Instacart teams up with Whole Foods

While Canadian retailers work to break into grocery delivery, the U.S. has it down to a science.

Whole Foods announced earlier this week they've partnered with Instacart to pilot to make a more efficient grocery delivery process.

Instacart on its own is the new darling of the grocery delivery world. The services relies on a team of personal shoppers to go to your selected supermarket, do your shopping and deliver the product to your door – all within an hour. It's currently available in 15 cities across the U.S. at chains such as Safweay. Shaw's, BJs, Wholesale, Costco and, of course, Whole Foods.

So how is Instacart widening its lead in the race to online? Starting next month, personal shoppers will be embedded in Whole Foods stores, rather than be sent there when an order is placed. The theory is these shoppers won't waste time getting to their location, and will be able to shop more efficiently as they'll be more familiar with specific Whole Foods locations.

"Instacart makes it extremely easy for our customers to buy Whole Foods Market products from 15 cities and have them quickly delivered—whether buying fresh ingredients for dinner tonight or sending healthy foods to loved ones in another city,” said Walter Robb, a co-CEO of Whole Foods in a statement. “We are thrilled to add this additional convenience for our customers.”

Whole Foods and Instacart also plan to offer a click and collect model, where customers can simply pick up their groceries from the store after the Instacart personal shopper finishes their rounds.

According to Apoorva Metha, CEO and founder of Instacart, Whole Foods is Instacart's most requested shopping destination.

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