Electronic shelf labels are getting more sophisticated. Instacart announced Thursday that Aldi, Gelson’s and Hornbacher’s are connecting their ESLs to the pick-to-light functionality of its Carrot Tag software.
Instacart said its pick-to-light functionality allows customers and workers to locate items on shelves with flashing lights, helping to improve order accuracy and efficiency.
Instacart added that the pick-to-light functionality will become available to consumers on their shopping lists via In-Store Mode on Instacart’s app and Storefront Pro. The company also plans to extend the functionality to Caper Carts so that smart cart users can select items to flash, including products on their shopping lists and from digital ads or coupons.
In August, Instacart said that a six-month pilot of Carrot Tags’ pick-to-light feature at more than 70 Schnuck Markets stores found that the technology improved found rates for products and improved order picking times by about one minute compared to those who didn’t use the technology.
The ESL technology tie-ups follow the increasing adoption of digital shelf tags by grocers and retailers in recent months. In June, Walmart announced plans to install ESLs in 2,300 stores by 2026. A growing number of grocers, including Schnucks, Hy-Vee, Lidl, Kroger and Good Food Holdings, have embraced ESLs.
Separately, Instacart announced Wednesday new and expanded retailer partnerships to use its Storefront Pro e-commerce solution, noting that more than 600 retail banners use its e-commerce capabilities. Harmons has adopted the latest version of Storefront Pro for the first time while Sprouts Farmers Market and The Save Mart Companies are now using the latest version of Storefront Pro after using older software.
The partnerships come as Instacart looks to expand its omnichannel solutions, including in-store technology, to grocers.
