Grocery delivery giant Instacart is entering the social gathering space with a new application designed to solve a common party problem: coordinating food and drink orders. The company's latest offering aims to streamline the process of getting refreshments to social events while eliminating the awkward post-party ritual of splitting bills.
A New Approach to Party Provisioning
Instacart has unveiled Fizz, a specialized app designed specifically for social gatherings that allows party hosts and guests to individually order and pay for their own snacks, drinks, and party supplies. Unlike traditional group orders where one person pays and collects money later, Fizz enables each attendee to contribute exactly what they want while seeing what others are bringing to the party. The entire order is delivered together for a single flat delivery fee of $5, paid only by the host, though each guest has the option to add their own tip for the delivery person.
Fizz Key Features
- Flat $5 delivery fee (paid by host only)
- Individual payment system (pay only for what you order)
- "Snack bucks" rewards program for future purchases
- Partiful app integration
- Available on iOS, Android, and web
How Fizz Works
The process begins when a host creates a party cart and shares a link with guests. Recipients can access the cart through Fizz.com or the dedicated app, though Instacart's Chief Product Officer Daniel Danker emphasized to The Verge that app installation isn't mandatory: We're not trying to force people to install an app. We want it to be the easiest, fastest way to shop as a group. Users only need to provide a phone number to start ordering, making the barrier to entry relatively low. Once everyone has added their items and completed payment, the host finalizes the order and selects a delivery time.
Simplified Store Selection
Unlike the main Instacart service, Fizz automatically selects the optimal store based on proximity to the delivery address, eliminating the need for users to choose a specific retailer. This streamlined approach focuses on convenience, though it does come with certain limitations. Currently, users cannot order from multiple stores simultaneously, which could present challenges in states with restrictions on where alcoholic beverages can be sold. However, Danker has indicated that multi-store ordering capability is coming very soon.
Partiful Integration and Incentives
Fizz has launched with a strategic integration into Partiful, a popular event-planning application. This partnership allows users to automatically link a Fizz cart to their Partiful-organized events, creating a more seamless planning experience. To encourage repeat usage, Fizz has implemented a rewards system where users earn snack bucks when purchasing drinks, which can be applied toward future snack purchases.
Availability and Requirements
As Fizz is designed primarily for ordering alcoholic beverages, the service is restricted to users 21 and older. The app is currently available in numerous states including Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, parts of Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, parts of New Mexico, New York, parts of Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Users in states where alcohol delivery is prohibited cannot access the service.
Availability Available in: Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana (partial), Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico (partial), New York, Nevada (partial), North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming
Market Positioning
Fizz enters a space previously occupied by services like Drizly, which was acquired by Uber following a major data breach in 2020 and subsequently shut down in 2024. However, Fizz differentiates itself by combining elements of alcohol delivery with social planning features, creating a hybrid solution that addresses multiple party-planning pain points simultaneously.