Associated Wholesale Grocers Expands Instacart Partnership, Introduces Caper Carts
Through an expanded partnership with grocery technology company Instacart, Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. (AWG) is bringing e-commerce and same-day delivery solutions to its member retailers, including AI-powered Caper Carts. The move will help simplify the process for an additional 2,300 of AWG’s member retailer locations to join Instacart's technology suite.
There are currently more than 800 AWG retailers using Instacart’s services, and the two companies are working together to help additional retailers set up their online shopping and delivery networks.
"We've witnessed the tremendous value Instacart brings to many of our local independent grocers, making innovation, growth, and deeper customer engagement possible. That's why we're partnering to streamline access to the technology and service our retail partners need to grow via a proven e-commerce offering," said Shelly Moore, chief information officer of AWG. "By partnering with Instacart, we're making it even easier for our member retailers to bring the convenience of e-commerce to life and ultimately drive business growth."
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The partnership will also bring Instacart’s Caper Carts to AWG’s member stores. The computer vision- and AI-powered smart carts automatically identify items as they are placed in the cart and allow customers to bag items as they shop and make payments from anywhere in the store. Customers can also link their loyalty account to the carts.
"Our joint effort with AWG is more than a partnership; it's a dedicated effort to empower independently owned grocers to navigate the digital landscape," said Nick Nickitas, general manager, local independent grocery at Instacart, and founder of Rosie. "Through this collaboration, AWG's retailers now have access to convenient, cost-effective solutions that allow them to easily bring their stores to their customers' doors. We're excited about what we can achieve together."
Kansas City, Kan.-based AWG is the nation’s largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently owned supermarkets, serving 1,100 member companies and more than 3,400 locations throughout 31 states from nine wholesale divisions. Consolidated sales for AWG in 2022 were $12.3 billion. In addition to its cooperative wholesale operations, the company operates subsidiary companies that provide certain real estate and supermarket development services, health and beauty care, general merchandise, pharmaceutical products, specialty foods, and natural and organic products.
