Ever since the term “Shopping” was introduced in the world, there have been millions of products created and sold in the market to the customers. On-demand grocery ordering and delivery apps have added a new dimension to the fast-growing trend of online shopping.
Instacart is a strategic player in this promising industry that has acquired more attention post the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic. It covers a whopping 5500 cities across Canada and the USA selling more than 500 million products. Instacart has employed thousands of delivery executives (who work either full-time or part-time) to ensure that customers never go hungry.
Entrepreneurs aiming to get a strong foothold in the booming online grocery delivery sector can team up with a proven app development company for customized Instacart clone app development. Smoothly operating Android, iOS apps, web panels, and dashboards will be created for the users, delivery executives, retail store managers, and the admin.
How do entrepreneurs benefit from a game-changing app like Instacart?
- Guarantee of an increase in sales – of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) for the retailers as they get exposure to a global market. This results in greater revenue for the Instacart clone app managed and owned by the entrepreneur.
- Reduction in operating expenses – as the grocery delivery executives function as gig workers (independent contractors) instead of being full-time employees.
- Better customer satisfaction – as all the goods are available for purchase through real-time supply chain management of the warehouse operations and inventory control. Hence, there is no chance of an order getting cancelled or losing a potential purchase.
- Numerous revenue streams – through order processing fees, strategic increase in the prices of certain products, transaction execution charges, publishing targeted advertisements (Revenue Per Click strategy), order cancellation fees, Instacart Express membership plans, and commission from the partner retailers for listing their products for sale on an app like Instacart.
- Wider reach in the market – with massive expansion in different cities and towns through profitable partnerships with big retailers like Kroger, 7-Eleven, The Vitamin Shoppe, and Walmart. More products are offered for sale by adding large-scale retailers quickly on the Instacart clone app.
- An enhanced customer retention rate – The customers regularly purchase groceries from an app like Instacart as they are provided tailor-made discounts and offers. Data analytics is utilized to share information about coupons and deals based on the purchasing habits and preferences of the shoppers.
- Decrease in time for order fulfilment – By establishing state-of-the-art Micro Fulfillment Centres (MFCs) and warehouses, the delivery executives can quickly pick up the required goods demanded by the customers and hand the orders over to them speedily.
The important trends that entrepreneurs must consider before kickstarting Instacart Clone App Development are
- More customers are purchasing goods at the last minute – due to a shortage of products in their households. This is a viable behavioural change as shoppers are no longer preparing detailed grocery lists beforehand.
- A live chat option is a must-have feature – that entrepreneurs should integrate into their online grocery delivery app like Instacart. Users are sharing emojis, instant messages, and other vital information directly with the delivery executives through the real-time chat facility.
- More sales can be generated – if dedicated support services are available for senior citizens. They are a vulnerable group and require assistance to process an order online and make the required payment.
- Gone are the days when customers used – to reserve time for shopping during the weekends. The Covid-19 pandemic has altered the purchasing habits as more shoppers are ordering products in the middle of the week.
- Due to the fast spread of Covid-19 – across the globe, more users are buying personal healthcare products, bakery items, and alcoholic beverages.
- The main reasons why the online grocery ordering trend will continue are – speedy delivery of goods, 24×7 shopping options leading to greater convenience, and a personalized shopping experience provided on the Instacart clone app.
Analyzing the working model of an app like Instacart
- The users register on the Instacart clone app by entering details like their email address, location, and phone number. Social media sign-up with Facebook and Google Accounts is also provided.
- The delivery executives create a profile on an app like Instacart. They upload the necessary documents and undergo identity verification to offer their pick-up and dispatch services across multiple locations.
- The admin approves the registration of customers and delivery personnel after checking their background and verifying their data.
- The customers can order a variety of goods like alcohol, bakery items, beauty care products, beverages, dairy products, frozen food, fruits, household essentials, office supplies, meat, seafood, and vegetables at economical rates.
- The shoppers process the order and make the online payment through Apple Pay, credit cards, debit cards, Electronic benefit transfer (EBT), Google Pay, and UnionPay.
- The customers can opt for either home delivery of groceries within a few hours or 1 day or choose curbside pickup from selected retail stores.
- The admin informs the nearby delivery executive to fulfil the order quickly.
- The delivery personnel picks up the order from the grocery retailer.
- They reach the users’ location quickly by utilizing the route optimization mechanism available in the Instacart clone app.
- They hand over the required groceries directly to the customers.
- The shoppers can rate the quality of the products that they have bought and share feedback about the professionalism of the delivery executives on a scale of 1-5.
Final Thoughts
Instacart has stayed ahead of big competitors like Amazon Fresh, FreshDirect, Shipt, and Walmart by modernizing its grocery ordering and delivery operations in the American market. It has utilized advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to increase its operational efficiency.
A flexible and scalable app like Instacart reflects the future of the online retail industry which will see demand from customers skyrocketing in the years to come due to the easy availability of smartphones, rapid urbanization, and faster Internet connectivity.
Entrepreneurs can benefit all the stakeholders by expanding the platform’s scope through productive tie-ups with local grocery store owners and grocery chains. This leads to greater benefits as the initial cost of investment is recovered soon. Hence, entrepreneurs can become ready to change the grocery shopping habits of people by allocating resources for profitable Instacart clone app development.
