SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 17, 2015) - When most people think January and February, images of cold weather, flight cancellations, snowstorms, and shoveling come to mind. But to anyone who even remotely pays attention to television, movies, music, and pop culture, the months of January and February mean only one thing: Awards Season. This year, in the spirit of celebrating the nominations, predictions, winners and losers, Instacart (www.instacart.com), the fast-growing grocery delivery service whose Personal Shoppers handpick and deliver items from trusted local stores, has created the Foodie Awards. The 2015 Instacart Foodies celebrate the nation's changing palate and what's hot and what's not in food -- with some surprising results.
Highlights include:
- The top foods searched in 2014: cold-brew coffee, followed by Crimini mushrooms, artisan marshmallows and the nemesis of grade-school children everywhere: Brussels sprouts.
- Foods with surprising recent drops in momentum: Sriracha sauce, kale, quinoa, bacon, Greek yogurt and coconut water.
For more details on the 2015 Instacart Foodies winners, and new food findings and trends Instacart uncovered in its research, visit the Foodies infographic at the Instacart blog.
"Instacart has a marketplace of more than 50 grocery retailers in 15 cities, so we have deep insight into the changing American palate," said Jaime Hennessey, head of growth partnerships and marketing at Instacart. "We used our 'insider's view' to analyze emerging food trends, including the rise of artisan foods like Himalayan pink salt and cold brew coffee. But there were a few surprises as well."
"The popularity of Brussels sprouts was unexpected," continued Instacart operations manager Bill Babeaux. "Equally surprising was the apparent decline of popular foods like Sriracha and Greek yogurt. It seems they may have reached their peak."
Instacart is changing the traditional grocery delivery model with its crowdsourced labor force of Personal Shoppers who shop for and deliver orders using their own transportation in as little as one hour. This model eliminates the need for costly infrastructure such as inventory, warehouses, trucks and full-time drivers. Instacart's strategy is to partner with retailers to help them expand their geographic reach, customer base and overall revenue. Its proprietary software and analytics are the keys to its success.
Customers can sign up for a free account on www.instacart.com and get free delivery on their first order of $35 or more. Instacart also offers Instacart Express -- an annual membership that eliminates delivery fees for all orders of $35 or more. The cost is just $99.
About Instacart
Instacart allows people to order groceries online by connecting them with a Personal Shopper who handpicks items at customers' local, favorite stores and delivers straight to their doors. Founded in San Francisco in 2012, Instacart has quickly scaled to 15 cities across the US and partnered with more than 50 grocery retailers, including popular national chains (Whole Foods Market, Costco) as well as local, artisan grocers (Fairway Market, Bi-Rite Market). By combining a personal touch with cutting-edge technology, Instacart offers customers a simple solution to save time and eat fresh food from the grocery brands they trust. Instacart is the only grocery delivery service that can meet today's on-demand lifestyle by delivering in as little as one hour. First delivery is free atwww.Instacart.com.
Contact Information:
Press Contact:
Jenny Viscarolasaga
(617) 331-4944
