According to a recent survey, 54 percent of U.S. consumers believe grocery delivery within an hour is important to them, well above other categories. How disruptive will rapid grocery be to the grocery channel?

Some of the biggest gig economy employers in the U.S. are facing federal scrutiny for allegedly misleading potential employees about how well their gigs actually pay. Do you think companies that use gig workers present a deceptive image of earning potential for the jobs they advertise?

Instacart has acquired Caper AI, a smart shopping cart and checkout technology startup.  Caper AI uses computer vision, weight sensors and other technologies in its Caper Cart and Caper Counter products. What is your assessment of Instacart’s acquisitions of Caper AI and FoodStorm?

A new study finds that New York City’s app-based delivery workers regularly face nonpayment or underpayment, unsanitary or unsafe working conditions and the risk of violence.  Do the continuing issues around gig worker employment and third-party services risk holding back the full potential of online delivery?

Kroger and Instacart are working together to launch a new virtual nationwide convenience delivery service. Will the new Kroger Delivery Now service redefine what many Americans think of convenience when it comes to ordering fresh foods and household essentials?

Instacart has announced plans to partner with grocers to build micro-fulfillment centers within dedicated warehouses and existing retailer locations. Doing so is expected to speed up delivery and reduce the costs. Should grocers welcome or be wary of Instacart’s warehouse facilities?

Instacart surprised many with its announcement that Fidji Simok, who formerly headed the core Facebook app, would replace co-founder Apoorva Mehta as CEO. What assets do you expect Fidji Simok to bring with her from Facebook?

UPS recently indicated that it is exploring a same-day delivery option at its Investor & Analyst Day event.  How do you see same-day services — delivery and pickup — taking shape in retail over the next couple of years?

Companies that have created business models that rely on the use of independent contractors to perform as personal shoppers, handle deliveries and other jobs may find it legally more difficult to avoid paying these workers a baseline minimum wage or overtime pay going forward. Do rules governing employment classifications need to be reconsidered?

Many older consumers have discovered and embraced digital communications and online shopping during the pandemic, but the onboarding experience for many hasn’t been a walk in the park. Are website redesigns, onboarding tutorials or other steps necessary and practical to improve the online experience for older Americans?

Instacart, the nation’s leader in grocery delivery, and DoorDash, the largest restaurant takeout delivery platform in the U.S., are both planning to launch their own credit cards. Do own brand credit cards make sense for Instacart, DoorDash and other delivery platforms?

Many traditional retailers are living on borrowed time, with lagging ecommerce efforts. But is the current reliance on Instacart to handle the notoriously challenging “last mile” of retail fulfillment really all that bad?  Do you expect to see pushback from retailers over fees associated with third-party fulfillment services or the collection/sharing of customer information?

Family Dollar has partnered with Instacart to bring same-day delivery from over 6,000 locations in as quick as an hour. The partnership marks the first by a national dollar store chain and a same-day delivery platform. Does same-day delivery make sense for Family Dollar and other dollar store operators?

Instacart helped grocers meet unprecedented demand throughout the pandemic, but some grocers are finding a weakness — they’re not making any money. What factors do you think will influence retailers’ decisions to use Instacart vs. using other third-party delivery services or building in-house delivery?

Sephora is partnering with Instacart to support online delivery of beauty products in “as fast as an hour” from local retail stores across the country. How would you rate the appeal of beauty products for same-day delivery?

The biggest retailer and the largest online grocery delivery service in the U.S. are teaming up in a pilot program that, if expanded nationwide, could have major ramifications for the industry as a whole. Do you see Walmart+ and Instacart deliveries being able to coexist or will the retailer choose one option over the other?

Instacart, which has seen orders catapult as much as 500 percent during the pandemic, has secured a $13.7 billion valuation in a new funding round, up from $8 billion after the last round in 2018. Has Instacart proven itself as the delivery partner for grocery with its response to the pandemic?

Trade show display company Hatch Exhibits watched as big gatherings nationwide were shut down, and pivoted to making personal protective equipment. Now the firm has decided to not only stick with the business, but launch a brick-and-mortar store. Can a retailer succeed by focusing solely on branded, fashionable or niche-targeted PPE?

Only a few months ago, Amazon was the primary shopping destination for office supplies, but fulfillment delays on Amazon’s part and pandemic-era living may have provided an opening for flagging brick-and-mortar chains like Staples. Will Staples’ partnership with Instacart make it more successful with consumers of office and school supplies?

While much of society has come to see people who work in stores and deliver groceries as a lifeline in this time of pandemic, there are others who not only do not seem to value these workers but have preyed on them. How should delivery services handle customers who appear to be trying to game the system?

Instacart announced yesterday a new feature — Leave at My Door Delivery — after seeing increased demand from customers in recent days as a result of concerns over the spread of COVID-19. How will retailers deal with the increased demand for deliveries resulting from the coronavirus outbreak?

Wegmans, one of the most respected players in the regional grocery game, is trying to stay ahead of trends by spiffing up its website and mobile app with a redesign. What separates a strong website from a weak one in the grocery channel in 2020?

Fresh fruit and vegetables are not easy to ship, posing last-mile challenges that can be pricey to address. Yet according to a new study, e-commerce customers are ordering fresh produce nonetheless. How can e-grocers overcome hurdles in providing fresh produce to meet growing customer demand?

