Instacart Offers Online Catering Ordering, Delivery Via App
Grocery technology company Instacart has enabled grocers to use FoodStorm’s order management system (OMS) with the Instacart App, making it easier to provide online ordering and delivery of catering items. Independent grocer Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace has become the first retailer to connect its FoodStorm OMS directly with its Instacart App storefront, permitting customers in New York and New Jersey to easily place catering orders online, while simplifying the management of orders for store associates.
FoodStorm can be integrated with the Instacart App, further extending Carrot Order Ahead, an Instacart Platform solution. Carrot Order Ahead offers a range of fulfillment options, among them next-day or scheduled- in-advance delivery and pickup, so grocers can offer their customers a more convenient way to order catering and prepared foods on their Instacart App storefront or their white-label e-commerce storefronts. The Foodstorm-Instacart integration means customers can now order grocery items directly alongside their catering orders to be delivered all at once.
“Catering represents one of the highest-margin categories for grocers, driving meaningful incremental growth for their business as consumer demand increases,” noted Jeanette Barlow, VP of product at San Francisco-based Instacart. “In the first half of 2022, we’ve seen nearly a 20% increase in customers searching for ‘catering’ on Instacart, compared to the same period last year. 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.”
“Instacart Platform technology has helped more customers discover our catering selection, resulting in incremental sales for this important part of our business,” said Russell McVeigh, catering director at Farmingdale, N.Y.-based Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace, which has deployed FoodStorm Kiosks since 2021. “The Instacart App and FoodStorm OMS have both been important to supporting our e-commerce business. During the busy holiday season, when catering and prepared foods are in peak demand, we’ve been able to grow our online sales by nearly 62% by having the right infrastructure in place to handle that volume without crippling our in-store operations or without having to scale our staff. Now, with Carrot Order Ahead, we have a more connected and simplified experience that allows us to be more innovative and go above and beyond for our in-store associates and customers.”
Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace operates 10 stores; eight located in New York (East Meadow, Smithtown, Port Washington, Port Jefferson Station, Massapequa, Melville, North Babylon and Yorktown Heights), and two in New Jersey (Ramsey and Morris Plains).
