Instacart gets under way with 24/7 delivery

Amid the fanfare of its “virtual convenience store” launch with The Kroger Co., Instacart quietly introduced another convenience-focused offering: 24/7 delivery service.

San Francisco-based Instacart said this week that 24/7 delivery will be available at selected retail partners with stores open at all hours, including 7-Eleven, Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, Rite Aid and Safeway locations. With the service, the online grocery delivery giant also will extend hours for retailers that aren’t open 24 hours a day but operate later at night or early in the morning.

The company noted that 24/7 delivery enables customers and its personal shoppers to place and shop orders whenever it’s best for them.

“Many of these batches will be smaller, convenience-type orders from folks who are craving a late-night snack, need a quick diaper run or are missing a crucial ingredient for breakfast,” Instacart said in a blog post to its shopper community. “These easy, quicker batches will let shoppers earn when you want to, 24 hours a day.”

Along with standard safety precautions such as wearing brightly colored clothing and ensuring vehicles are fully functional, Instacart said it’s providing added safety resources for personal shoppers in its Shopper app for the 24/7 launch, given the service’s nighttime and early morning hours. Resources include emergency services calling that can connect shoppers with 911, and safety incident reporting that allows them to submit a report directly to Instacart’s Trust & Safety team.

Related:Kroger, Instacart team up on ‘virtual convenience store’

On Tuesday, Instacart and Kroger unveiled Kroger Delivery Now, a new  service offering delivery of fresh groceries and household staples from Kroger Co. supermarkets across the country in as soon as 30 minutes. The service is accessed via the Convenience Hub, a new product experience on the Instacart Marketplace to streamline convenience shopping. Through the Convenience Hub, consumers in nearly every major U.S. city can shop for essentials 24 hours a day, with Instacart Express members getting free Priority Delivery in as fast as 30 minutes on orders over $10.

In announcing Kroger Delivery Now and the Convenience Hub, Instacart noted that convenience remains one of the top categories on its marketplace, as orders have surged more than 150% since May 2021.

Instacart is North America’s largest third-party online grocery platform. The company partners with more than 600 national, regional and local retailers and delivers from nearly 55,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities. Its delivery service reaches 85% of U.S. households and 70% of Canadian households. The company has expanded its service to new retail segments, including prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines, office supplies, electronics, health and beauty care, home decor and sporting goods. among others.

Related:Albertsons tests Instacart pickup at 40 stores