• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

2

Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar

3

Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing

1

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

2

Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar

3

Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
TechInstacart

Instacart is asking its customers to do something new

By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 26, 2015, 8:46 PM ET
Courtesy of Instacart
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Grocery delivery service Instacart recently premiered a new feature asking users to share their personal data and shopping histories with retailers.

One of the darlings of the on-demand economy, Instacart lets customers order groceries online from stores like Whole Foods, Safeway, PetCo, and Costco. Instacart does the shopping and then delivers the items to the client’s door within a matter of hours.

Now Instacart is giving at least one retailer — Whole Foods — the ability to collect data from Instacart’s customers. People who order from the grocery store chain get a message asking whether they want to share their personal data including their names, email addresses, home addresses, current and historical order details, and phone numbers.

It’s unclear what Whole Foods (WFM) plans to do with the information. But brick and mortar retailers are pushing to learn as much as they can about shoppers — especially ones they have no direct relationship to — so they can better personalize any coupons, ads, and emails.

Instacart confirmed the new data-sharing feature, which debuted earlier this month, but declined to disclose any additional information about it including whether retailers pay for the data. It’s also unclear whether Instacart shared data with retailers prior to introducing the new feature, but without telling customers.

In the company’s online FAQs, Instacart pointed out that retailers decide individually how much data they want and that any that they do obtain will be subject to their privacy policy. Some retail partners are unable to participate in the opt-in feature, according to Instacart’s online policy.

Whole Foods is Instacart’s largest retail partner, and last year, the two companies signed a deal that let Instacart’s employees work full-time in the grocery giant’s stores to speed up delivery.

If retailers pay Instacart for the consumer data, it would mark another way for the delivery service to grow revenue to justify its recent $2 billion valuation. The New York Times reported in April that Instacart’s gross revenue topped $100 million in 2014. At the time, the company declined to reveal whether it is profitable.

Instacart, which is available in 15 U.S. cities, makes money by charging grocery stores a fee to set their own price for groceries they sell through Instacart. Some grocery stores also pay Instacart a commission for each order.

About the Author
By Leena Rao
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

Golfer in white hat
Big TechAmazon
Amazon’s Andy Jassy sees a $1 trillion cloud built on businesses like the PGA Tour—which swapped its server trucks for AI broadcasts 
By Amanda GerutAugust 1, 2026
58 minutes ago
A creator sells shoes on a livestream auction.
RetailGen Z
‘People can go from zero to 100’: How Gen Z is raking in $260,000 per month on a livestream auction app
By Joshua HongAugust 1, 2026
3 hours ago
LinkedIn adds a ‘seems like AI slop’ button after blocking billions of automated comment attempts in the last few months
CybersecurityLinkedIn
LinkedIn adds a ‘seems like AI slop’ button after blocking billions of automated comment attempts in the last few months
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 31, 2026
11 hours ago
Y Combinator‑backed AI startup is under fire after its founder offered instant interviews to partygoers who got company tattoos, then apologized
Startups & VentureTech
Y Combinator‑backed AI startup is under fire after its founder offered instant interviews to partygoers who got company tattoos, then apologized
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 31, 2026
13 hours ago
Studio portrait of Leopold Aschenbrenner
Startups & VentureHedge Funds
The power couple of AI is getting married in Carmel, days after groom Leopold Aschenbrenner’s hedge fund nearly blew up
By Eva RoytburgJuly 31, 2026
13 hours ago
European nations have won more than half of all World Cups. Now they’re threatening to boycott the next one
Startups & VentureSports
European nations have won more than half of all World Cups. Now they’re threatening to boycott the next one
By Catherina GioinoJuly 31, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
Retail
The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 31, 2026
1 day ago
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
Personal Finance
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
1 day ago
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
Big Tech
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
By Alexei OreskovicJuly 30, 2026
1 day ago
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Success
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
By Preston ForeJuly 29, 2026
3 days ago
This Dutch bookseller thought a request for 3,000 copies was 'spam or phishing.' Instead, AI companies are scanning and destroying books to train AI
AI
This Dutch bookseller thought a request for 3,000 copies was 'spam or phishing.' Instead, AI companies are scanning and destroying books to train AI
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 31, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 31, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 31, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 31, 2026
23 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.