I liked the part of the article where they explained this new Shop With Friends feature... Oh wait.
Edit: they have edited the article and now it explains the feature
Read the article twice trying to figure out if I had temporary amnesia...
Really fun to watch the carts change in real-time across multiple computers - how did you guys achieve this? Very cool.
We use Firebase (https://www.firebase.com/) for real-time cart updates. It's super fast and pretty easy to setup.
Have you guys looked into using redis pubsub and socket.io?
events / ticketing websites need this feature. I'm forever frustrated with events where allocated seating is the only method of ticket purchase and you're needing to organise and balance payments.
Since it looks like InstaCart people are posting ITT, what are your plans to spread this business model into other cities. Is it viable in a place like Atlanta, GA where residential areas are less-concentrated?
Best of luck with this, I just don't see how it can scale successfully. And what did you need those millions in funding for? To pay the delivery wages which you can never make back?
congrats Instacart! your team and your product are fantastic.
That is very kind.
Off-topic, but I don't think Whole Foods really qualifies as a "yuppie chain" anymore. I feel like they've successfully transitioned to a full-blown grocery store for people who want to live an organic lifestyle, which is no longer a small-market trend.
I don't think it has anything to do with size really, it's more about the variety of people who shop there. I don't shop there often, but the times I have, I have noticed the people shopping there weren't exactly representative of the general population.
Perhaps our understandings of "yuppie" differ, but young people who can responsibly afford to choose an "organic lifestyle" certainly fit mine.
Coming to Texas anytime soon?
Instacart is a useful case study. Even though I do not like the product, and have had a few bad experiences, it solves a pain and I'll keep using it.