AtInstacart, we deliver a lot of groceries. Very soon, 80% of American households will be able to use Instacart. In a previous blog post Space, Time and Groceries by
, we talked about how complex our logistics problem can be. In particular, we need to solve a Dynamic Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (DCVRPTW). The goal is to ensure orders are delivered on time and in the most efficient way.
Our fulfillment algorithm decides in real time how to route our shoppers to grocery store locations to pick groceries and deliver them to customers’ door-steps in as little as one hour.