Voice of the Customer: How Universities & Specialized Schools Fuel Student Success With Instacart Business

In the Voice of the Customer series, we sit down with real Instacart Business users to understand what they do and how the Instacart Business platform supports their ordering needs.

At Instacart Business, we help deliver the supplies your business needs at the moment you need them. We work hand in hand with busy professionals who have a lot on their plates and very little time to spare. From fueling student-athletes to supporting specialized learning environments where every detail matters, our platform and tools are here to help you succeed.

Today, we're spotlighting two educational organizations that have found success by tapping into the speed, convenience, and selection of Instacart Business. See how Katie Salomone, Director of Sports Nutrition at Rutgers University Athletics, and Niky Kennedy, Assistant Director of Operations at Princeton Child Development Institute, are using our platform to focus on what matters most: serving their students and athletes!

Variety & Efficiency: Instacart Business for University Athletics

In university athletics, speed and variety matter. It's crucial to get the right nutrition delivered fast, and get it from retailers that can meet diverse dietary needs across 700+ student-athletes. 

The need for efficient delivery and cost-effective bulk ordering brought Salomone to Instacart Business. She knew it would be more efficient than going to the grocery store herself on top of her other responsibilities. What’s more is that with Instacart Business, Salomone gained the ability to add multiple team members to her account, delegate some of the shopping and streamline expense reporting, all without compromising the experience for the athletes she supports.

After onboarding Instacart Business, Rutgers leveraged:

• Business organizations with multiple team members, allowing five staff members to place orders independently across 24 sports programs
• Access to a wide range of retailers, from bulk cost-effective options to smaller specialty stores that cater to athletes from different cultures and countries
• Hotel delivery capabilities for game-day travel, eliminating TSA restrictions on packed snacks
• One-click bulk receipt exports, for simplified expense tracking across daily orders

Learn how to take advantage of bulk receipt exports and adding team members to your account, by visiting the Instacart Help Center.

University athletic programs aren’t the only educational organization we support. We also help specialized schools handle their unique supply needs so they can focus on student development and success.

Convenience & Care: Instacart Business for Special Education

Running a nonprofit organization that serves children and adults with autism requires specialized resources and careful coordination across multiple programs. Kennedy was seeking a solution that could support both the main education building at Princeton Child Development Institute and four group homes with tailored food programs. 

Initially, the Institute mostly used Instacart for holiday parties and special events. But when they realized how inefficient it was for teachers to shop individually for students, PCDI searched for a business solution that could scale across their entire organization. When they discovered Instacart Business, her approach changed completely.

By implementing Instacart Business, PCDI team gained:

• An administrative dashboard, providing centralized visibility across all organizational spending
• Simplified expense tracking, with different funding sources and credit cards for the accounting team
• Reliable delivery, supporting their oldest student turning 60 and youngest under age five

Organizations that serve children and adults with autism do important work day in and day out — and we’re proud to facilitate the delivery of the supplies that Princeton Child Development Institute needs.

Get Convenience Delivered With Instacart Business

Whether you're managing nutrition for championship athletes or supporting specialized learning environments, you can get the supplies you need wherever you need them, starting with a free account!

Our customers love:

• Delivery in as fast as one hour from 1,800+ retail brands nationwide
• Centralized visibility across your team with multiple user accounts
• One-click bulk receipt exporting for streamlined expense reporting
• Tax-exempt purchasing where eligible
• Flexible scheduling for routine needs and last-minute requests
• Payment flexibility with business invoicing and 30-day net terms*

*Payment terms subject to application and approval

Get started by creating your free Instacart Business account today!