Publix Super Markets and Instacart have launched the online grocery provider’s Instacart Meals service across its chain, creating “digital grocery counters” that offer same-day delivery.
Instacart launched Instacart Meals in January, and Publix piloted the new feature in Orlando, Florida, focusing on made-to-order sandwiches (called “Pub Subs”) in the deli section. The service expanded to Publix stores across Florida in the weeks that followed, and yesterday, Instacart announced that the digital deli is now available in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Nearly all of the state’s 1,251 stores are open.
With Instacart Meals, Publix customers can go online and make their own “Pub Sub” with a variety of breads, meats, cheeses, vegetables and condiments, then have it ready for in-store pickup or delivery. (Image courtesy of Instacart)
Instacart Meals allows Publix customers to order deli items online from its digital store and have them picked up in-store or delivered to their door in as little as two hours. Key features include a “build your own” feature that allows customers to order food the way they want, as well as integration with in-store order management systems to coordinate meal prep and pickup times.
Additionally, when customers add individual items to their cart, Instacart Meals automatically applies matching combos and discounts through the Smart Cart Combo feature, giving customers access to store-provided deals and discounts. For example, Instacart said the service, launched in partnership with Publix, is making the grocer’s signature subs, which include a sandwich, drink, and bag of chips, available online for the first time.
To celebrate the launch of Instacart Meal at Publix, Publix is running a collaborative promotion where the first 500 customers who purchase a Publix Sub through Instacart on July 16 will have the opportunity to receive a free, limited-edition “Team Pub Sub” T-shirt. Winners will receive an email by July 23 with a link to claim their free T-shirt. Limited to one shirt per Instacart account, while supplies last.
“With the expansion of Instacart Meals, we’re excited to make it easier than ever for Publix customers to enjoy their favorite Pub Sub takeout meal delivered to their home or for curbside pickup in as little as two hours,” Lakeland, Fla.-based Maria Brous, Publix’s chief communications officer, said in a statement. “We’re excited to show our pride by gifting one of our most loyal customers an exclusive portable Pub Sub product.”
San Francisco-based Instacart noted that Instacart Meals makes it easy for customers to order specialty meals, groceries, and household items online and then pick them up in-store or have them delivered to their door. The online grocery giant said the partnership with Publix marks Instacart’s foray into grocery delivery, helping retailers increase their in-store shelf space and online experience.
At the time of Instacart Meals’ launch, Instacart President Neelam Ganenthiran said that custom meals accounted for 15% of the company’s grocery retail partners’ sales and had the highest margins of any item sold in stores.
Publix has seen significant growth in Instacart Meals sales since its launch, with customers ordering enough Pub Subs to cover 758 football fields. “It shows that people value convenience and choice,” said Neera Chatterjee, senior product manager at Instacart.
Chatterjee commented, “Instacart’s digital ‘build-your-own’ grocery counter and smart cart combination capabilities allow online customers to create their own Pub Sub with unlimited combinations and take advantage of Publix’s signature, money-saving add-on combinations.”
Russell Redman has served as Senior Editor of Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tenure with the publication. In his current role, he oversees daily news coverage on SN’s website, writes news and features for the print magazine, contributes to special projects, podcasts and webinars, and attends industry events. Russell joins SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailer magazines, where he served as Editor/Online Editor covering the food/drug/mass retail industry for more than nine years.
Russell Redman has more than 30 years of journalism experience. He has held positions as an editor, copy editor, reporter/writer, and digital specialist at a variety of publications and websites in retail, pharma/healthcare, and industries as diverse as IT, digital home, fintech, financial services, real estate/commercial real estate, professional audio/video, and film. He began his career as a local news reporter and editor in 1989, covering community news and politics on Long Island, NY. His early experience also included stints at Supermarket News as a center store editor and then as a financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a BA in Journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he earned a certificate in Digital and Social Media Marketing in November 2016.
Assistant Editor/Editor-in-Chief, Testa Communications (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines), January 1991 – December 1992
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Post time: Jan-13-2025