Instacart now delivering groceries in Miami

Online grocery delivery service Instacart has had to add boats to its fleet of vehicles now that the growing company has decided to launch in Miami.

Customers in Miami can now order from Whole Foods Market, Costco, Winn-Dixie, BJ'S Wholesale Club and Petco stores and have everything delivered by Instacart in as little as one hour. Instacart customers do not need a Costco or BJ's membership to shop from those stores.

"We had thousands of requests for service in the Miami area, and strong interest from retail partners such as Whole Foods Market and Winn-Dixie, so the time was right," said Apoorva Mehta, founder and CEO of Instacart. "We're thrilled to bring the first on-demand grocery delivery service to Miami."

To celebrate the Miami launch, deliveries for Instacart orders will be done in style on a boat this week. Customers who are out on a boat or have a dock within Instacart's Miami delivery zone could receive their groceries by transport via water!

Originally launched in San Francisco and since expanded into many other cities, Instacart has disrupted the traditional grocery delivery space by connecting customers with personal shoppers, independent contractors who shop for and deliver grocery orders providing their own transportation in as little as one hour. This eliminates the need for costly infrastructure such as inventory, warehouses, trucks and full-time drivers.

Whole Foods Market was one of the first national grocery chains to partner with Instacart for delivery, and has seen average weekly sales through Instacart grow to over $1.5 million.

"Instacart has already proven itself as a strong partner for Whole Foods Market in 15 other cities, and we're very excited to now offer our Miami customers this great shopping and delivery experience," said Juan Nunez, president, Florida Region for Whole Foods Market. "Whole Foods Market shoppers will now be able to conveniently purchase our high quality products online or through the mobile app and have them delivered directly to a home or office address in as little as an hour."

Petco recently expanded its Instacart delivery partnership after a successful trial in San Francisco and Boston.

"Customer feedback to this important piece of our omni-channel offering has been positive and we're pleased to extend the convenient service to pet parents in Miami," said Brad Weston, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Petco.