Instacart's new app lets the whole party order snacks and drinks
Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.
Instacart is launching Fizz, a new app that will let partygoers order and pay for their own snacks, drinks, and party supplies — all for a flat $5 delivery fee. With Fizz, hosts can create a cart that everyone can access through a link, allowing guests to add items and see what their friends are ordering for an event.
Fizz will let guests order things like chips, alcoholic beverages, soda, ice, paper plates, and a bunch more and have it all delivered at the same time. When guests click on a link to a Fizz cart, guests will land on the Fizz.com website unless they've already installed the app. 'We're not trying to force people to install an app,' Instacart chief product officer Daniel Danker tells The Verge. 'We want it to be the easiest, fastest way to shop as a group.'
Users simply need to provide Fizz with a phone number to start ordering. Once everyone has finished adding items to their cart and paying, the host can check out and choose a time for delivery. Only the host will need to pay the $5 delivery fee, but Fizz will give each guest the option to tip the shopper. If the order includes alcohol, hosts will need to show their ID when the delivery driver arrives.
'It completely eliminates this funny step or ritual that people do today after a party, which is they split the bill,' Danker says. 'It is something we think can be made so much better, and the way we've solved that problem is by making it so that you add what you want and you pay for what you added.'
Since Fizz is powered by Instacart, the app will leverage the delivery service's existing network of shoppers to bring orders to parties. Unlike Instacart, guests won't need to choose which store they want to order snacks and drinks from — the app will automatically choose the best location based on proximity to the address.
Fizz users also can't order from multiple stores at once, which could make it more difficult to order snacks and alcoholic beverages from one location in some states. However, Danker tells The Verge that the ability to order from multiple stores is 'coming very soon.'
When purchasing drinks, Fizz users also earn 'snack bucks' to use toward future purchases of snack items. In addition to launching on the web, iOS, and Android, Fizz is also rolling out an integration in Partiful's event-planning app, allowing users to automatically link a Fizz cart to their party.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Americans spend $10 billion more on Mother's Day than Father's Day. What's going on?
When it comes to honoring our parents on their special days, dads appear to be the big loser. That's according to data from the National Retail Federation — specifically, its tracking of spending on Father's Day, which is this upcoming Sunday, and Mother's Day. This year, Americans are expected to shell out $24 billion on dad's holiday, whereas they spent $34.1 billion on mom's day last month, the NRF says. Israel-Iran clash delivers a fresh shock to investors. History suggests this is the move to make. I'm in my 80s and have 2 kids. How do I choose between them to be my executor? 'He failed in his fiduciary duty': My brother liquidated our mother's 401(k) for her nursing home. He claimed the rest. 'I'm 68 and my 401(k) has dwindled to $82,000': My husband committed financial infidelity and has $50,000 in credit-card debt. What now? These defense stocks offer the best growth prospects, as the Israel-Iran conflict fuels new interest in the sector That's a gap of $10.1 billion. And the gap has only grown over the years, at least as measured in dollars. Consider: In 2016, Americans spent $7.4 billion more on mom versus dad, according to the NRF. There may be no definitive reason as to why fathers lose out to mothers on their respective signature occasions — but that doesn't stop marketing, parenting and other experts from offering plenty of possible explanations. Begin with the fact that moms are generally more revered for their familial contributions from a societal standpoint, observers say. Much of that has to do with the intrinsic nature of motherhood, as in the fact that moms who go through childbirth have to endure the physical challenges of such. But even in an era when we keep hearing that parental roles are becoming more equal, studies still show that mothers bear the greater burden when it comes to housework and child-raising. 'Moms carry the emotional, mental and physical weight of parenting in most households. They're the primary parents; they're the daily grinders, the all-night pullers, the domestic glue,' said Nathaniel A. Turner, co-founder of the League of Extraordinary Parents, a support organization. All of this translates into a desire to spend more on Mother's Day. 