Instacart and Aldi Süd have announced an expansion of their partnership to include global deployment of Instacart’s Connected Stores technologies.
The discounter has partnered with Instacart to provide same-day delivery for its customers in the U.S. since 2017, and now plans to bolster its omnichannel approach by deploying several Connected Stores technologies to further digitise its stores.
The expansion includes introducing features such as In-Store mode, Carrot Tags, and fulfilment technology to Aldi stores across the U.S.
In-Store mode allows customers to view stock, sort items, and access promotions via the Instacart App, while Carrot Tags help locate products with pick-to-light capabilities, meaning that shoppers can select an item on their phone and the corresponding shelf label will flash.
Additionally, Instacart’s fulfilment technology will be used to streamline e-commerce pickup orders for Aldi, Instacart noted.
Caper Carts
Elsewhere, Aldi Süd is also testing Instacart’s AI-powered Caper Carts (pictured) technology in Austria.
Using Caper Carts, customers can shop simply by adding items directly into the cart, and monitor their running total on the digital screen. For those paying by card, checkout is available through a 'fast lane', which helps reduce wait times and streamline the shopping experience.
'Convenient Shopping Experiences'
“Retailers like Aldi Süd value Instacart’s omnichannel solutions, which help them provide even more personalised and convenient shopping experiences for their customers,” commented David McIntosh, VP and GM of Connected Stores at Instacart.
“With a large portion of customers preferring a blend of in-store and online experiences, Aldi Süd is enabling the best of both worlds to its customers through our technologies. We’re thrilled that Aldi Süd is the first retailer to test Caper Carts in Europe, enabling us to bring Instacart’s leading grocery technology to the region for the first time. Since launching Caper Carts with other retailers in the U.S., we’ve seen an incredibly positive response from customers of all ages and we’re excited to begin scaling globally.”
Elsewhere, Scott Patton, vice president of national buying at Aldi in the US, said that the Connected Stores technology enables the retailer to create a "seamless shopping journey for the millions of customers that shop with us every day".
