Instacart Makes Another Transformative Acquisition
Instacart is continuing to expand its position in the grocery technology market by making another blockbuster acquisition.
The company revealed that it has acquired Rosie, a premier e-commerce platform for local and independent retailers and wholesalers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Rosie deal marks Instacart’s fourth acquisition in the past year. Just last week, Instacart acquired Eversight, the AI-powered pricing and promotions platform for CPG companies. Last year, Instacart acquired smart cart maker Caper AI and catering software firm FoodStorm.
With the acquisition of Rosie, Instacart is introducing new e-commerce solutions built specifically for local and independent retailers that complement the company’s existing Instacart Platform offerings. Instacart Platform gives retailers access to the solutions behind Instacart’s consumer marketplace, helping retailers such as Schnucks, Tops Markets LLC and The Fresh Market create new online and in-store solutions that enhance the customer experience and help their businesses grow.
“Our focus is on creating technology solutions that are tailor-made to meet the online and in-store needs of all grocers -- whether they’re national chains or independently owned and operated,” said Chris Rogers, chief business officer at San Francisco-based Instacart. “Local and independent grocers are so important to the grocery ecosystem. They have loyal customers, create meaningful job opportunities and serve as cornerstones of their communities. The Rosie team understands these grocers better than anyone, and that’s why we’re proud to welcome them to Instacart. Together, we’ll build more technologies that help independent grocers accelerate their pace of innovation so they can continue to compete, grow and serve their customers however they choose to shop.”
Adding Rosie’s offerings to the Instacart Platform gives more retailers access to tools and technologies that can lead to growth in their businesses and deeper engagement with their customers, all while retaining their unique store experience and brand identity, according to Instacart.
Through this acquisition, Rosie customers will have the opportunity to use Instacart’s in-store offerings such as Foodstorm’s order management system and Caper’s smart cart and checkout technology, the Instacart shopper network to help support new picking and fulfillment options, Carrot Ads and loyalty programs to increase customer engagement and affordability, and more.
Moving forward, the Rosie team will lead Instacart’s business strategy and technology development for local independent grocers, as Instacart continues to build e-commerce and fulfillment solutions for this critical segment of the grocery industry.
Founded in Ithaca, N.Y., in 2013, Rosie has spent nearly a decade building relationships and supporting local and independent retailers such as Rosauers Supermarkets, Lee’s Marketplace, Niemann Foods Inc. and Geissler’s Supermarkets across more than 40 states.
Rosie offers independent grocers branded e-commerce websites and mobile app capabilities that power order flow, fulfillment and customer insights. Its product features include shoppable weekly ads, store loyalty and rewards program integrations, third-party fulfillment logistics integrations, and payment processing – all developed for local and independent grocers.
“For nearly a decade, our team has lived, breathed and devoted ourselves to the success of local independent grocers, and I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished together,” said Nick Nickitas, founder and CEO of Rosie. “Instacart’s mission of powering the future of grocery is closely aligned with our own, and I’m confident that combining our teams and technologies is the way to best continue serving these important retailers. Together, we will continue to innovate and build easy-to-use and affordable digital solutions that help our retailer, wholesaler and brand partners thrive and better meet the needs of their customers.”
In May, Rosie helped Dash’s Market, a family-owned grocery chain with four locations in and around Buffalo, N.Y., launch Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) online payments. Dash’s Market was Rosie’s second independent retailer partner to go live accepting SNAP payments online, just weeks after Davis Food & Drug in Utah launched such a program.
As a locally focused e-commerce company, Rosie partners with independent grocers and their wholesalers to provide a fully customizable branded e-commerce presence, delivery opportunities, omnichannel marketing and deep data services. Partners also include Associated Food Stores, Associated Grocers Inc., Associated Wholesale Grocers, Bozzuto’s, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Co. and URM Stores.
Rosie also recently launched its first retailer-branded mobile app. The first retailers to launch on the Apple and Google Play stores with a branded app are Crop’s Fresh Marketplace, a single-store operator in Pennsylvania, and Gerrity’s Supermarkets, located in Pennsylvania with nine locations. Rosie is on pace to launch its new white-label mobile app solution at 75 more grocery stores by the end of the first quarter.
Instacart currently partners with more than 900 national, regional and local retail brands to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 75,000 stores across 13,000-plus cities in North America on the Instacart Marketplace.
