Instacart now delivering from Asian supermarkets
Shoppers in need of same-day delivery of Thai oyster sauce or Indonesian soy sauce may not have to leave their homes to buy the ingredients if Instacart has any say about it.
The online grocery delivery service based in San Francisco announced Wednesday that it would begin delivering to Boston and Cambridge residents from H Mart, one of the largest and fastest growing Asian grocery chains in the United States.
"H Mart is a local favorite for authentic Asian products, so we are thrilled to be able to bring those hard to find items to customers for the first time through simple online ordering and convenient one-hour delivery," said Nilam Ganenthiran, Vice President of Business Development and Strategy at Instacart. "We look forward to growing this partnership and continuing to offer such a wide variety of options to our customers. Instacart is an effective online delivery platform for all verticals of grocery stores, with H Mart as the largest specialty Asian-focused supermarket in the United States."
Instacart says customers in Cambridge, Boston and "the immediate surrounding areas" can choose from virtually any item carried at their local H Mart store and have delivery right to their doorstep within one hour or in a later one-hour window of their choosing.Prices on Instacart will be the same as in H Mart stores, Instacart noted.
"Instacart has quickly established itself as the go to provider of grocery delivery," said Sam Q Kim, Director of Marketing & Management Planning at H Mart. "By partnering with Instacart we can reach more customers who may not be able to make it into the store each week but would like our items delivered fresh to their doorstep with just a few simple clicks. The fact that we can bring this service to our customers and keep prices the same is a real win for them and something we're very excited about."
Launched in San Francisco in 2012 and now serving customers in 16 markets, Instacart has fundamentally changed how consumers and businesses get their groceries. Instacart connects its customers with Personal Shoppers who shop for and deliver grocery orders in as little as an hour. This innovate delivery process eliminates the need for costly infrastructure such as inventory, warehouses, and delivery trucks and led to Instacart being named "America's Most Promising Company" by Forbes Magazine in January 2015.
New customers can sign-up at www.Instacart.com, and get free delivery on their first order. Future orders cost just $3.99 for two-hour delivery or $5.99 for one-hour delivery. Customers can also purchase a $99 annual Instacart Express membership and receive free delivery on any order over $35.