Instacart Gives Grocers and CPG Brands a Live View of Every Store

Instacart is rolling out AI-driven in-store software that turns grocery shelves into a live, actionable digital map for retailers and brands.

Rhea-AI Summary

Instacart (CART) announced new in-store software on September 21, 2026 that gives grocers and CPG brands a real-time digital view of grocery shelves. The solutions use data from approximately 600,000 Instacart shoppers, who generate over 10 million daily data points from shelf scans across North America, plus insights from more than 1.6 billion lifetime orders and imagery from Caper Carts.

The platform powers an Inventory Intelligence virtual store view for retailers and a Store Excellence Portal for brands. Features include real-time shelf visibility, merchandising optimization, demand forecasting, lost sales estimation, substitution and competitive benchmarking, and seasonal out-of-stock forecasting. The software is rolling out with select grocers and brands, with broader availability in the coming months.

Market Context

-2.83% followed CART's September 9 Clementine AI launch, which cited the same 1.6 billion lifetime o...

Analysis

-2.83% followed CART's September 9 Clementine AI launch, which cited the same 1.6 billion lifetime orders used in this announcement; the comparison links both releases to Instacart's grocery-data platform.

Key Figures

Shopper network: approximately 600,000 shoppers Store visits: more than 15 times per store per day Daily data points: over 10 million unique data points daily +1 more

Shopper network

approximately 600,000 shoppers

North America network

Store visits

more than 15 times per store per day

average shopper network activity

Daily data points

over 10 million unique data points daily

generated by shopper activity

Lifetime orders

more than 1.6 billion lifetime orders

data supporting the in-store software

Historical Context

1 past event · Latest: Sep 09

1 event

1. Sep 09

   AI shopping assistant

   24h Move

   -2.8%

   Clementine launched with grocery data and early results showing larger baskets.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Key Terms

computer vision, planogram, sku, upc, +1 more

5 terms

computer vision technical

"powered by Arpalus computer vision technology"

Computer vision is technology that gives machines the ability to 'see' and make sense of images or video, turning pixels into usable information like object counts, measurements, or activity patterns. For investors, it matters because it enables automation, cost reduction and new product features across industries—from quality checks on factory lines to retail analytics—so companies that adopt effective computer vision can boost efficiency, reduce labor needs and create competitive advantages.

planogram technical

"explore stocking, merchandising, and planogram changes"

A planogram is a visual diagram that shows where products should be placed on store shelves and displays to boost visibility and sales. Think of it as a furniture layout for a store that tells staff which items go where to make shopping easier and more appealing. For investors, planograms matter because they directly affect product turnover, sales per square foot and inventory costs—key drivers of a retailer’s revenue and profitability.

sku technical

"which stores and SKUs need attention"

A SKU (stock keeping unit) is a unique code a company assigns to a specific product variant—think of it as a product’s name tag that distinguishes size, color, model or packaging. Investors use SKUs to track which items sell, how fast inventory turns, and where profit comes from, so they reveal customer demand, supply-chain efficiency and revenue drivers much like each item in a supermarket tells the store which shelves are performing.

upc technical

"down to the store and UPC – refreshed daily"

A UPC (Universal Product Code) is the small barcode and numeric code printed on retail packaging that uniquely identifies a specific product and its version, like a digital name tag for merchandise. Investors care because UPCs enable accurate sales tracking, inventory management and faster store distribution, so widespread use or changes to UPCs can signal how easily a product reaches customers and how reliably its sales can be measured — similar to how a library’s catalog numbers let you track which books are checked out.

cpg financial

"grocers and CPG brands"

Consumer packaged goods are everyday items people buy frequently and replace often, such as food, personal care products, and household cleaners. Investors watch CPG businesses because they tend to produce steady, repeatable sales and reveal how well a company keeps customers and controls costs; small shifts in consumer habits, pricing or supply chain costs can quickly affect revenue and profit. Think of a CPG company as a neighborhood store supplying staples—tiny changes in demand or cost ripple across its earnings.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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New in-store software solutions will give grocers and CPG brands a live view of every store, so shelves stay stocked and customers can find what they need

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Instacart (NASDAQ: CART), a leading grocery technology company, today announced new in-store software that will enable grocers and CPG brands to access a real-time digital view of grocery shelves. The new solutions will map the entire store down to individual products on shelves, allowing grocers and CPG brands to virtually explore aisles, understand what is happening on shelves, and take action in real time. By turning the physical store into a live, actionable map, Instacart will help the entire grocery ecosystem keep products in stock and make it easier for customers to find what they need.

Instacart's network of approximately 600,000 shoppers visits stores across North America more than 15 times per store per day on average, generating over 10 million unique data points daily. Instacart is leveraging the data Instacart shoppers collect from shelf scans to create a real-time view of what is happening on store shelves. Combined with insights from more than 1.6 billion lifetime orders and shelf imagery capturable by both Instacart shoppers and Caper Carts – powered by Arpalus computer vision technology – Instacart gives retailers and CPG brands unprecedented, real-time visibility into what is available, where there are spikes or drop-offs in demand affecting inventory, and how in-store merchandising impacts sales.

"Grocery stores are the most complex physical environments in retail. A single store carries tens of thousands of items and the floor changes by the minute as customers shop, brands restock, and associates move displays," said Ryan Hamburger, Chief Commercial Officer at Instacart. "Traditional inventory systems weren't built for today's reality – they rely on estimates and periodic counts, leaving grocers and brands with an incomplete picture of what's actually happening on shelves. By turning the insights Instacart generates every day into real-time intelligence for the physical store, we'll give retailers and CPG brands a level of visibility that drives better business outcomes and experiences for every customer."

