Instacart upgrades FoodStorm order management platform

Instacart is introducing new enhancements to its FoodStorm order management solution designed streamline ordering for retailers and customers.

The grocery technology company is adding new capabilities to FoodStorm, the order management system (OMS) it purchased in October 2021 and initially revamped with new capabilities in October 2023.

Timed for the upcoming holiday rush, the new features include the ability of store associates to mark individual items in an order as complete, view specific customer order notes to ensure order accuracy, and more efficiently search for orders to fulfill. 

These new capabilities are intended to give store associates more visibility and information about each order, helping ensure customers get exactly what they asked for. Retailers can also now use FoodStorm to show customers which nearby stores have their desired items in-stock, with customers being able to change their preferred store location.

In addition, retailers can now remove an original credit card payment method without canceling the original customer order if another payment upon pickup is preferred. And both customers and retailers can now add or delete items on pickup day without order cancellation, which Instacart says will help upselling promotions.

"Created with retailers and their customers in mind, FoodStorm streamlines and enhances prepared food operations for retailers and customers during the ordering, preparing, and picking up of prepared bakery and deli items," Rob Hill, GM, order ahead of Instacart said in a corporate blog post. "With FoodStorm, retailers can maximize sales by facilitating smoother order fulfillment, optimizing inventory management, and providing great customer service."