Instacart announced Thursday a partnership with Merchants Distributors, LLC that allows the grocers that work with the wholesaler to access Instacart’s e-commerce solutions.
Independent grocers within MDI’s network will be able to join the Instacart App to offer customers same-day delivery and to enable Storefront Pro e-commerce solutions for retailers, such as customized homepages and analytics. MDI’s grocery clients will also have access to Instacart’s fulfillment technologies to power pickup and delivery and the ability to tap into retail media solutions through Instacart Carrot ads.
“By powering our e-commerce service with Instacart, we’re able to support our independent retailers with a comprehensive solution that gives us the merchandising flexibility we need to help our retailers grow their digital presence and better serve their communities,” Mary Kellmanson, senior vice president of marketing at MDI, said in the announcement.
Based in North Carolina, MDI supplies over 600 retail food stores across 12 states and exports to over 30 countries.
The partnership expands Instacart’s reach among smaller and independent grocers at a time when the grocery technology company is working to diversify its client and advertising base. Earlier this year, Instacart added family-owned independent grocer Dierbergs Markets to its growing roster of smaller grocers that use its services. The company also struck deals with two point-of-sale equipment suppliers to provide its Caper Cart smart carts to independent grocery and convenience stores.
Instacart said that over 600 retail banners currently use its white-label e-commerce solutions.
