Instacart's position as a grocery partner has long been held, but its latest play may cement the partnership angle even more. Expanding its services to enable online catering ordering and delivery, Instacart is working to improve this key channel of demand.
"Catering represents one of the highest margin categories for grocers, driving meaningful incremental growth for their business as consumer demand increases. In the first half of 2022, we've seen nearly a 20 percent increase in customers searching for 'catering' on Instacart compared to the same period last year," said Jeanette Barlow, Vice President of Product at Instacart. "Historically, ordering ahead from the grocery store is labor-intensive—often using paper tickets or other manual systems—and inefficient for both retailers and customers. By connecting FoodStorm OMS with the Instacart App, we're able to help grocers meet catering demand by offering a comprehensive, omnichannel experience for customers using Carrot Order Ahead and scale the reach of a highly profitable part of their business."
As Barlow described, FoodStorm's order management system (OMS) allows shoppers to easily place catering orders online while streamlining the process for store associates to manage orders. The integration between FoodStorm and the Instacart App means customers can order grocery items alongside their catering order for delivery all at one time.
As a press release explained, FoodStorm's OMS can now be integrated with the Instacart App, which extends the Carrot Order Ahead solution. Carrot Order Ahead already enables a variety of fulfillment options, including next-day or scheduled in-advance delivery and pickup, allowing grocers to offer their shoppers a more convenient way to order catering and prepared foods.
If you'd like to learn more about the launch, click here.
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