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2026_08_0 Release Notes

Release date: August 25, 2026

The release notes describe changes to Instacart Storefront for this release, including new features and enhancements. In addition to these changes, Instacart continually updates the platform to improve accessibility, performance, and stability and to ensure the best user experience for your customers.

Are you using the partner-pick model? Review the Shopper App release notes for recent updates.

New features​

The following new features are available in this release.

Preference Picker​

With Preference Picker, customers can set a preference for certain items when they add them to their cart. After the order is picked, the customer receives a message confirming whether their preference was met.

The following image shows the Preference Picker for bananas:

Preference Picker is available for the following items:

  • Bananas and avocados. Customers choose a ripeness level: Not ripe, Almost ripe, or Ripe.
  • Deli meats. Customers choose a slice thickness: Very thin, Thin, or Medium.
  • Seasonal produce. Customers choose a ripeness level for peaches, nectarines, mangoes, apricots, plums, tomatoes, and pears.

To enable this feature, contact your Instacart representative.

For more information, see Preference Picker.

Your storefront now includes nutritious choice carousels that help health-conscious customers discover better-for-you products. The carousel highlights products with high nutritional content and varies by customer based on purchase history and popular categories.

Customers see up to three nutritious choice carousels, each titled "Nutrient-rich [category]," such as Nutrient-rich cheese or Nutrient-rich pantry.

The following image shows an example of a nutritious choice carousel:

To turn off nutritious choice carousels for your storefront, contact your Instacart representative.

For more information, see Nutritious choice carousel.

Multiple replacement options​

Customers can now select up to three backup replacement items when setting replacement preferences for an item in their cart. Previously, customers could choose only one specific item or the best match option.

When an item in a customer's order is unavailable, shoppers can see all of the customer's saved backup options and choose one. More backup options give shoppers a better chance of finding an approved substitute, which can reduce refunds and unwanted replacements.

For more information, see Replacements.

Order collaboration for family accounts​

After checkout, the customer who placed an order can now let other family account members add, remove, or modify items, set replacement preferences, handle replacement decisions, and chat with the shopper. The avatar and name of the household member who took each action appear alongside the relevant items and decisions. The customer who placed the order controls collaboration and can turn it off at any time. Family members can view the order status and receipt but can't see payment method details.

For more information, see Family accounts.

Enhancements​

The following enhancements are available in this release.

Replacement default shown before checkout​

For items where a customer hasn't saved a replacement preference, the default is to replace the item with the best match. Your storefront now makes this default visible before checkout by preselecting Replace with best match on the replacements screen. A Replace with best match label also appears in the cart for those items, so customers can see what happens to unavailable items before they place their order.

This is a display change only. How unavailable items are replaced is unchanged. Customers can still change the selection at any time before checkout, and items with a saved replacement preference aren't affected.

For more information, see Replacements.

On Sale filter includes coupons and promotions​

The On Sale search filter now includes items with available coupons and retailer promotions, in addition to items already marked on sale in your catalog. When customers apply the On Sale filter, they see a more complete view of deal-eligible items available at your store.

For more information, see Sort and filter.

Spend limit approval requests​

Instacart Business administrators can now configure spend limits to allow members to submit orders for approval when an order exceeds the limit. Members can submit over-limit orders for approval instead of being blocked. Approvers see the reason for approval before they accept or decline it.

For more information, see Spend limits.

Updated Delivery orders and Pickup orders pages in Instacart Platform Portal​

The Delivery orders and Pickup orders pages in Instacart Platform Portal have been updated with a redesigned interface, mobile support, and faster order search.

  • Redesigned interface. The pages have a new layout with updated order state summary counts and filters. You can filter by location, store group, order source, and order status, and use the inline date range picker to narrow results by date.
  • Mobile view. The pages now display a card layout on mobile devices. Each card represents one order and shows all the information from the list view. The layout switches automatically between a table list view and a card list view based on your device's screen size.
  • Faster search. Order search on these pages is now faster.

Previously, the Delivery orders and Pickup orders pages were only accessible as a table layout, which required horizontal scrolling on mobile devices, and search results could take several seconds to load.

For more information, see Manage orders.

Updated Stripe account setup​

The Stripe account setup process in Instacart Platform Portal has been updated. When you connect a new Stripe account, you're directed to Stripe's onboarding form to enter your business and banking details. The form guides you through the required information, and if you need to pause before finishing, your progress is saved. No action is required for accounts that are already connected to Stripe.

For more information, see Connect to Stripe.

Channel filter for campaign analytics​

The Campaigns with offers dashboard and the Campaigns with offers custom reports dataset in Instacart Platform Portal now include a Channel filter. Use this filter to view performance metrics for campaigns delivered through a specific channel. Options are Email and Push.

For more information, see Campaigns with offers dashboard and Datasets and templates.

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