Observed Signal · Sep 9, 2026 · Product Launch · Source: Modern Retail · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Instacart launches white-label AI assistant Cart Assistant for retailers
Instacart has launched Cart Assistant, a white-label AI shopping assistant for retailers, and Clementine, an AI assistant for its marketplace users in the U.S. and Canada. Both leverage Instacart's data from over 1.6 billion orders and a catalog of 2 billion items to provide personalized recommendations. Cart Assistant is part of Instacart's enterprise suite, competing with AI tools from Walmart and Amazon, and is already live with Food Bazaar, Heritage Grocers Group, and Woodman's, with Aldi U.S. and others to follow. Retailers can customize the assistant and integrate loyalty programs. Instacart plans to add advertising to Clementine by end of 2026 and later to Cart Assistant, while emphasizing data privacy and retaining embedded assistant data as a competitive advantage.
Instacart's launch of white-label AI assistants for retailers is a significant move in the retail media and AI space, potentially accelerating AI adoption in e-commerce and advertising. The integration of ads into AI assistants represents a new ad format with significant revenue potential.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Instacart launched Cart Assistant, a white-label AI shopping assistant for retailers, and Clementine, for its marketplace users.
- Both assistants use data from 1.6 billion orders and a 2 billion-item catalog.
- Retailers live with Cart Assistant: Food Bazaar, Heritage Grocers Group, Woodman's; Aldi U.S. and others to follow.
- Advertising will be added to Clementine by end of 2026 and later to Cart Assistant.
- Generative AI chatbot adoption among multi-brand retailers reached 21% in 2025, up from 5% in 2024 (Gartner).
Connected Companies & Entities
7 Entities mapped“Instacart announced the launch of Cart Assistant... and also powers retailers' e-commerce marketplaces, advertising businesses and in-store ...”
“Retail giants like Walmart, Kroger and Amazon have launched AI assistants......”
“Retail giants like Walmart, Kroger and Amazon have launched AI assistants......”
“This comes after Kroger launched its own AI shopping assistant last month....”
“Aldi U.S., Harmon's, The Save Mart Companies and Stew Leonard's are set to follow....”
“according to Gartner data from retailers using its Digital IQ platform....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Instacart, Shipt Launch AI Shopping Assistants
Instacart and Shipt have separately launched AI-powered shopping assistants to streamline online grocery shopping. Instacart's Clementine and Shipt's Ask Shipt allow users to build carts through conversation or photo upload. Clementine personalizes recommendations, generates recipes, suggests savings, and auto-reorders items, while Ask Shipt identifies ingredients, plans meals, and follows budget prompts. Both tools let users review and edit generated carts. These launches follow Instacart's Cart Assistant for retailers and Shipt's integration with ChatGPT and Claude. The goal is to ease the mental burden of grocery shopping while adhering to budgets.
Uber Eats Unveils AI Cart Assistant for Grocery Shopping
Uber Eats has launched a beta AI feature called Cart Assistant in its app to speed grocery cart creation. Users can start the assistant on a store page, paste a list or upload an image (including photos of handwritten lists or recipe screenshots), and the assistant automatically adds matching items to the basket. Cart Assistant leverages users’ previous orders to prioritize familiar brands and items and lets shoppers swap or add products before checkout. The feature positions Uber Eats against rivals already experimenting with AI in grocery shopping — notably Instacart and DoorDash — and complements Uber Eats’ broader AI investments for merchants (menu descriptions, enhanced photos, review summaries).
Meet Clementine: Instacart's AI Shopping Assistant That Takes "What's for Dinner?" Off Your Plate
Now available to customers across the U.S. and Canada on the Instacart Marketplace, Clementine turns a conversation, grocery list, or recipe into a personalized cart in seconds. Clementine is the latest milestone in Instacart's AI strategy, with its enterprise Cart Assistant already live on retailer storefronts across North America.
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