While intermediaries’ share of ecommerce sales (grocery or otherwise) will remain relatively flat for the next couple of years, they’re still a long-term threat to traditional retail. But there’s an opportunity for retailers to use intermediaries’ strategies against them.

Instacart’s ad growth slowed in Q4: That could create problems for the company as it relies more heavily on ads to offset softening grocery delivery demand.

The future of ecommerce is grocery. Historically, three categories led the US ecommerce market: apparel and accessories, computer and consumer electronics, and furniture and home furnishings. But in recent years, growth has been fueled by essential goods, including food and beverage items, personal care products, and household supplies. This shift will take grocery to the top of the four major ecommerce categories by 2026.

Amazon bets that Prime members will pay extra for free grocery delivery: The retailer is testing a grocery subscription add-on for $9.99 per month in its latest attempt to boost the appeal of its grocery business.

Amazon will offer grocery delivery to non-Prime members nationwide: The retail giant also plans to resume opening Amazon Fresh stores next year.

Instacart leans on advertising to bolster its bottom line: The company’s advertising revenues grew 19%, significantly outpacing the 4% growth in the number of online orders on its platform.

Grocery spending is slowly shifting online as consumers seek convenience: More shoppers are leveraging grocers’ ecommerce options as well as delivery platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats.

Walmart has the largest audience of any digital grocery platform. But our survey found that Amazon Fresh customers were more active and willing to try new products.

DoorDash’s grocery business is booming, and Instacart is leaning on advertising to tide it over as its delivery volumes are down. Perhaps taking a cue from both, Uber Eats continues to add non-restaurant delivery partners while also building out its advertising platform.

Nike and Hoka battle it out over young consumers and runners; Shein and Temu are caught up in controversies and litigation; and DoorDash and Instacart take different approaches to the same problem.

Instacart’s revenues and profits spiked in 2022, helped by its growing ad business: That could speed up the timeline for the grocery delivery company’s long-awaited IPO.

Instacart puts its IPO plans on ice: With Wall Street looking for safe bets and consumers adjusting their shopping habits, there’s little appetite for an Instacart IPO right now.

Food delivery platforms in China struggle to maintain their pandemic gains: As consumers venture out to restaurants and stores, platforms like MissFresh and Meituan are looking for new ways to keep customers on the platform.

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.

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.

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.

Gopuff’s labor challenges underscore the dark side of rapid delivery: The company is likely trying to cut costs ahead of a potential IPO but must contend with increased government scrutiny and worker activism.

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.