Dive Brief:

• Instacart has teamed up with South Asian food marketplace Quicklly to sell ship-to-home meal offerings, Quicklly announced Tuesday.
• From the digital storefront on Instacart, Quicklly is selling dry-packed meal kits, ready-made meals and Indian simmer sauces for nationwide delivery in three to four days. Quicklly plans to expand its presence on Instacart with the launch of delivery in as fast as an hour of Indian pantry staples and desi spices and sauces “in the coming months.”
• The partnership with Quicklly is the latest move by Instacart to add direct-to-consumer (DTC) and meal kit companies to its marketplace and expand meal options for consumers. 

Dive Insight:

As traditional grocers grapple with their "ethnic aisles," linking up with Quicklly signals not only Instacart’s expansion beyond grocery and into meals, but also a potential for the e-commerce giant to address underserved markets. 

Quicklly is among several online companies selling ethnic cuisine, including Weee, Umamicart and Bokksu, that are looking to grow their presence and tap into consumer demand for hard-to-find products in the U.S.

Quicklly noted in its announcement that Indian food is becoming more popular and its appeal is broadening beyond South Asian consumers. The Instacart partnership not only helps Quicklly boost its digital presence but also increases the availability of South Asian cuisine, Keval Raj, the company’s co-founder, said in a statement. 

Quicklly’s digital storefront on Instacart currently offers several packages of vegetarian dry-packed meal kits with five, seven or nine kits and 10 three-pack sauces. The ready-made meals include options like paneer cashew korma with vegetarian biryani, butter chicken, chicken vindaloo and tofu tikka masala with yellow lentil, with serving options for one or three. 

Founded in 2017, Quicklly provides a digital one-stop shop connecting local restaurants and businesses with customers — a similar marketplace model to Instacart’s. Earlier this month, Quicklly announced a monthly membership program with rewards, coupons and customized recommendations, looking to lock in loyalty as it scales. 

Instacart has taken a number of steps in recent months to build out its meal offerings. Last month, the company launched an in-app hub for ready-made meals from grocery stores, leveraging technology from its acquisition of catering software firm FoodStorm in the fall. A few months ago Instacart linked up with Sunbasket to offer its meal delivery service with prepared meals, meal kits and grocery add-ons to customers without a subscription. 

Some major retailers, like Kroger and Walmart, are expanding their meal options to grocery shoppers by turning to ghost kitchens. Others, like H-E-B, The Giant Company and Schnuck Markets, are adding food halls and on-site dining options.

The Quicklly announcement also builds on Instacart’s other DTC offerings, which also include partnerships with online meat seller Butcher Box and alcohol e-commerce platform Drinks.