Dive Brief:

• Instacart announced Wednesday the launch of a publicly available Application Programming Interface (API) program that lets third parties integrate the functionality of Instacart inside their websites and apps.
• Called Instacart Developer Platform, the program aims to bridge the divide between product discovery and people getting those items into their fridges and pantries.
• Instacart said its integrations will include New York Times Cooking, where users can shop recipe ingredients via Instacart, and GE Appliances’ app for its smart appliances, which will let users order ingredients for generative AI-created recipes.

Dive Insight:

For Instacart, the new platform is about extending the company’s reach to the places where customers get food inspiration and making it easier to go beyond product and recipe discovery to actually buying the items, Instacart Chief Product Officer Daniel Danker said in an interview.

For consumers, integrating Instacart into other websites and apps will solve the “dead end” that often happens when people find recipes and items they are interested in, but then have to create a shopping list themselves, Danker said. 

“[The platform] turns discovery apps into delivery apps,” Danker said.

The upcoming New York Times Cooking integration, for example, makes Instacart visible to the more than 100 million visitors who use the popular recipe site and website.

With the API program, Instacart said it is aiming to support an “ecosystem of thousands of apps” that could range from meal planning to cooking apps to creator platforms.

Developers who join the Instacart Developer Platform can tap into Instacart's commerce platform and data set as well as earn affiliate commissions. Danker said that people apply to access the program and that Instacart vets all third-party partners. 

As e-commerce sales have declined from their peak pandemic highs, Instacart, which went public late last year, has been under pressure to boost online sales and also push into new store-based technologies. With this latest development, Instacart is leveraging its size, large gig worker base, number of retailer and brand partnerships and existing e-commerce capabilities

“I think we’ve reached a level of confidence in what we’ve made available to customers that gives us the confidence to bring Instacart out to others in an effective way,” Danker said.

Danker said that the wave of new AI capabilities is fueling a “transformation” in product and recipe discovery that Instacart is looking to tap into. Last year, the company launched a shopping and recipe tool called “Ask Instacart” that uses generative AI.

“AI is not just a catchphrase right now. It is absolutely going to change how we go about planning what we want to cook, what we eat, what we consider healthy,” Danker said.

The upcoming GE Appliances integration is one example of the connection between AI and Instacart. The GE Appliances SmartHQ app uses generative AI to create recipes based on users’ food preferences and available ingredients in their kitchens. Later this year, the GE Appliances integration will allow users to place Instacart orders from the GE Appliances SmartHQ app and from LCD touchscreen of select wall ovens and slide-in ranges.