Instacart is launching a new stand-alone app called Fizz, designed for groups to order snacks and drinks ahead of parties for a flat $5 delivery fee.
The platform, developed in collaboration with the hugely popular event invite app Partiful, enables partygoers in the 30 U.S. states where alcohol delivery is legal to add items to a shared cart from nearby participating grocery stores. Instead of splitting the bill, each user is prompted to pay only for what they’ve added, with an option to include a tip for the shopper.
Back in February, Instacart’s chief product officer, Daniel Danker, approached Partiful CEO Shreya Murthy about partnering on the app. The teams began development in earnest in March, with Danker crediting artificial intelligence and mutual enthusiasm for the app’s rapid progress.
“There aren’t a lot of consumer apps being built these days, and there aren’t a lot of people solving some of these really core needs for customers in a simple and delightful way,” Danker tells Fast Company.
Murthy says she was intrigued by the opportunity to address the common challenge of figuring out what to bring to a party—and finding time to pick it up.
“Think about the last time you went to a house party. There was probably this implicit social expectation for you to bring a bottle of wine or a pack of beer,” Murthy says. “As for me, as a guest who would go to parties, that was actually kind of annoying because I’d forget. . . . And I can’t show up to this party empty-handed.
“We basically productized BYOB,” she adds, referring to “bring your own bottle.”
