UNITED STATES - The year of grocery delivery has come and gone. Or, at least, it’s going in another direction. This is what Instacart recently predicted when it announced its upgraded Instacart Pickup product alongside a nationwide rollout by year’s end.
“2020 is the year of pickup. For our retail partners, we’ve seen Instacart Pickup become a gateway to growth in a margin-thin industry,” Instacart President Nilam Ganenthiran said in a press release. “Our pickup product is also becoming a significant revenue contributor for our retail partners, growing customer basket size by an average of 15 percent, and accounting for an average of 20 percent of a retailer’s total Instacart store sales.”
According to the release, 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.
“At Gelson’s, Instacart Pickup is an integral part of the way we’re evolving to meet the changing needs of our customers, who appreciate the flexibility and affordability that comes with a curbside offering,” said John Bagan, Chief Merchandising Officer, Gelson’s Markets. “We recently expanded our partnership with Instacart to add pickup, in addition to delivery, across 100 percent of our store locations. With this new partnership, customers can now have groceries and household essentials as well as beer, wine, and spirits ready for same-day pickup. While still early days, Instacart Pickup is growing double-digits for us quarter over quarter, making it clear how much our customers value—and have come to rely on—this new experience.”
Darren Caudill, Senior Vice President of Sales, Merchandising, and Marketing for Cub Foods, added, “We first partnered with Instacart to bring Cub stores online with delivery in 2015 and, based on the overwhelmingly positive customer response, last year we expanded our Instacart partnership to include pickup across nearly 100 percent of the Cub store footprint. Cub Foods customers are shopping online more than ever before, and having a seamless pickup experience is an important part of the digital offering we’re building for those loyal customers. It’s also been a boon for our business—we’ve seen our pickup business double in the last three months alone.”
In order to oversee this new product, the company also appointed Instacart veteran Sarah Mastrorocco to the newly-created role of General Manager, Instacart Pickup.
Is 2020 truly the year of grocery pickup? Will grocery delivery begin to take a backseat to this burgeoning sector? Only time—and AndNowUKnow—will tell.
