Instacart has launched Clementine, an AI-powered shopping assistant, in the United States and Canada. The tool generates grocery carts based on natural language prompts, such as requests for specific meal types, by utilizing data from 1.6 billion lifetime orders and 10 million daily inventory signals.
The system operates across nearly 100,000 stores and over 2,200 retail banners. Instacart reports that orders placed via Clementine during testing contained more items than standard baskets. In the first quarter of 2026, the company's average order value reached $113, representing a 3% year-over-year increase.
The company is also licensing this technology to retailers through a white-label product called Cart Assistant. It is currently active at Food Bazaar, Heritage Grocers Group, and Woodman’s, with plans to expand to Aldi U.S., Harmons, The Save Mart Companies, and Stew Leonard’s.
Competition in the sector is intensifying as retailers prioritize real-time inventory accuracy. Kroger previously deployed Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, while Albertsons introduced an OpenAI-powered assistant that reportedly reduces shopping time from 46 minutes to four minutes.
