Dive Brief:
- Albertsons and Instacart are expanding their partnership to include nationwide pickup and convenience delivery and to offer same-day delivery from Haggen Food & Pharmacy in Washington state, Instacart announced Wednesday.
- For the convenience delivery, Instacart is powering a virtual store called Albertsons Rapid that offers order delivery in as little as 30 minutes.
- The announcement comes at a time when several grocers have linked up with or expanded their partnerships with third-party e-commerce providers like Instacart, DoorDash and Uber.
Dive Insight:
By the end of August, pickup for orders placed through Instacart will be available from more than 2,000 locations under Albertsons banners including Safeway, Albertsons, Shaw’s, ACME, Jewel-Osco, Randalls and Vons banners. Currently, pickup is available in “hundreds” of Albertsons stores for Instacart orders. Instacart noted that pickup from the Albertsons banners is free.
Customers will select a time window for pickup, receive an in-app notification when their order is ready and then wait in designated parking spaces for a store associate to bring out their order.
“[W]e are offering customers another channel to fulfill their shopping needs,” Stephen Menaquale, Albertsons’ senior vice president of e-commerce and fulfillment, said in a statement about the pickup option. “Shoppers are likely driving by one of our stores on their way home from work or after their kid’s soccer practice, and with Instacart pickup services, we are providing a convenient solution for grocery shopping that fits into their busy lives.”
Albertsons Rapid, the new virtual convenience store, is available across all Albertsons’ banner stores. With Albertsons Rapid, customers can buy items like prepared foods, snacks, drinks, grocery staples, household essentials and more. Albertsons Rapid service fees are $2.99 per order or free for Instacart+ members.
As of today, the convenience delivery and pickup services are not available at United Supermarkets and Haggen Food & Pharmacy, an Instacart spokesperson said.
The launch of same-day delivery with Haggen Food & Pharmacy marks the final Albertsons banner to partner with Instacart for same-day delivery, the announcement noted.
Instacart said the expanded partnership gives its app customers more grocery choices.
“Whether it’s a full weekly shop or a last-minute need, we’re delivering value and convenience right to your doorstep from your local Albertsons Cos. banner store,” Ryan Hamburger, vice president of retail partnerships at Instacart, said in the announcement.
Instacart and Albertsons first linked up in 2017. Albertsons also has entered e-commerce partnerships with Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber.
