Can Instacart Make its Automation Vision a Reality?

Some businesses found themselves as well positioned as they could have been for the disruption left in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world shifted to remote interaction and online shopping, companies like Instacart that offer grocery delivery fit right into what quickly became a new way of life.

However, with the world reopening, it appears that the company is one of many that doesn’t want to get caught flat-footed in a new normal that could see a return to elements of pre-pandemic life.
Internal documents from Instacart revealed that the organization has been looking into ways to replace its network of gig shoppers with robotics-enabled micro-fulfillment centers for over a year.

The idea, presumably, is that Instacart could cut tremendous costs while also carving out a more permanent space for itself in the grocery industry that doesn’t depend on existing brick-and-mortar retailers to function.

To get some insight, Voice of B2B Daniel Litwin invited Raghu Potini, Founder and CEO of Egen, a data engineering and cloud services firm helping companies scale transformative tech, particularly in the grocery industry, to this episode of MarketScaleTV.

The two explored Instacart’s automation efforts, putting them in context of a wider grocery industry that’s working overtime to use more automation in its supply chains, particularly after a year of upheaval.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

The Critical Impact of Indoor Air Quality on Long-Term Care Facility Health
July 31, 2025

Indoor air quality represents one of the most significant yet often overlooked factors affecting the health and wellbeing of residents in long-term care facilities. With vulnerable populations spending the majority of their time indoors, the air they breathe directly influences their quality of life, health outcomes, and overall comfort. Industry experts emphasize that poor indoor…

Read More
The Hidden Threat in Every Breath: How Air Pollution Silently Steals Our Memories
July 31, 2025

Every day, we take approximately 20,000 breaths. Most of us think about air quality in terms of our lungs and heart—but what if the greatest danger lurks somewhere entirely unexpected? What if the microscopic particles we inhale are quietly infiltrating our brains, setting the stage for cognitive decline and dementia decades before symptoms appear?  …

Read More
creatives
From Innovation-Driven Teams to Standout Storytelling, Protecting Creatives is a Business Strategy
July 31, 2025

As AI and digital tools expand the boundaries of production, one thing remains unwavering: human creativity is indispensable. And today, that creativity is under pressure—in fact, last year, as many as 70% of professionals working in the media, marketing, and creative industries reported experiencing burnout. In this moment, supporting the people behind the work…

Read More
AI Factories
Reflection and What’s Ahead: How Applied Digital Built the AI Factories of Tomorrow
July 30, 2025

As AI adoption accelerates at an unprecedented pace—ChatGPT alone sees 2.5 billion daily prompts just two and a half years after launch—digital infrastructure is racing to keep up. At the center of this transformation are purpose-built data centers, evolving from air-cooled Bitcoin facilities to liquid-cooled “AI factories” designed to power the next generation of…

Read More