Instacart Goes Big with Latest Offering

Instacart’s latest update is a big one. Literally.

The same-day grocery delivery platform on Wednesday launched “Big & Bulky,” a new delivery offering that’s pretty much what it sounds like.

San Francisco-based Instacart partnered with retailers Big Lots, Container Store, Mastermind Toys, Office Depot, Spirit Halloween and Staples to offer same-day delivery of large items.

Consumers can add on other items, such as food or beverages, with their delivery orders, the company said.

“With Big & Bulky, customers can order their grocery items and household goods—such as grilling items, beverages printer ink or packing tape—directly alongside their large item orders for delivery at the same time,” Instacart said in a statement. “Whether they are tailgating for the big game, building a home office or planning a residential move, customers can now rely on Instacart for all of their shopping needs with a single order.”

To make the deliveries, Instacart is enlisting shoppers with large vehicles to opt-in to shop batches with large items. During a pilot, 97% of shoppers with eligible vehicles opted-in to take part in the new offering, the company said.

Big & Bulky orders are managed by Carrot Delivery, Instacart’s fulfillment platform.

“We’re excited to continue to expand our partnership with Instacart to offer customers on their platform even greater access to products and solutions from Office Depot and OfficeMax stores,” Jamie Columbus, VP of e-commerce for Office Depot. “The new Big & Bulky fulfillment solution offers busy professionals and families a quick and convenient way to receive the office and school supplies they need to succeed, with the ability to pair large items like desks, bookcases, file cabinets, office chairs and more, with smaller items like tech accessories, binders and printer ink, for delivery together, same-day.”

Instacart, which is reportedly planning to go public before the end of the year, has been steadily expanding its services beyond household grocery delivery.

Earlier this month, the tech company announced it would offer grocers a platform for catering orders, a service that has traditionally been managed with pen and paper.

Instacart reportedly saw record revenue during the second quarter, climbing 39% from the year before to $621 million, according to investors cited by the Wall Street Journal this week.