If Instacart was able to pivot to full end to end food delivery with their own distribution chain it could have long term viability. Their current model of just having people shop in normal stores is problematic for many reasons, not the least of which because normal stores are BY DESIGN slow and inefficient for picking up a list of items.
Instacart had early advantage because full scale grocery delivery infrastructure was broadly in its infancy but if and when the likes of Amazon, Wal-Mart and others go full scale on their own offerings then structurally it would seem impossible for Instacart to compete with that.
> when the likes of Amazon, Wal-Mart and others go full scale on their own offerings then structurally it would seem impossible for Instacart to compete
I agree completely. I signed up to be a shopper with Instacart, and the experience was awful. To get work, there was a 'first come, first serve' queue I had to check at a specific time several times a week. Not great, I thought, but okay, we'll see how it goes.
Well, apparently people had set up bots or something, because all the orders worth taking were scooped up in less than a minute when the appointed time arrived. I couldn't even read the screen fast enough to see what was there before it was gone. I walked away in disgust immediately and never considered working with them again.
But Walmart and Amazon/Whole Foods are doing the same thing but just having their own pickers in their store. Until my Kroger delivery comes from the warehouse and not the the actual store Instacart will be fine.
Amazon Fresh might be a real competitor but it seems like they're running into the same problems as grocery stores.
Instacart had early advantage because full scale grocery delivery infrastructure was broadly in its infancy but if and when the likes of Amazon, Wal-Mart and others go full scale on their own offerings then structurally it would seem impossible for Instacart to compete with that.