Food and grocery delivery has spiked during the pandemic. Apps like SkipTheDishes, Uber Eats, and Instacart have gained new users who turned to delivery out of necessity. For marketers, these apps present a new opportunity to reach consumers with ad products rich in intent and location data.

On today's episode, we discuss Elon's pitch deck plans for Twitter, lululemon athletica betting on the future of connected fitness, how to best augment our reality, how fast online checkout should be, what kind of power video podcasts hold, an unpopular opinion about 15-minute grocery delivery, and where Nobel prizes come from. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Evelyn Mitchell, Blake Droesch, and Paul Verna.

Consumer shopping habits are changing constantly, but how are retailers responding to those changes in the grocery space? "In Other News," we explore how a poor delivery experience can mean trouble for retailers and try to figure out what's happening with the home improvement boom. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Blake Droesch.

After a banner year in 2021, we expect retail media advertising to rise to $52.21 billion by 2023. Dozens of retail media networks have launched over the past few years, with virtually every leading digital marketplace, mass merchandiser, national grocery chain, category-specific retailer, and delivery provider getting into the game.

Delivery apps race to sign up retailers to their platforms: DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Gopuff each inked new deals to grow their retailer network and bring fast delivery to more customers.

A changing grocery delivery landscape forces Instacart to diversify: The delivery company launches a suite of retailer-focused tech solutions as rivals encroach on its turf.

Rapid grocery apps face regulatory scrutiny as local governments push back: A proposed bill would prevent ultrafast services from advertising 15-minute delivery in New York City.

Instacart’s delivery ambitions extend beyond grocery: Ahead of a potential IPO, the grocery delivery giant expands its product offerings to include prepared food delivery.

The instant grocery delivery market is headed toward consolidation: The extremely high cost of 15-minute delivery in the US has startups built on the promise pivoting to longer delivery times and other services.

Online grocery startups face fierce competition and other growing pains: Venture capitalists have poured billions into these fast-delivery companies, but their success is far from guaranteed.

How we got here: As in the United States, grocery delivery apps really began to thrive during the pandemic as consumers in China adjusted to the realities of lockdown life. That led to a wave of venture capital and a number of new players vying for market share.

Despite market uncertainty, rapid delivery is becoming a fact of life: Tesco, Albertsons, and Publix are some of the retailers inking deals with delivery platforms to offer quick fulfillment, while quick commerce startup Zepto is raking in cash from investors.

US digital grocery sales grew 63.9% year over year during the pandemic in 2020. In 2021, sales will reach $122.39 billion. This report details the emerging trends in digital grocery and the implications for key players in the space.