Instacart will expand its delivery capabilities beyond the consumer space with the launch of Instacart Business, a B2B service aimed at helping small businesses. Instacart Business will connect business owners with retailers representing 1,100 national, regional and local retail banners with a combined 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in the U.S. and Canada.
The new service was designed to serve companies that make purchases in smaller quantities, such as snacks to fill a breakroom or meals for a daycare. Instacart Business also will cover office supplies currently offered by Instacart, such as paper and pens. Current retail partners include Costco Business Center, Staples, Restaurant Depot and BJ’s Wholesale Club.
In February 2022, Instacart expanded offerings under its Instacart Platform umbrella, adding online and in-store solutions to help grocers and other food retailers capture ad revenue and enabling more seamless end-to-end fulfillment solutions.
Instacart Business has no monthly minimum fees or requires additional contracts. Instacart plans to roll out a growing suite of options over the coming months, including:
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- Stock lists: Customers can simplify their operations and streamline spend by gathering all of their business needs into a shopping list that can be shared with their team and ordered with a few taps;
- Re-ordering and auto-order: Companies can easily add all items from a previous order to their cart or leverage the simple Auto-Order feature for any items needed on a regular basis;
- Flexible delivery options: Businesses will have access to same-day delivery in as little as 30 minutes, discounted no-rush delivery and long distance delivery options;
- Business credits: Select business customers can distribute credits to teams and locations with category restrictions, invoicing and monthly reporting; and
- Tax exemption benefits: In select states, eligible pilot businesses like nonprofits, healthcare and political organizations can save on eligible tax-exempt items by providing their valid tax exemption certificate.
Additionally, Instacart will work with the U.S. Black Chambers, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Pan Asian American Chambers of Commerce EF, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and Black Enterprise to help it reach woman and minority-owned businesses. These organizations represent hundreds of thousands of diverse companies across the country, and Instacart’s aim is to help them expand their networks and provide access to training and informational resources.
“At Instacart, we believe that the cost of doing business shouldn’t be so costly — especially for small businesses that are essential to the communities they serve,” said Asha Sharma, COO of Instacart in a statement. “That’s why today we’re proud to announce the launch of Instacart Business. From stocking up on snacks in the office break room to getting last-minute supplies delivered to a family-owned restaurant, our affordable, convenient and flexible marketplace connects thousands of retailers to businesses nationwide, but with some new features tailor-made for this important community.”
Business owners can access Instacart Business by visiting instacart.com/business.
