An estimated 54 million American households will purchase flowers or
plants for Mother’s Day* so Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) and Instacart
are making it more convenient by delivering flowers in as
little as one hour across 15 major US metros, along with a
selection of thoughtful gifts for moms. Through an exclusive
partnership, the two companies are offering a more convenient and
affordable alternative to traditional floral delivery, including blooms
that have higher standards like Whole
Trade® or Responsibly
Grown ratings.
Between May 1 and 10, customers can log onto Instacart.com
or the Instacart mobile app on iOS or Android devices and choose from
two Whole Foods Market bouquet options, then use the “notes” feature to
specify their preferred color** and what they would like to say
on a handwritten card. Customers can also choose a delivery window of
within one hour, within two hours or at a scheduled time. Orders can be
placed up to six days in advance.
The bouquet options available on Instacart from Whole Foods Market are a
dozen Whole
Trade® roses in assorted colors for $29.99, or 20-stem tulips in
various colors for $24.99. Delivery fees start at $3.99, but are free
for first-time Instacart users. Each bouquet will come wrapped in
festive paper.
Unlike traditional floral-only delivery options, customers can use
Instacart’s Mother’s Day “aisle” to also purchase teas, chocolates,
candles, body care items or even ingredients to cook mom breakfast, all
curated by Whole Foods Market experts and available for delivery with
the bouquet. Instacart’s database
of recipes from Whole Foods Market come with automated shopping
lists to add ingredients to the online cart.
In addition to added convenience, this partnership offers customers
responsibly sourced floral choices. All rose bouquets are backed by
Whole Foods Market’s Whole
Trade Guarantee, a certification-partnership program that helps
ensure better wages and working conditions for farm workers, fair prices
to producers and supports community improvement programs in areas where
the roses are produced. Most roses and tulips*** offered are
rated under Whole Foods Market’s new Responsibly
Grown program, which means they come from farms that are taking
major steps to protect human health and the environment.
“After seeing how much customers loved our Valentine’s Day floral
delivery with Instacart, we’re now excited to offer a convenient,
affordable way to celebrate moms everywhere with Whole Trade flowers
that give back to women and communities around the globe,” said David
Lannon, executive vice president of operations for Whole Foods Market.
“In keeping with our mission to delight shoppers, we also think
customers will love ordering with Instacart’s automated shopping lists
for brunch recipes, or finding mom a new favorite candle, all in a
format that fits their schedule.”
“Creative, value-driven solutions like this are a perfect example of how
Instacart and Whole Foods Market work together to serve our customers
with convenience and quality,” said Apoorva Mehta, CEO and founder of
Instacart. “It’s rewarding to see how our technology combined with Whole
Foods Market’s great product selection can make it easier to create
memories with mom.”
Instacart delivery from Whole Foods Market is currently available in
stores across 15 markets: Atlanta; Austin; Boulder; Boston; Chicago;
Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; New York City; Philadelphia; Portland, OR;
San Francisco; San Jose; Seattle and Washington, DC.
*According to Prince & Prince, Inc., a market research group for the
floral and green plant industry, as published in Perishable
News
** Flower colors are subject to availability on the day of delivery.
*** The Responsibly Grown program is still rolling out across Whole
Food Market stores nationwide. While all flowers are not yet rated,
shoppers will find plenty of “GOOD”, “BETTER” or “BEST” rated options to
choose from.
About Whole Foods Market®
Founded in 1978 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market is the leading
retailer of natural and organic foods, the first national “Certified
Organic” grocer, and uniquely positioned as America’s Healthiest Grocery
Store™. In fiscal year 2014, the Company had sales of approximately $14
billion and currently has 414 stores in the United States, Canada, and
the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market employs approximately 88,000 team
members and has been ranked for 18 consecutive years as one of the “100
Best Companies to Work For” in America by Fortune magazine. For more
information, please visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com/values-matter.
About Instacart
Instacart is the only service that can deliver groceries on demand from
multiple stores within an hour. Founded in San Francisco, Instacart is
now available in major cities across the US, delivering from both local
grocery stores and national chains such as Whole Foods Market, Safeway,
Shaw’s, BJ’s Wholesale and Costco. Using an innovative crowdsourced
approach, Instacart relies on a pool of trained Personal Shoppers who
empower stores to deliver groceries to customers in a fast and
cost-effective way. Learn more at www.Instacart.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2015