Instacart has announced the launch of 'Connected Stores,' a new suite of six tech tools that work together to offer grocery chains an all-in-one solution that merges online ordering with in-store shopping. The new platform was made in collaboration with Good Food Holdings.
Overall, Connected Stores aims to offer customers a personalized shopping experience that enables them to seamlessly transition between a grocer's app, website, and physical store. The new platform will consist of six tools, including AI-enabled 'Caper' smart cars, an in-store 'Scan & Pay' solution, online 'Wish Lists,' shelf labelling 'Carrot Tags,' an order management system called 'FoodStorm,' and an 'Out of Stock Insights' tracker.
"At Good Food Holdings, we’re proud to provide our customers with a personalized shopping experience – whether they’re opting to build their baskets online or joining us in-store. As customers have adopted delivery and pickup over the past year, we’ve found it important to evolve our business with omnichannel customers at the forefront," said Neil Stern, CEO at Good Food Holdings.
Unified Grocery Shopping Platforms
Instacart Debuts New All-in-One 'Connected Stores' Platform
Trend Themes
1. Unified Grocery Shopping Platforms - The collaboration between Instacart and Good Food Holdings in launching 'Connected Stores' showcases a trend towards more unified grocery shopping platforms.
2. Omnichannel Retailing - 'Connected Stores' offers a more personalized and seamless shopping experience between a grocer's app, website, and physical store, highlighting the trend towards omnichannel retailing.
3. AI-enabled Shopping Solutions - The AI-enabled 'Caper' smart cars and 'Out of Stock Insights' tracker included in 'Connected Stores' are examples of the trend towards AI-enabled shopping solutions.
Industry Implications
1. Grocery Retail - 'Connected Stores' offers new opportunities for grocery retailers to streamline the shopping experience and better meet the needs of omnichannel shoppers.
2. E-commerce - The trend towards unified grocery shopping platforms and omnichannel retailing highlights opportunities for e-commerce companies to partner with brick-and-mortar stores.
3. Artificial Intelligence - The inclusion of AI-enabled shopping solutions in 'Connected Stores' showcases the potential for artificial intelligence to transform the shopping experience across industries.