Luxury shopping in Miami still means a trip to the mall. A new app wants to send a courier instead.
Instamall launches in Miami this week, and founder Elliot Aboud has a simple pitch. “Essentially what Uber Eats did for food five years ago, we’re doing for fashion,” he told WWD.
How Does Instamall Work?
A shopper browses live, in-stock inventory from local stores. A sales associate confirms the order and drops the item at a checkpoint in the mall.
A courier takes it from there. Aboud says delivery arrives in 60 to 90 minutes.
The app connects directly to each retailer’s inventory system and holds no stock of its own. That is what makes a new city quick to add.
“We connect directly with the in-stock inventory of the local stores,” Aboud said. “We don’t hold any inventory.”
The store stays in the loop. A sales associate confirms each order.
Instamall’s site lists five Miami malls. They are Aventura Mall, Bal Harbour Shops, Brickell City Centre, the Miami Design District and The Shops at Merrick Park.
Some orders go to a personal shopper inside the mall. The shopper photographs the receipt and the sealed bag before a courier picks it up.
Where Does AI Come In?
WWD calls the app “AI-heavy.” An AI stylist builds outfits from what is in stock nearby, and virtual try-on shows eligible items on the shopper.
WWD reports that customers will need a subscription for those two tools down the line.
Money comes next. Instamall is free to retailers today, but Aboud plans delivery and convenience fees.
He also plans advertising, the way search and social ads work. “Alo’s going to be wanting to be on top of Lululemon,” he said.
WWD notes that Instamall is not trying to own the customer relationship.
Retailers keep the customer. Purchase data goes to the retailer and sits under the shopper’s account there, Aboud says.
Why Start With Miami’s Malls?
Miami’s luxury retail is concentrated in a handful of destinations. Instamall’s launch list reads like a tour of them.
WWD reports that about 80 contemporary and luxury brands are on the platform. They include Balmain, Bottega Veneta, Coach, Diesel and Reformation.
The local luxury market is already watching AI rivals arrive. MAIN covered Miami luxury retail facing a new $9.5M AI rival. The rival is a startup selling factory-direct goods to the shoppers of Bal Harbour Shops and the Design District.
Instamall takes a different route. It sells the brands that already anchor those malls, only faster.
That market draws heavily on Latin American buyers, MAIN’s earlier story noted. Speed matters to shoppers who are in town for a short stay.
Aboud says backers include the family of Stéphane Bianchi, LVMH group managing director, and Saudi mall group Cenomi Centers.
His timeline is aggressive. He expects Florida within months. New York, Los Angeles and Texas follow, with most of the country in six to seven months.
Aboud credits timing. He says the company started a year and a half ago, at the height of the ChatGPT and Claude boom.
Rewards plans will be linked in later, WWD reports.
He keeps the team small on purpose. “We like to keep it mean and lean,” he said.
WWD describes Instamall as part of a new wave of companies built with AI at their core. Aboud contrasts that with older firms.
“All these major companies that started before the AI days, they’re all laying off these employees,” he said. “We’re not going to get into that.”
Miami gets the first test. If shoppers at Aventura and Brickell City Centre use it, the rollout will follow.
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