Instacart Expands Alcohol Delivery to 40M Households

Instacart has expanded its grocery retail partnerships to include alcohol delivery in 14 states and Washington, D.C. Customers of Albertsons Cos., The Kroger Co., Publix Super Markets Inc., Schnuck Markets and Stater Bros. Markets Inc. can now receive delivery of beer, wine and spirits in as quickly as one hour.  

With the expansion, alcohol delivery via Instacart is available from nearly one-third of Instacart’s more than 300 retail partners, reaching more than 40 million households across the U.S. in the following states: California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Washington, as well as Washington, D.C. The growth makes Instacart one of the largest online delivery and pickup marketplaces for alcohol in the U.S., according to a company statement.

“Part of grocery shopping for many people goes beyond getting fresh produce, meats and pantry staples, and includes picking up the perfect bottle of wine for a dinner party or their favorite beer to sip while watching the big game,” said Nilam Ganenthiran, chief business officer of Instacart. “By working alongside our retail partners to add alcohol to the marketplace, we’re offering customers more choice and making it easier for Instacart to be their ‘one-stop shop’ to get the groceries they need—including beer, wine and spirits—from the retailers they love.”

Related:Schnucks Launches Alcohol Delivery in Missouri, Illinois

Instacart slowly began rolling out alcohol delivery with a small number of retail partners and said its number of alcohol deliveries has more than doubled this time last year. The company is highlighting the enhanced service to customers in available states with a new in-app banner, designed to make it easer to shop directly from the beer, wine and spirit “aisles” of its retail partners on the Instacart marketplace.

The company said it will continue rolling out alcohol delivery to customers in more states, including Nebraska and Michigan, in the coming months.

“We couldn’t be more excited to work with Instacart’s extensive delivery network to create a fantastic customer experience,” Jewel Hunt, Albertsons group VP of e-commerce, said in a statement. “Now customers have the convenient option of rush delivery straight to their doorsteps for all of their grocery needs, from everyday essentials to fresh produce to that favorite bottle of wine for a special dinner.”

As online grocery shopping continues to grow, grocers have been increasingly launching alcohol delivery as a logical next step toward fulfilling shoppers’ needs for convenient meal solutions. For instance, H-E-B piloted a one-hour alcohol delivery service via Favor last summer, and Meijer Inc. last fall introduced its own alcohol delivery service in several states through Meijer Home Delivery.

The online alcohol market has grown 20% year over year in the past 10 years, according to market research firm Euromonitor, and as retailers enhance their grocery delivery services, they are well-positioned to fulfill this demand. However, rapid expansion of alcohol delivery can be a challenge as laws may vary state by state.

Customers ordering alcohol via Instacart must be over the age of 21 and are required to present a valid government ID at the time of delivery, Instacart said.

The online grocery delivery provider is currently accessible to more than 80% of U.S. households and in all 50 state, serving nearly 20,000 grocery stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America.