Building a real-time view of every store, aisle by aisle

What sets Instacart's in-store software solutions apart from other shelf-monitoring tools is the depth of grocery-specific data behind it. Most solutions solely track items received and sold; Instacart shows grocers and CPG brands exactly what is on the shelf, where customers are shopping, which displays are driving sales, and where gaps are costing revenue.

For store managers, that intelligence will come to life in a virtual view of the store through Inventory Intelligence, where they can walk any aisle, view shelf performance, and explore stocking, merchandising, and planogram changes before making them in-store. Instacart's in-store software solutions will offer:

• Real-time shelf visibility: See what is on the shelf, continuously updated as Instacart shoppers scan throughout the day – enabling in-store teams to replenish high-margin, high-velocity items faster, merchandisers to optimize shelf layouts and displays, and supply chain teams to improve demand forecasting and replenishment.
• Merchandising optimization: Identify high-velocity products that may need more shelf space and where a simple change, like adding another facing, could help recover lost sales.
• Demand forecasting: Anticipate which products are likely to run out before they do, helping teams prioritize restocking ahead of holidays and other periods of peak demand.

For CPG brands, Instacart is bringing new visibility into what happens with their products in stores with the Store Excellence Portal. Brands will receive a daily, store-level view of what is on the shelf, helping them identify where gaps are costing sales, where customers are switching to competitors, and which stores and SKUs need attention. Instacart's new solution helps brands understand:

• Lost sales estimation: See how much revenue is being lost down to the store and UPC – refreshed daily – giving teams an estimated dollar figure to act on.
• Substitution and competitive benchmarking: Track whether consumers who could not find your product switched to a different pack size or competitor, and see how your availability stacks up against the category - turning an empty shelf into an actionable sales signal.
• Seasonal and forward-looking monitoring: Stay ahead of peak periods by tracking depletion patterns in the weeks before demand spikes and comparing against years of historical availability data. Built-in forecasting will flag which stores and SKUs are likely to go out of stock before it happens.

These new in-store software solutions are rolling out with select grocers and CPG brands, with more launching in the coming months.

"Identifying out-of-stock issues has typically meant piecing together information from multiple systems and our store managers spending a lot of time on the floor," said Dylan Queen at Queen's Price Chopper. "Having visibility to on-shelf realities and inventory trends over time will help us better orchestrate replenishment across the store and respond to gaps quicker."

"One of the greatest challenges we see in retail is prioritizing where to send resources to create the greatest impact for brands," said Andy Keenan, Executive Vice President & GM, Branded Retail Services at Advantage Solutions. "We partner closely with Instacart, and one of our biggest unlocks has been accessing their Store Excellence Portal data. We can identify where products are missing, prioritize by sales opportunity, and direct resources to the shelves that need it most. That's helped us recover lost sales and improve on-shelf availability for the brands we serve."

These AI solutions are part of the Instacart Enterprise platform. Learn more at company.instacart.com/enterprise-platform.

About Instacart
Instacart is a leading grocery technology company that partners with more than 2,200 retail banners – representing nearly 100,000 stores – to transform how people shop for the groceries they need from the retailers they trust, while creating flexible earning opportunities for shoppers. Through the Instacart Marketplace, Instacart Enterprise platform, and Instacart Ads ecosystem, the company powers ecommerce, fulfillment, in-store technology, AI offerings, and advertising for partners. For more information, visit www.instacart.com/company. Maplebear Inc. is the registered corporate name of Instacart.

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SOURCE Maplebear Inc. dba Instacart

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What are the main capabilities for grocers in Instacart's in-store software?

Grocers can use Inventory Intelligence to see a virtual view of each store, walk any aisle digitally, view shelf performance, and test stocking, merchandising, and planogram changes before implementing them in-store. The tools provide real-time shelf visibility, help replenish high-margin and high-velocity items faster, optimize layouts and displays, and support demand forecasting for peak periods.

How does the Store Excellence Portal help CPG brands?

The Store Excellence Portal gives brands a daily, store-level view of what is on shelf, including lost sales estimation down to store and UPC, substitution and competitive benchmarking when products are unavailable, and monitoring of depletion patterns before seasonal demand spikes. Built-in forecasting flags which stores and SKUs are likely to go out of stock so brands can prioritize action.

What data sources power Instacart's real-time shelf visibility?

The system combines shelf-scan data from Instacart's network of about 600,000 shoppers, who visit stores across North America more than 15 times per store per day on average, generating over 10 million unique data points daily. It also incorporates insights from more than 1.6 billion lifetime orders and shelf imagery captured by Instacart shoppers and Caper Carts using Arpalus computer vision technology.

Who is currently using these new in-store software solutions?

The solutions are rolling out with select grocers and CPG brands, with additional partners expected in the coming months. Queen's Price Chopper and Advantage Solutions are cited as examples using the visibility and Store Excellence Portal data to orchestrate replenishment, prioritize resources, recover lost sales, and improve on-shelf availability.

Where can businesses learn more about Instacart's enterprise offerings?

These AI-driven in-store solutions are part of the Instacart Enterprise platform. More information is available at company.instacart.com/enterprise-platform.