'Moms get planned-out splurges,' said Stephanie Carls, a retail-insights expert with the RetailMeNot online platform. She noted that can include everything from jewelry to a meal or flowers — or in some cases, all of the above. By contrast, dad gifts are often an opportunistic, budget-minded buy, Carls said: think a small tool or grill accessory purchased at a home-improvement store, for example. Turner echoed that point: Father's Day, he said, is 'still stuck in the shallow end of grills, golf balls and gimmicks because it does not move consumers enough to move the economic needle.' He added that can be even more the case when consumers are feeling the financial pinch. And given inflation and other financial pressures in recent years, that may explain the growing spending gap between Father's Day and Mother's Day. RetailMeNot's spending data, based on consumer surveys, also shows this sizable gap. This year, we're shelling out $232 on dad per shopper, but we allocated $360 for mom — a gap of $128, according to the platform. In 2024, the gap was considerably smaller, with $257 spent on dad versus $316 on mom — a $59 difference. Restaurant owners are especially among those who are quick to pick up on the spending patterns. They say that Mother's Day is typically one of their busiest occasions of the year, next to Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve. By contrast, Father's Day is often not much busier than an average Sunday. Babak Bina, founding partner of Boston-based BCB3 Hospitality, a company that operates several restaurants, said that doesn't mean that dads are getting slighted, however. As a father himself, he thinks that dads just don't consider Father's Day all that important. 'We're okay with doing a barbecue and calling it a day,' Bina said. That's a view echoed by others. Brand strategist Reilly Newman said that men aren't necessarily into big social celebrations — they're as happy to celebrate Father's Day playing a round of golf on their own. 'Men are the lone wolves,' Newman said. Finally, experts say you can't ignore the role that the calendar plays. Mother's Day falls during a time of year when we're still in a get-things-accomplished mode — schools haven't let out for the summer and we're not quite hitting the beach just yet. But Father's Day falls after Memorial Day when we're much more in a vacation mindset, which can make the holiday almost seem like a distraction. Plus, we've already just spent all that money on Mother's Day, so we may feel a bit tapped out, experts noted. That leads some to wonder how things might work if Father's Day was moved to a different time of year. At least that's what Melissa Murphy, a marketing professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, has to say. 'If the holidays were further apart, it would be more equal maybe,' Murphy observed. 'It might be another Apple or Microsoft': My wife invested $100K in one stock and it exploded 1,500%. Do we sell? 'I'm not wildly wealthy, but I've done well': I'm 79 and have $3 million in assets. Should I set up 529 plans for my grandkids? My husband is in hospice care. Friends say his children are lining up for his money. What can I do? My mother-in-law thought the world's richest man needed Apple gift cards. How on Earth could she fall for this scam? Why bonds aren't acting like a safe haven for investors amid the Israel-Iran conflict
Fox News
32 minutes ago
- Fox News
Authorities 'exploring all avenues' in investigation into Minnesota lawmaker attack
All times eastern Special Report with Bret Baier Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street FOX News Radio Live Channel Coverage
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Saratoga Investment (NYSE:SAR) shareholders have earned a 19% CAGR over the last five years
If you buy and hold a stock for many years, you'd hope to be making a profit. Better yet, you'd like to see the share price move up more than the market average. But Saratoga Investment Corp. (NYSE:SAR) has fallen short of that second goal, with a share price rise of 45% over five years, which is below the market return. But if you include dividends then the return is market-beating. Over the last twelve months the stock price has risen a very respectable 5.1%. Let's take a look at the underlying fundamentals over the longer term, and see if they've been consistent with shareholders returns. Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. During five years of share price growth, Saratoga Investment actually saw its EPS drop 21% per year. This means it's unlikely the market is judging the company based on earnings growth. Since the change in EPS doesn't seem to correlate with the change in share price, it's worth taking a look at other metrics. In fact, the dividend has increased over time, which is a positive. It could be that the company is reaching maturity and dividend investors are buying for the yield. The revenue growth of about 24% per year might also encourage buyers. You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values). We know that Saratoga Investment has improved its bottom line lately, but what does the future have in store? So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. As it happens, Saratoga Investment's TSR for the last 5 years was 144%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence! It's nice to see that Saratoga Investment shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 21% over the last year. And that does include the dividend. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 19% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Saratoga Investment (1 is potentially serious!) that you should be aware of before investing here. But note: Saratoga Investment may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast). Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on American exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
