Dive Brief:
- The Giant Company and Instacart have teamed up to launch a convenience delivery service that will get order to shoppers in as fast as 30 minutes, the grocer said in an emailed press release on Tuesday.
- The launch of Giant Instant Delivery and Martin’s Instant Delivery comes two weeks after the e-commerce company launched a similar service with Kroger called “Kroger Delivery Now.”
- The grocers are embarking on faster delivery windows as instant-needs delivery, including 15-minute services, are increasingly popping up in the U.S.
Dive Insight:
The Giant Company's new offering with Instacart will speed up how fast customers across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia can get their groceries, convenience items and household essentials from Giant and Martin’s stores.
The service is a part of Instacart’s “Convenience Hub,” a new product feature from the e-commerce company.
Roughly 20,000 items are available via Giant Instant Delivery, including prepared foods, cleaners, baby products, snacks and beverages, with a focus on convenience items. The service is available as early as 6 a.m. and as late as midnight every day and has a $10 order minimum and $2.99 delivery fee. For Instacart Express members, Priority Delivery is free.
By comparison, The Giant Company's own delivery services have a $60 order minimum with a $7.95 standard fee that can shift as low as $2.95 with available discounts. Delivery from the grocery company through Instacart has fees starting at $3.99 for same-day delivery for orders over $35.
The number of products available, fee and order minimum through Giant Instant Delivery are similar to Kroger Delivery Now, which offers 25,000 items and is available to as many as 50 million households.
Giant and Martin's customers can find the rapid delivery service on Instacart’s app and website and, in the coming months, from websites and apps powered by Instacart that are branded as Giant Instant Delivery and Martin’s Instant Delivery.
The Giant Company, which has been working with Instacart since 2017 and also has its own Giant Direct service and more than 150 pickup locations, is placing more emphasis on e-commerce convenience and efficiency. The Ahold Delhaize banner plans to open an e-commerce fulfillment center later this year in Philadelphia — the same city where it opened its flagship store in March — to provide “more capacity, faster order fulfillment and room to grow home grocery delivery,” per Tuesday's press release.
Meanwhile, Instacart has been ramping up its rapid delivery, first launching a 30-minute delivery service in May, alongside expanded 45-minute and 60-minute delivery windows. The company has also been extending its hours of operation. Two weeks ago, Instacart rolled out 24/7 delivery service from select retailers and said it is also extending its hours to accommodate retailers who are not 24/7 but are open beyond Instacart's traditional business hours.
