SAN FRANCISCO – Instacart has acquired FoodStorm, a SaaS order management system (OMS) that powers end-to-end order-ahead and catering experiences for grocery retailers.
With this acquisition, Instacart plans to expand its enterprise technology portfolio to further support its retail partners’ ecommerce needs, investing in more innovative technology solutions that help retailers grow, compete, and better meet the evolving needs of their customers.
“As a retailer enablement platform, Instacart is focused on growing our partners’ businesses by investing in innovative new technologies and services that deliver significant value to them and their customers,” said Mark Schaaf, chief technology officer, Instacart. “For retailers, this new enterprise solution helps them bring even more of their inventory online, enhance their ecommerce capabilities, grow their business and meet the evolving needs of their customers. And, for customers, this unlocks a healthier, more affordable alternative to restaurant delivery - creating an easier way for people to order prepared foods online directly from their favorite grocers.”
FoodStorm has developed a comprehensive SaaS offering that covers multi-channel ordering — ecommerce, phone or in-store kiosk — order management, and payment and fulfillment. Its technology also integrates with a large variety of third-party systems including point of sale systems (POS) and offers customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities that help grocers collect feedback, market their offerings and leverage promotional features.
Looking ahead, Instacart plans to make FoodStorm’s technology available to more retailers through Instacart’s leading enterprise technology offering. In addition to acquiring FoodStorm’s technology and tools, Instacart is also excited to welcome the talented FoodStorm team, which is based in the United States and Melbourne, Australia to Instacart.
"I’m incredibly proud of what the FoodStorm team has achieved for our partners. This is a huge growth opportunity for grocers, and we’ve seen increased demand for our products as more customers are searching for seamless online and in-store ordering capabilities,” said Rob Hill, FoodStorm chief executive officer. “Grocery is an incredibly complex retail category, making the need for enterprise-grade solutions like FoodStorm and Instacart critical to the long-term success of the industry we all rely on to put food on our tables. We’re excited about this next chapter as we join the Instacart team and create new ways for retailers to serve the ever-changing needs of their businesses and customers."
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