Instacart Enables Online Catering Ordering and Delivery for Grocers in the Instacart App

Instacart integrates FoodStorm technology into the Instacart App, making it easier for grocers to offer online ordering and delivery of catering items

Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace is the first to launch online catering in the Instacart App, now available to customers across New York and New Jersey

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, today announced that grocers can use FoodStorm's order management system (OMS) with the Instacart App, making it easier to offer online ordering and delivery of catering items. Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace is the first retailer to connect their FoodStorm OMS directly with their Instacart App storefront, allowing customers across New York and New Jersey to easily place catering orders online, while streamlining the process for store associates to manage orders.

FoodStorm can now be integrated with the Instacart App further extending Carrot Order Ahead, an Instacart Platform solution. Carrot Order Ahead enables a variety of fulfillment options, including 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 white-label e-commerce storefront. The integration between FoodStorm and the Instacart App now means customers can order grocery items – such as beverages, paperware or side dishes – directly alongside their catering order for delivery all at once.

"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% 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."

"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 Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace. "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."

For more information about the Instacart Platform, visit www.instacart.com/company/platform. To learn more about FoodStorm by Instacart, visit www.foodstorm.com.

*Includes searches on the Instacart App and retailer-operated sites powered by Instacart

Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, works with grocers and retailers to transform how people shop. The company partners with more than 800 national, regional, and local retail brands to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 70,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America on the Instacart Marketplace. Instacart makes it possible for millions of busy people and families to get the groceries they need from the retailers they love, and for more than 600,000 Instacart shoppers to earn by picking, packing and delivering orders for customers on their own flexible schedule. The Instacart Platform offers retailers a suite of enterprise-grade technology products and services to power their e-commerce experiences, fulfill orders, digitize brick-and-mortar stores, provide advertising services, and glean insights. With Instacart Ads, thousands of CPG brands – from category leaders to emerging brands – partner with the company to connect directly with consumers online, right at the point of purchase. For more information, visit www.instacart.com/company, and to start shopping, visit www.instacart.com. For anyone interested in becoming an Instacart shopper, visit https://shoppers.instacart.com/.

Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace is a full-service specialty grocery market that is committed to selling the tastiest food made with traditional Italian recipes and using the highest quality ingredients. Founded in 1998, Uncle Giuseppe's has established itself as Long Island's leading Italian food retail destination, with stores that emphasize an extensive selection of fresh products, prepared foods, and hard-to-find specialty and gourmet offerings, along with a full assortment of conventional groceries. Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace is headquartered in Farmingdale, NY with ten 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). To learn more about Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace, please visit http://www.uncleg.com or follow them on Facebook or Instagram.

SOURCE Instacart