From Nov. 3 to 5, a number of Instacart’s drivers held a strike to demand better pay. Should retailers be concerned about the strikes, bad press and social media gossip over gig employees’ working conditions?

Petco announced that it is partnering with Target-owned Shipt to expand its same-day delivery options.A Petco spokesperson told RetailWire that the Shipt partnership is in addition to an existing delivery deal with Instacart’s PetcoNow same-day offering. Is the same-day delivery opportunity big enough to warrant that Petco partner with both Shipt and Instacart?

Instacart has announced the rollout of a new click and collect service that it plans to take nationwide in 2019. Do you read anything into the rollout of Instacart Pickup vis-à-vis home delivery of groceries?

Aldi has announced it is rolling out home delivery on a nationwide basis in partnership with Instacart. Are you surprised that demand for home delivery from Aldi in test markets was strong enough to warrant a nationwide rollout?

Walmart, like many other retailers, is still trying to work out how to meet the home delivery needs of its customers without losing money in the process. How can retailers such as Walmart make grocery home delivery profitable?

Sam’s Club has announced that it is partnering with Instacart to offer same-day delivery in three cities beginning today, with plans to roll out the service across the U.S. this year and beyond. What will Sam’s partnership with Instacart mean for the warehouse club chain’s membership numbers, sales and mix of online to in-club revenues?

Amazon.com has made news in the past week for the launch of Prime Now deliveries from Whole Foods in four markets along with the planned rollout of a new service, Shipping with Amazon (SWA). Amazon, however, isn’t the only company making headlines. Will Instacart and Shipt be able to hold their own — perhaps even gain ground — against Amazon?

Amazon.com’s acquisition of Whole Foods in August led many to speculate that the move would serve as a jumping off point for the company to expand its AmazonFresh delivery service. Instead, reports surfaced last week that Amazon sent notices to customers that it is ending home delivery of groceries in some areas. What do you make of Amazon’s decision to end AmazonFresh deliveries in some areas?

Costco is all about attracting members to its warehouse clubs. Even this week, when the company announced the rollout of two new delivery options, Costco maintains that attracting members to its clubs is still the goal. What do you make of Costco’s decision to expand its delivery options?

If you can’t get to Aldi, perhaps Aldi can come to you. The hard discount grocery chain has confirmed that it will begin a test of home delivery with Instacart at the end of the month. What effect will Aldi’s home delivery option have on its business?

The recent announcement that Amazon.com will acquire Whole Foods has led to speculation about what the deal may mean for the future of grocery shopping, particularly when it comes to online ordering. Do you think grocers have finally figured out how to make online work as a part of their overall business?

Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham has launched a new pilot program with Peapod and Instacart to make deliveries directly to hotel guests. Do you see an opportunity for online grocers and third-party delivery services to work with hotels to develop incremental revenue streams?

Ask any retailer to name their most valuable assets and they will put their customer base at the top of the list. Not too far behind, likely in their top five, will be both their brand and their merchandise. However, few grocery chains are offering e-commerce under their own brand name. Does it make sense for retailers to partner with third-party brands to directly serve their e-commerce customers?

Unilever is one of dozens of CPG partners finding Instacart to be more effective in certain ways when promoting their brands than traditional shopper and in-store marketing in the brick & mortar environment. What might brands gain from digital promotions through grocery delivery services that they can’t tap with traditional retail marketing?

H-E-B, one of the most respected and successful supermarket operators in the U.S., is hopping on the online grocery bandwagon. Or should that be bandwagons? Do you see the decision to partner with Instacart and Shipt in its home market as more of a defensive or offensive move?

Moving further down the supply chain, Instacart Inc., the grocery delivery start-up, has partnered with a number of vendors to help defray delivery expenses. Will vendors increasingly get involved in helping subsidize grocery delivery costs through advertising and couponing?

Mobile devices are increasingly becoming a larger part of the retail experience. Now comes further evidence of consumer adoption from Peapod, the online grocery delivery service, which has its own mobile tale to tell. How do you expect mobile devices will influence the future development of the online grocery business?

Layoffs of staff, raising of fees, and lower valuations in funding rounds could be seen as signs of new pressures facing delivery start-ups. Questions are arising whether the new delivery start-ups are headed for flameouts. How may the business model of delivery start-ups have to change for long-term stability?

Instacart, the popular grocery delivery service, has partnered with more than half the retailers on its platform to guarantee its prices are the same as the ones a shopper gets in-store. How important is a promise of “same price as in-store” for e-grocery services such as Instacart?

During Whole Foods’ third quarter earnings call in July, co-CEO Walter Robb discussed plans to move ahead with the chain’s “digital roadmap.” Yesterday, the chain’s plans became clearer with the announcement that it was partnering with Instacart to offer online ordering to customers in 15 major metro areas around the U.S. How will Whole Foods’ partnership with Instacart affect the direction of the grocery chain going forward?

An alternative approach for home delivery is to forgo the warehouses and trucks and leverage what’s already available in every town. Instacart takes a crowdsourcing approach to grocery home delivery. What do you see as the pos and cons of a crowdsourced delivery service?