Aldi, Gelson’s and Hornbacher’s Connect ESLs to Instacart Product Picking Solution

Three more supermarket chains will connect their electronic shelf label (ESL) hardware to the Carrot Tags pick-to-light functionality from Instacart, making it easier for Instacart pickers — and eventually for consumers themselves — to find the products on their shopping list.

Aldi, Gelson’s and Hornbacher’s have now deployed Carrot Tags, which light up to identify products on Instacart shoppers’ pick lists, following Schnucks’ July 2024 announcement of a chainwide rollout. The tags are designed to improve found rates, efficiency and order accuracy, and they provide retailers with the opportunity to integrate their functionality with other Instacart Connected Store technologies.

Looking ahead, Instacart will eventually make the pick-to-light functionality available to consumers for the first time via In-Store Mode on the Instacart App and Storefront Pro. Instacart also is planning to extend pick-to-light to its Caper Carts smart carts, which will enable customers to have shelf labels flash for items — whether from their shopping list or an ad or coupon they see — directly from their cart.

“We see the value Carrot Tags offer as they help Instacart shoppers to be more independent when fulfilling online orders, allowing our associates to focus on store operations and providing excellent customer service,” said Scott Patton, VP at Aldi in a statement. “Our business model is based on efficiency and Instacart’s enterprise technologies are just another way for us to enhance the customer experience while reducing costs and passing along savings to customers.”

Sprouts, Save Mart, Rosauers and Harmons ‘Go Pro’

Four other supermarket chains — Sprouts, Harmons, The Save Mart Companies and Rosauers — have adopted Instacart Storefront Pro, an advanced ecommerce solution designed for grocers of all sizes. These new clients are among the 600 retail banners leveraging Instacart’s ecommerce solutions, including Aldi, which rolled out Instacart’s Connected Store platform in its Aldi South U.S. locations in August 2024.

“Storefront Pro offers end-to-end control, from discovery through weekly ad integration and personalized recommendations to seamless checkout with loyalty programs and even fulfillment and customer care,” said Alice Luong, Director, Ecommerce and Retail Media at Instacart in a statement. “This comprehensive approach allows retailers to create cohesive, branded experiences that truly resonate with customers.

Premium features of Storefront Pro include:

• Customizable ecommerce storefront design with flexible merchandising layouts across digital surfaces;
• Native inspirational tools including weekly ad, recipes and shoppable content pages;
• Enhanced product discovery through advanced search and filtering;
• AI-powered personalized product recommendations and substitutions;
• Access to the Carrot Ads platform, enabling retailers to create retail media networks and unlock new revenue streams;
• Self-serve marketing tools for targeted promotional campaigns;
• Seamless integration with third-party coupons and loyalty programs;
• Comprehensive analytics for data-driven decision making;
• Versatile fulfillment options for delivery and pickup including labor; and
• Dedicated support from Instacart’s expert team.