Photograph courtesy of Instacart
Instacart acquired FoodStorm, a SaaS order management system that provides end-to-end advance ordering and catering experiences for food retailers. With this acquisition, the grocery platform aims to expand its portfolio of enterprise technologies to further meet the e-commerce needs of its retail partners, by investing in more innovative technology solutions that help retailers to grow, compete and better meet the changing needs of their customers, the company said.
FoodStorm’s software automates the entire process of ordering, producing, paying and processing prepared foods from a centralized system, streamlining what has always been a laborious and inefficient process for retailers.
The company’s SaaS offering covers multi-channel orders, including e-commerce, phone or in-store kiosks, as well as order management, payment and fulfillment. Its technology also easily integrates with a wide variety of third-party systems, including point-of-service (POS) systems, and offers CRM capabilities that help grocers collect feedback, market their offers, and leverage. promotional features, explains FoodStorm.
As WGB reported in August, Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace reports doubling its restaurant sales since adopting FoodStorm software. Other grocers, such as Mollie Stone’s Market, have found success with filling holiday catering orders by partnering with FoodStorm.
Founded 14 years ago, FoodStorm currently has partnerships with a number of existing retail partners of Instacart, including Albertsons Co’s Balducci’s and Kings Food Markets banners; Bi-Rite Market; Mollie Stone; that of Uncle Giuseppe; and Roche Frères.
Instacart has announced plans to make FoodStorm technology available to more retailers in the future. In addition to acquiring the technology and tools from FoodStorm, Instacart also welcomed the FoodStorm team, based in the United States and Melbourne, Australia, to its San Francisco-based company.
“As a retailer activation platform, Instacart is focused on growing our partners’ businesses by investing in new innovative technologies and services that bring significant value to them and their customers,” said Mark Schaaf, chief technology officer, Instacart, in a statement. “Our goal is to help our retail partners increase their sales and ensure that more of their customers’ daily meals come from the grocery store.
“For retailers, this new business solution helps them bring even more of their inventory online, improve their e-commerce capabilities, grow their business and meet the changing needs of their customers,” Schaaf continued. “And, for customers, it opens up a healthier, more affordable alternative to restaurant delivery, creating an easier way for people to order prepared foods online directly from their favorite grocers.”
Based on customer behavior on its grocery platform, Instacart reports that advance ordering technology solutions offer grocery retailers a significant growth opportunity. On the Instacart platform, customers who buy ready meals and catering items like hot and cold sides, cakes and sushi at the grocery store have much larger baskets and shop more frequently than customers. who don’t, the company says.
What’s more, for retailers, pre-ordered items and prepared foods are also generally more profitable than traditional groceries such as produce and packaged goods, the company adds.
“This is a huge growth opportunity for grocers, and we’ve seen increased demand for our products as more customers seek seamless online and in-store ordering capabilities,” said Rob. Hill, CEO of FoodStorm. “Grocery is an incredibly complex retail category, which makes the need for business solutions like FoodStorm and Instacart critical to the long-term success of the industry we all rely on to put food on. our tables. We are excited about this next chapter as we join the Instacart team and create new ways for retailers to meet the ever-changing needs of their businesses and customers.
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