Dive Brief:

• The Fresh Market has launched a new online store and mobile app that can be downloaded to Apple or Android devices, according to a press release. The new site allows shoppers to peruse store selection by department or by collections like new items, easy meals and seasonal offerings.
• Customers can filter search options by dietary preference like gluten-free, vegan or organic, or filter by sale items, private label products and new products. They can also plan and build a menu for special meals or save favorite items to a regular shopping list.
• Once an order is placed, Instacart will fulfill and deliver it in as quickly as one hour. Some Fresh Market locations are also offering curbside pickup. Until Feb. 3, the grocer is offering a promotion of $15 off customers' first delivery of $75 or more.

Dive Insight:

The Fresh Market is expanding its partnership with Instacart by adding more search options and customizable features. These promise to make the online shopping experience faster, more seamless and able to help shoppers discover new products, resulting in bigger baskets and impulse buys.

Boosting the e-commerce experience fits in with The Fresh Market’s positioning as an upscale specialty grocer — a move that came after the retailer was drifting towards conventional grocery and struggling against discounters and mainstream chains. Over the past two years, the grocer has curbed store growth sharply and focused on revamping its store assortment to win over foodies. 

The decision by the grocer to update both its app and shopping site, meanwhile, underscores the increase in mobile shopping in recent years. According to eMarketer, consumers will make the majority of their e-commerce transaction via mobile phone by 2021. 

In a recent interview with Grocery Dive, Instacart's chief business officer, Nilam Ganenthiran, said improving discovery and the online shopping experience is a major priority for the company and the grocers it has partnered with.

“Retailers should be able to recreate the unique experiences that they’ve spent generations building in the brick and mortar environment in a digital environment," he said. 

When The Fresh Market launched delivery through Instacart last May, the e-commerce provider said the service nearly doubled shoppers' basket size compared to in-store shopping.