Instacart's electronic shelf-label software launches at Schnuck Markets

Instacart and Schnuck Markets say that Carrot Tags’ pick-to-light functionality is rolling out chainwide.

Carrot Tags are Instacart’s software solution that integrates into a retailer’s electronic shelf labels hardware to enable incremental functionality, including pick-to-light capabilities, according to a news release. Schnucks says it will be using Instacart Carrot Tags’ pick-to-light functionality across most of its stores, allowing Instacart shoppers to activate items from their picking list within the Instacart Shopper app for easier and more accurate order fulfillment.

Schnucks first began using Instacart’s Carrot Tags’ pick-to-light functionality in 2023 and quickly saw success across its pilot stores, the company said.

“As our first retail partner to introduce Carrot Tags’ pick to light functionality chainwide, we’re excited by the telling results of our partnership. Because Schnucks is using pick to light, we’re seeing an increase in found rates, which in turn provides higher order quality and customer satisfaction,” David McIntosh, vice president and general manager of Connected Stores at Instacart, said in the release. “Schnucks has long served as a leading-edge partner for Instacart, especially when it comes to adopting our Connected Stores technologies like Caper Carts and Eversight. We look forward to building the future of grocery alongside Schnucks for years to come.”

Chief Information and Supply Chain Officer at Schnucks Bob Hardester said the company is always striving to give customers the most reliable online experience, and Carrot Tags’ pick-to-light functionality has helped ensure customers receive exactly what they ordered.

“As we continue to digitize our stores, we believe that Carrot Tags is an integral part of our omnichannel approach — especially once they connect to customer-facing technology like Caper Carts," Hardester said in the release. "From electronic shelf label software to smart carts to an e-commerce platform, Instacart’s technologies help us meet our customers, no matter how they choose to shop."

At Schnucks, Instacart has integrated with Schnucks’ ESL hardware provider, Aperion, to enable the Carrot Tags’ pick-to-light functionality. Aperion is one of the many ESL providers that connect to Carrot Tags software, the company said.

In addition to pick to light, Carrot Tags will soon connect to Caper Carts, helping customers locate items more easily on the shelf. Carrot Tags is part of Instacart’s Connected Stores suite of in-store technologies, designed to bridge the online and in-store shopping experience for retailers and customers alike, the release said. Schnucks and Instacart first began their partnership in 2017, which now spans a full omnichannel suite of offerings including Caper Carts, Storefront, Carrot Ads, Eversight and more.