Dive Brief:
- Instacart is rolling out new ways for its customers to save money and reminding them of existing options to trim their order totals, according to a company blog post on Tuesday.
- The new features include a “Stores to Help You Save” section on the main screen, artificial intelligence-driven recommendations for items from a customer’s previous order that are on sale, and savings opportunities highlighted in yellow to make them easier to recognize.
- Instacart is highlighting savings opportunities for shoppers as grocery e-commerce sales have declined in the face of elevated inflation.
Dive Insight:
Instacart said that it has more than 20,000 deals available to customers through its platform and that the tools noted in the blog post aim to make those savings opportunities more prominent.
With the “Stores to Help You Save” section, customers can browse retailers offering in-store pricing or loyalty savings. The “Your Items on Sale” offering relies on AI to let customers know when an item they previously purchased goes on sale.
Meanwhile, “Stock Up and Save” promotions offer a discount when customers meet a certain dollar or item threshold.
Customers can also add their retailer loyalty cards to their accounts to shop in-store deals online. They can also see their discounts, deals and other savings in their Instacart accounts.
The company also spotlighted its existing Instacart+ membership program, which provides free delivery for orders over $35 and a discount for next-day delivery orders.
Instacart noted in the blog post that it will “continue to introduce new ways to save in the Instacart app over the coming months.”
The company claims that it has helped customers save more than $2 billion on Instacart orders with deals, discounts and membership benefits in the past year.
Even as inflation and food prices have seen a steady decline in recent months from the record highs seen last year, industry observers have said that consumers will likely still feel the pinch of high costs for a while.
