The Giant Company launches Instant Delivery

Tapping a new service from Instacart, The Giant Company has introduced 30-minute Instant Delivery from early morning to late at night for convenience products, fresh groceries and household essentials from Giant and Martin’s supermarkets.

Carlisle, Pa.-based Giant said Tuesday that about 20,000 items are available via Giant Instant Delivery and Martin’s Instant Delivery, such as prepared foods, snacks and beverages as well as “last-minute” items like paper goods, household cleaners and baby care products. Available as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 12 a.m. daily, the service requires a $10 order minimum and carries a $2.99 delivery fee. Subscribers to the Instacart Express program receive free Priority Delivery, in as soon as 30 minutes, on orders of at least $10.

Currently, customers can access Instant Delivery through the Giant and Martin’s sites on Instacart’s online marketplace. Plans call for 30-minute convenience delivery to become available via Giant’s and Martin’s websites and mobile apps in the coming months, enabled by Instacart Enterprise services.

“While no two families’ grocery experiences are alike, the one thing so many of our families have in common is that their lives are busier than ever. Sometimes, they just can’t make it to the grocery store — even for a quick trip — and that’s where Giant Instant Delivery comes in,” Matt Simon, vice president of brand experience at The Giant Company, said in a statement. “Together with Instacart, we’re simplifying the shopping experience. Whether it’s realizing the chocolate chips are missing the night before the school bake sale or unexpected dinner guests at the doorstep, through Giant Instant Delivery, we are continuing to find new ways to be there for our customers when they need us the most.”

Related:Instacart gets under way with 24/7 delivery

For the Instant Delivery service, Giant and Martin’s have joined Instacart’s Convenience Hub, a new experience on the Instacart Marketplace. Announced two weeks ago, the Convenience Hub is designed to streamline convenience shopping. San Francisco-based Instacart said the Convenience Hub will allow consumers in nearly every major U.S. city to shop for essentials 24x7.

When announcing the Convenience Hub, Instacart noted that convenience remains one of the top categories on its online marketplace, with orders up more than 150% since May 2021. The online delivery giant said it’s also seeing escalating demand for express delivery, with nearly 20% of customers now choosing Priority Delivery at checkout. The company also has launched 24/7 delivery at selected retail partners with stores open 24 hours or extended hours.

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

“We’re excited to deepen our partnership with The Giant Company and provide a new way for customers to access convenience delivery across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia,” stated David Healy, who leads retail partnerships at Instacart. “From produce to household staples, we recognize that customers may need essentials at the last minute, and we’re proud to unlock 30-minute delivery while reimagining the modern convenience store. It’s clear that customers are looking for both speed and quality, and they know that they can rely on Giant to provide both. We look forward to growing our Convenience Hub offering in partnership with Giant.”

Part of Ahold Delhaize USA, The Giant Company operates about 190 stores and more than 150 online pickup hubs in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and provides grocery delivery service in hundreds of ZIP codes. The grocer currently provides online grocery ordering and pickup/delivery service to 90% of its retail footprint. That is slated to expand later this year with the opening of a new Giant Direct e-commerce fulfillment center in Philadelphia, which the company said will bring more capacity, faster order fulfillment and additional space to grow home grocery delivery.

“Looking ahead,” Simon added, “we’ll continue to invest in and strengthen both our in-store and online experience so that no matter when, where or how our customers want to shop, we’re offering the right combination of omnichannel solutions to help them save time and get back to what matters most – being able to connect with family.”