This Omni Talk Retail Fast Five segment explores Anthropic’s Claude integrations with Instacart, Uber Eats, and other consumer apps.

Chris Walton and Jenn Hahn discuss why this approach to conversational commerce feels more natural than previous AI shopping experiments and how AI could eventually help consumers save both time and money. They also unpack the idea of a future “marketplace of marketplaces” powered entirely by AI assistants.

⏩ Tune in for the full episode here.

#Anthropic #AIShopping #Instacart #RetailTechnology

Anthropic has expanded its cloud AI assistance integration ecosystem from workplace tools into personal consumer apps.

And among the 15 new connected services are Instacart and Uber Eats, meaning that Claude can now suggest build and action grocery orders and food delivery entirely within a conversation.

According to Chain Storage, this integration works differently from what we have previously discussed on the show surrounding OpenAI and ChatGPT app integration.

Cloud doesn't just passively wait for commands, it proactively suggests relevant connected apps mid conversation.

So, for example, ask about dinner and it can build an Instacart cart and suggest a resi reservation without the user ever switching apps.

So, Chris, I know this is going to be one I think that you're going to like to discuss.

Is Anthropic's integration with Instacart and DoorDash the right way to integrate apps into an LLM experience?

Or do you think this is just another flashy integration that won't actually change how consumers shop?

Ooh, Jen, you know, I think I'm gonna have to say.

I think I'm gonna have to say again, no, this is cool.

This is great.

I love this.

I love this.

I When I saw this headline, I immediately sent it out to a bunch of people via text and with the words finally, Jen, like, because there are so many things I like about this approach versus the approaches we have talked about as ad nauseam on this show going back to November.

Number one, it is how people shop.

We talked about it on past shows.

If I know I want to engage with an app, I'll just use an app, right?

Like, I don't want to direct myself to the app.

Inside the LLM, I see even producer Ella shaking her head yes in the background here.

Number two, it's leaning into grocery.

And that is because of the time saving, time savings nature of grocery, but also, as I believe, because of the potential to save people a ton of money.

There's a ton of money to be saved if you can use and shop for grocery in the way they're describing.

Because this is the basic foundation of what I'm calling the marketplace of marketplaces, and probably other people are calling it too, the marketplace of marketplace concept, in which I can now use Clyde to shop across multiple grocery stores or marketplaces to find the best deals on the items that I need.

And if you add that up, monthly savings from that effort alone, if you're willing to do it, my hunch is that you're talking about close to an average person's utility bill when you get all the Savings on all the items that you routinely shop for in grocery and look for the deals.

It's why couponing people exist, right?

It's why the coupon cutters exist, because they see the value in it to them.

So yes, that is going to spur consumer interest over time to go to anthropic, to shop to in this way because that's what drives consumer adoption is finding value and the value is going to come from saving money.

So way to go, Claude.

But Jen, talk me off the ledge.

Like, am I, am I missing something?

Do you agree with me?

Do you disagree with me?

Yeah, I think maybe not the ledge.

Talk me off the diving board.

I'm diving, I'm diving head first.

Yeah, I think you're excited.

I think you're like in the pool.

I'm not sure where you're at swimming.

No, I agree with you.

I think this is very exciting.

I have to be honest, there are so many headlines about integrations and like you said, you've discussed it at nauseum about all the different integrations with AI.

This one does feel different if it operates the way in which it's as it does.

Your point about cost savings is really interesting and I like that.

I didn't think of it from that perspective.

I thought about it from time savings.

Right.

As a business owner and a mom of three and a wife and someone that would love to have at least a little bit of a social life in there.

The amount of time saved by interfacing with Claude and, and having it build my grocery cart or book my reservation for me is amazing.

It feels like that's, that's the solution we want.

Like, can I just hit go?

Like, do I have to flip back into resy and then check my email and validate a code?

Like, no thanks, I don't want to be in that many different spaces.

So I'm agreeing with you.

I think there's a ton of potential win here.

Will it change the way people shop?

I think possibly, because I also think there's a hesitancy around AI from some consumers because of the confusion.

Right.

If you tell it like, oh well, then you've got to download the Claude browser extension so that it can accurately interact with your instacart account.

Like, all of that just feels hard.

And if people aren't big AI users anyways, if they aren't just naturally curious in that way, they've stayed away.

Right?

But if we can make it this easy, someone tries it once, it just feels like you've got your own little personal assistant there.

So I think we're inching closer and closer to that smart house vibe, that movie from the 90s or whenever that was out, where it's going to take over, do things for us.

Yeah, right.

Yeah.

The other part I hadn't thought about too you just said that is the companies that they're talking about doing this with are digitally native companies.

They're very digitally forward companies.

And when I look at that, in contrast to the other companies we've talked about and the OpenAI integrations they've done, they've been much more like traditional retailers.

And I wonder if that's partly why I'm liking this approach more, because it's rooted in understanding how digital works versus trying to have my legacy business model work inside of a new technical innovation, technological innovation.

I think that's something to think about, folks, especially if you're at these companies and ask yourselves, why are we doing what we're doing and who should be looking to as the example for how we should be doing it?

I think, I think that's something I hadn't thought about until, you know, listened to what you just said there, Jen.

So I think it's important.