Save Mart Expands Partnership With Instacart to Deploy Smart Carts

Grocery technology company will also provide order management, e-commerce upgrades

5/1/2024

The Save Mart Cos. will roll out Instacart's Caper Carts at its Save Mart, FoodMaxx and Lucky banners.

The Save Mart Companies is strengthening its technology stack through an expanded partnership with Instacart. Nearly all of the California-based grocer’s 200 locations under its Save Mart, FoodMaxx and Lucky banners will deploy Instacart’s AI-powered smart carts, as well as its FoodStorm order management system and Storefront Pro e-commerce feature.

Instacart’s Caper Carts will be deployed at select Save Mart and Lucky stores in the coming months, with a broader rollout to follow later this year. The carts feature an interactive screen that tracks spending and incorporates a loyalty program for direct access to coupons and deals, and they also sync with the Save Mart or Instacart app to allow for shopping list integration.

FoodStorm, Instacart’s order management system, will roll out across Save Mart and Lucky stores to help streamline the retailers’ foodservice, perimeter offerings and catering operations. Customers can now place orders for made-to-order items like fried chicken or custom cakes and pies directly on the Caper Cart screen while they shop and receive a notification once it’s ready for pickup.

Additionally, all three Save Mart banners are upgrading to Instacart’s Storefront Pro, giving them access to e-commerce features like customizable homepage and merchandising layouts, self-serve marketing tools, in-depth analytics, a dedicated Instacart support team, and support for third-party integrations.

"As a seasoned grocer with deep California roots, we’re committed to delivering fresh, local, and quality products at affordable prices. Our collaboration with Instacart has significantly expanded our online presence, reinforcing these core values within our local communities," said Tamara Pattison, chief digital officer at Save Mart. "Embracing new revenue streams through Storefront Pro offers us a solid foundation to enhance our business online.”

Continued Pattison: “By introducing Caper Carts and FoodStorm, we’re allowing customers to access what they love most about shopping online and bringing those elements into our stores. Whether it’s accessing coupons and deals on the carts or easily ordering the ‘farm-to-fork’ foods they know and love, we’re creating seamless experiences for our customers across online and in-store.”

Save Mart first partnered with Instacart in 2019 to launch same-day delivery across its banners.

"We're committed to giving grocers the technology they need to better serve their customers, no matter how they choose to shop,” said Chris Rogers, chief business officer at Instacart. “We're proud to partner with The Save Mart Companies on innovative in-store and online solutions that enable them to create a truly omnichannel experience that helps their business grow and makes shopping more unified, engaging, and personalized for their customers."

Earlier this month, Save Mart tapped its existing marketing agency, Quad, to help the company develop and deploy an in-store retail media network. Over the past several months, the two companies worked closely together to build out the in-store program, In-Store Connect by Quad, with the ultimate aim of helping suppliers connect with customers in an integrated way across all digital platforms.

Modesto, Calif.-based Save Mart, a Kingswood Capital Management LP portfolio company, has almost 200 Save Mart, Lucky and FoodMaxx stores in California and western Nevada. In addition to its retail operation, it operates SMART Refrigerated Transport and is a partner in Super Store Industries, which owns and operates a distribution center in Lathrop, Calif., and the Sunnyside Farms dairy processing plant in Turlock, Calif. As California’s largest regional full-service grocery chain, Save Mart employs 13,000 associates. The company is No. 52 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

The top retailers and solution providers in grocery will be talking about the latest innovations, like AI and retail media, at Progressive Grocer's annual GroceryTech event in Dallas on June 5-7. Click here for more information and to register now.