Instacart updates fulfillment platform with delivery, picking tools
Instacart is expanding the capabilities of its end-to-end order fulfillment solution.
The grocery technology company is adding new delivery management software for retailer-owned fleets and enhanced enterprise-grade picking capabilities for store teams to its Fulfillment Pro platform. Following are highlights of each new solution:
Delivery management
Instacart’s new delivery management software brings the full picking-to-delivery workflow into a single system providing dispatchers with live route visibility, real-time adjustments, and exception management. Meanwhile, drivers have access to integrated navigation, GPS tracking, and automated customer communication.
The solution also offers intelligent load optimization and support for “mega-batching” (20-plus orders per run). Retailers will begin rolling out these capabilities later in 2026.
Picking
Fulfillment Pro’s new picking software supports the full picking workflow from planning and picking to substitutions and staging with tools designed to improve accuracy, speed, and customer satisfaction. In-app shopper chat lets store associates communicate directly with customers in real time.
In addition, tote-based workflows, where items are scanned into dedicated order bins, are offered to help reduce missing or mixed items; while multi-runner support is designed to streamline curbside handoffs. Real-time translation functionality automatically converts customer notes and chat messages for associates, with the goal of helping teams communicate clearly across languages.
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Fulfillment Pro has new delivery management capabilities. -
Instacart Fulfillment Pro translator.
For managers, these controls build on Fulfillment Pro’s existing automated, machine learning-driven workflows, enabling them to fine-tune operations through self-serve batching and scheduling, assign and expedite orders, and set labor schedules in bulk across locations.
“Retailers have made real investments in their e-commerce programs, and they need fulfillment tools that can scale with them,” said Blake Wallace, VP of retail partnerships at Instacart. “Fulfillment Pro brings picking, labor, and last-mile delivery into one system - giving retailers more control over their operations while helping them run more efficiently and deliver better experiences for their customers.”
Instacart has been launching a wide variety of enterprise solutions for use by its retail partners since 2022, when the company introduced a tech-focused 10-year plan. For grocery retailers, Instacart said it will provide the latest innovations and insights in e-commerce, fulfillment, in-store and advertising to enable them to build the “store of the future.”
[READ MORE: Instacart releases 10-year plan]
San Francisco-based Instacart partners with more than 1,800 national, regional and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from nearly 100,000 stores across North America.
