Instacart expands alcohol delivery reach with Meijer partnership

With alcohol continuing to rise as one of the most popular digital aisles on Instacart, the online grocer is expanding its alcohol footprint in partnership with Midwest retailer Meijer.

By partnering with Meijer to deliver alcohol from more than 180 store locations across Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, Instacart said it is increasing its alcohol delivery footprint to nearly 75% of households in the United States — or more than 85 million households across more than 17,000 partner stores. Meijer joins more than 300 Instacart retail partners offering alcohol delivery and pickup, including Aldi, Albertsons, Costco, Food Lion, Publix, Safeway, Sam’s Club and Stop & Shop.

“We’re proud to deepen our partnership with Meijer, bringing its expansive alcohol selection online and giving customers even more access to Meijer’s one-stop-shop selection via same-day delivery. We know that alcohol e-commerce is a clear growth driver for our retail partners, which typically see their basket sizes increase by 25% with alcohol,” said Chris Rogers, vice president of retail at San Francisco-based Instacart. “We’re committed to serving as a retailer enablement platform and providing grocers with more ways to bring their entire store online as they continue to grow and meet the evolving ecommerce needs of their customers.”

Related:Grocery retailers bring alcohol delivery home

Instacart is partnering with Meijer to deliver alcohol from more than 180 store locations across Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.

Instacart first introduced alcohol delivery in 2013 and continues to expand nationwide, particularly with the increased passage of local alcohol-specific legislation over the past year. Instacart now operates alcohol delivery and pickup from more than 26 states and Washington, D.C., and plans to launch alcohol delivery in Mississippi in the coming months. The company also helps retailers navigate the permit and approval process in partnership with state and local regulators for online alcohol delivery and pickup. 

The surge in online grocery during COVID, coupled with overall increased sales of alcohol beverages, has proven to be a boon for online alcohol delivery.

“Despite being a massive market (more than $300 billion), alcohol is one of the last categories to meaningfully come online. However, the pandemic changed everything over the last year and a half,” wrote Amber Roberts, vice president of enterprise at DRINKS, the online alcoholic beverage platform, in a guest column for Supermarket News earlier this year.

“As the COVID-19 crisis drove rapid adoption of e-commerce and grocery delivery, it also accelerated demand for online alcohol,” she noted. “Over the course of 2020 alone, alcohol e-commerce orders grew by 80%. And even though the U.S. is loosening restrictions and life is feeling more like pre-pandemic times, that doesn’t mean that online alcohol will fade away. On the contrary, by 2024, it’s estimated that e-commerce will account for 7% of alcohol sales (a 7x increase from 2019 levels).”

Related:Costco, Instacart expand alcohol delivery to 200 club stores