Aldi brings Instacart omnichannel technology to all U.S. stores

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Brief description of the dive:

Instacart announced Tuesday that expands cooperation with Aldiadding the food technology company’s Connected Stores solutions, including electronic shelf labeling capabilities, in-store app mode and order pickup technology, to all Aldi locations in the U.S.
The companies are also expanding internationally, introducing Instacart’s Caper Carts at an Aldi store in Europe.
As Aldi continues to rapidly expand, the integration of these technologies will enable the discount grocer to create a more personalized shopping experience for its customers, Instacart said.

Diving Insight:

Aldi is bringing Instacart’s Connected Stores suite of features to Aldi US locations to enhance the digital and in-store shopping experience. The app’s In-Store Mode technology will allow shoppers to see what’s in stock, sort items by aisle and access in-store promotions through the Instacart app.

Instacart’s Carrot tags, which are already in use at more than 100 Aldi stores in Illinois and Ohio, will soon be rolled out nationwide and are designed to make it easier for Instacart workers to locate products. The tags’ pick-to-light feature lets them select an item on their phone and find it by its label on the shelf.

The announcement noted that Aldi also intends to roll out order collection technology nationwide.

Instacart and Aldi will begin testing Caper Carts at discount store Sattledt in Austria, according to an announcement, continuing Instacart’s international growth efforts.

The smart carts, which will be placed at the store’s entrance, allow customers to see a running total of their purchases on a digital screen. Shoppers paying by card will go through a “fast lane” at checkout to speed up their purchases, according to a press release.

Aldi will be the first grocer to test Caper Carts in Europe, David McIntosh, vice president and general manager of Connected Stores at Instacart, said in a statement.

The overseas debut of Caper Carts follows a growing number of Instacart smart cart deployments in the U.S. Last week, Instacart announced that Davis Food & Drug replace most of your shopping carts with Caper Carts in three locations in Utah.

Last summer, choose Schnuck Markets shopsShopRite in Spotswood, New Jersey and Fairway Market in Manhattan Caper carts were rolled out.

Instacart and Aldi first partnered in 2017 to provide same-day deliveries in the U.S., and have since expanded their partnership to include alcohol delivery and SNAP online payment acceptance. In June 2023, the two companies Aldi Express was launched“virtual grocery store” offering 30-minute delivery from more than 2,100 Aldi locations across the U.S.