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Instacart is introducing numerous major enhancements to Instacart Storefront, the platform that fuels e-commerce storefronts for over 550 retail brands.
• The latest Instacart Storefront shares its core infrastructure with the Instacart App, offering retailers quicker access to a host of innovations driven by Instacart’s collection of 150 proprietary AI models.
• Instacart is also unveiling a new ‘In-Store’ mode, which transforms retailers' apps into helpful companions for customers shopping in physical stores.
Instacart, an industry leader in online grocery and one of the fastest-growing companies in e-commerce, has announced the introduction of several major enhancements to Instacart Storefront, the platform that fuels e-commerce storefronts for numerous retail brands. Additionally, these updates extend to Caper Carts, Instacart's intelligent shopping carts. These improvements are designed to assist retailers in advancing their e-commerce capabilities, digitizing their physical stores, and creating AI-driven omnichannel experiences for their customers.
The new Instacart Storefront shares its core infrastructure with the Instacart App, offering retailers quicker access to a host of innovations, some of which are driven by Instacart's extensive collection of 150 proprietary AI models. Instacart evaluates novel features within its app and brings the most successful ones into retailers' storefronts. This approach ensures that retailers gain access to the most effective elements of the company's e-commerce technology, as highlighted by Instacart.
Asha Sharma, Chief Operating Officer, said,
"We know that omnichannel customers in particular are more valuable to retailers, which is why Instacart is developing more solutions that assist retailers to serve their customers no matter how they purhcase. And, good data is the foundation for good AI solutions for retailers. Our operational advantage is built around our dynamic grocery catalog—which is one of the largest in the industry and includes 1.4 Bn items and over 6,000 item updates per second—paired with over a decade of knowledge about how people shop for groceries online."
[Source – Drug Store News]
For ex., Instacart is introducing AI-driven conversational search functionality to the updated Instacart Storefront. This empowers customers to ask open-ended questions like "What ingredients are required for fish tacos?" or "Can you suggest a healthy lunch for kids?" directly within the search bar on retailers' storefronts. Instacart handles millions of search queries daily, including hundreds per second during peak hours. This feature leverages OpenAI's ChatGPT models in combination with Instacart's proprietary product data and AI models.
Instacart is introducing an innovative ‘In-Store’ mode designed to enhance the shopping experience for customers within physical stores. This mode transforms retailers' apps into invaluable companions, enabling customers to access real-time information about item availability and important details like nutrition facts or EBT SNAP eligibility, receive product recommendations, organize their shopping lists by aisle, and take advantage of in-store promotions and discounts.
Additionally, it provides retailers with valuable insights into their customers' preferences, whether they shop online, in stores, or both. Initially, the in-store mode will be available in select regions via retailers' Instacart Storefront-powered apps, including Food Bazaar, Gelson's, and Stew Leonards. It is also undergoing testing within the Instacart App itself.
Ed Suh, Executive Vice President at Food Bazaar, said,
"Our partnership with Instacart has played a crucial role in advancing our omnichannel e-commerce strategy, enabling seamless online shopping for our customers irrespective of device."
[Source – Drug Store News]