Instacart has introduced “Express Lane,” a holiday-themed perk for Instacart+ members.
Announced Monday (Nov. 18), Express Lane gives members zero-dollar delivery minimums on grocery and retail orders of $10, what the company says is the lowest cart minimum for $0 delivery in the industry.
“This offering comes at a time when many consumers have last-minute needs for just one or two items to complete holiday recipes, decorations, and gifts,” the company said in a news release provided to PYMNTS.
Instacart says its purchasing data from last year’s holiday season showed that the share of $10 to $20 basket size orders were as much as 3 times higher around Thanksgiving and Christmas compared to the average for the entire year.
“As grocery prices continue to rise, this new benefit delivers more than just convenience: it’s a jingle-worthy cost-saving measure for all those one-off holiday needs, making Instacart+ the ultimate holiday sidekick,” the release added.
Express Lane launched Monday on the Instacart app and website for all Instacart+ members, and will be offered for a limited time, the company said.
The announcement comes days after Instacart held its third-quarter earnings call on Tuesday (Nov. 12), with management saying the company has benefitted from its expansion of retailer integrations and the implementation of advanced technology have streamlined the shopping experience, providing convenience, savings and higher engagement.
Calling retailer integrations the company’s “secret sauce,” CEO Fidji Simo noted that in the third quarter retailers that launched at least one new service with Instacart, like EBT SNAP, pickup, alcohol delivery or loyalty integration, saw their sales increase almost twice as quickly as partners without new launches.
The CEO added that the deeper the integration, the better the product and customer experience, contributing to the company’s gross transaction value (GTV) growth.
“One of the most important indicators of growth on our platform is the depth of integration with retailers,” Simo wrote in her third-quarter letter to shareholders. “I cannot emphasize this point enough. When it comes to driving growth, depth of integration is so much more important than exclusivity.”
Meanwhile, last week also brought the news that online grocery prices had declined in October, the first such drop since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cost of food fell by 0.1% in October compared to the same month last year, Bloomberg reported, citing data from Adobe. It was the first annual decline since January 2020.
We’re always on the lookout for opportunities to partner with innovators and disruptors.
Learn More