Bringing Home the Grocery Store More Efficiently with Order Ahead

Retailers are beloved by customers for a variety of reasons, whether it’s the high-quality food they stock, the great prices they offer, or the specialty items that customers can’t get anywhere else. One of our goals at Instacart is to help bring the grocery store to the customer, offering the same beloved brands and experiences that they would get in-store, all delivered conveniently to their home.

Many grocery stores aren’t just about groceries — they offer a range of everyday essentials and specialty items that customers want and need, from cakes at the bakery to pre-made meals to deli sandwiches. As we’ve worked to help bring even more of the grocery store home to the customer, we want to make it as seamless as possible for shoppers to deliver customers the fresh and ready meals they love.

This week, we’re introducing a new pilot that will allow customers to order items ahead of time, making it easier for customers to select exactly what they want, and shoppers to save time by picking up a pre-made item.

To kick off this pilot, we’re introducing order ahead for Pub Subs, the sandwich beloved across the Southeastern United States, along with sliced meat and cheese from the Publix deli. The pilot will be available in three Florida zones — Kissimmee, Orlando, and Lake Buena Vista — in the coming weeks.

Not only will it be easier for customers to order deli items made exactly to their liking — including customizing their Pub Sub directly from the app — but we’ve made the process even more streamlined for shoppers. With the customer’s order already placed ahead of time, shoppers only need to swing by the deli counter and pick up the items — no more standing in line or waiting for the sub to be made or the cheese to be sliced.

Once they’ve found the right item, shoppers can simply scan it in the app and check out with it, just like any other grocery item on the list. Additionally, shoppers can view exactly what the customer ordered from the item details page, without the need to comb through customer notes for all the relevant information.

This pilot was developed to make it even easier for shoppers to deliver the specific items customers want, without the added time commitment of waiting for the food to be prepared. It’s just one of the ways we’re making online grocery delivery convenient for customers and shoppers alike.