%1

So-called “ultra-high-speed” delivery (UHSD) companies were a staple of the early pandemic metropolitan lifestyle. Apps and services like GoPuff and Instacart offered to have anything from diapers and detergent to cigarettes and beer sitting on your doorstep in 15 minutes or less. Even better, these delivery services minimized customers’ exposure to other risk vectors (read: people) and assisted with effective quarantining. Consequently, the demand for and value of these services exploded overnight. In 2021, InstaCart was valued at $39 billion.