Instacart Builds Out E-Commerce Solutions for Retailers
Instacart has introduced expanded functionalities to its suite of e-commerce solutions, simplifying the process for retailers to personalize their online stores and build out shoppable campaigns customized for holidays or other special events.
The additional capabilities will allow retailers to tweak or update their homepages easily, craft customized landing pages, and design interactive shopping experiences using the platform dashboard’s Instacart Storefront and Storefront Pro features.
Early adopters of the technology include supermarket chain Stew Leonard’s, with Southern California’s Gelson’s Markets gearing up to implement the new features on their virtual storefronts in the near future.
Utilizing the new self-serve tools, retailers will be able to add dynamic content such as banners, making it easier to display special offers or weekly discounts. Users will also be able to customize landing pages and set specific goals for their shoppable campaigns – such as increasing conversion, rewarding loyalty members, or boosting customer retention.
"In today's competitive landscape, our retail partners want to provide an authentic and differentiated online shopping experience," said Chris Rogers, chief business officer at Instacart, adding that the new solutions aimed to “give retailers the power to take control over their online presence so it reflects their brand identity and showcases their unique value. They can now seamlessly launch shoppable campaigns that capture seasonal moments, handpick products that resonate with their audience, and foster stronger customer connections.”
Instacart made upgrades to its platform last year, rolling out new features to provide retailers with advertising, fulfillment, and data solutions across multiple channels, with the ability to choose a-la-carte offerings or subscribe to all services in a single platform.
These new offerings included Carrot Ads, which provided monetization capabilities for advertising, Carrot Warehouses, which offered more flexibility to local fulfillment models, including 15-minute delivery, new nano-fulfillment centers, and automation services, and Carrot Insights, a data gathering service giving retailers real-time visibility into their operations by leveraging key performance and operational metrics.
Building out seamless capabilities is a critical strategic priority for the grocery delivery company. Speaking at the recent RIS and Progressive Grocer Grocery Tech event in Cincinnati, David McIntosh, VP and general manager of connected stores at Instacart explained that, “The perfect experience blends the online and in-store experience. We believe in a five-year horizon – it will be one single mode that works really well together. Then you peel back the layers, and it is a seamless experience – it’s frictionless.”
