Instacart has acquired Rosie, an e-commerce platform for local and independent retailers and wholesalers. With this acquisition, Instacart is deepening its commitment to serving local and independent grocers and expanding its Instacart Platform e-commerce offerings.
Founded in 2013 in Ithaca, New York, the Rosie team has spent nearly a decade building relationships and supporting local and independent retailers like Rosauers Supermarkets, Lee’s Marketplace, Niemann Foods and Geissler’s Supermarkets across more than 40 states.
With the acquisition of Rosie, Instacart is introducing new e-commerce solutions built for local and independent retailers that complement the company’s Instacart Platform offerings. Through the platform, Instacart is further enabling grocers to chart their own digital transformation through a suite of enterprise-grade technologies.
With the platform, Instacart gives retailers access to the solutions behind Instacart’s consumer marketplace, helping retailers like Schnucks, Tops Friendly Markets 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 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.
Through this acquisition, Rosie customers will have the opportunity to utilize Instacart’s in-store offerings like 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.
“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.”
Moving forward, the Rosie team will lead Instacart’s business strategy and technology development for local independent grocers, as Instacart continues to build best-in-class e-commerce and fulfillment solutions for this critical segment of the grocery industry.
“For more than eight years, I’ve experienced all that Rosie has to offer, from shopping on the platform and promoting it as a marketer, to operating it as a retailer and recommending it to other independent stores as a wholesaler,” said Jason Sokol, VP of marketing at Associated Foods Stores. “I’m excited about the possibilities that Instacart and Rosie can deliver together – their combined software platforms, extensive support capabilities and deep relationships will help all independently-owned retailers across the country compete and win.”
For more information, visit rosieapp.com.
