Pickup Experience For Customers Across North America

Instacart announced a new Instacart Pickup product and the appointment of Instacart veteran Sarah Mastrorocco to the newly-created role of General Manager, Instacart Pickup. The announcement comes following a year of significant pickup growth for Instacart, which tripled the number of states and doubled the number of grocery partners offering its grocery pickup product in 2019. Instacart today powers pickup for more than 50 grocery partners, including Food Lion, Gelson's, Publix, Price Chopper, Schnucks, Shop 'n Save, The Fresh Market, Wegmans and more, across more than 30 states. The company expects to expand the Instacart Pickup offering to all 50 states by the end of 2020.

The reimagined Instacart Pickup product has been rolling out to consumers gradually over the past several months and is now available to all Instacart customers across the U.S. and Canada. Among the new features, Instacart Pickup now includes...

Amazon Share is Declining Amid Online CPG Sales Growth 

Amazon remains the leader in online consumer packaged goods (CPG), continuing to outpace the competition in share of sales and buyers. Yet, its share growth has slowed.

A downward shift in Amazon’s share of CPG sales in the U.S. sends an important message to retailers and manufacturers. Traditional and non-traditional retailers have been accelerating their responses to Amazon by adjusting their omnichannel offerings and strategies. These adjustments have helped them steal share from the global online player, but other factors are at play.

Today, the playing field online has become exponentially more crowded, and while that does bring complications, it also means that many merchants have begun to...