Instacart streamlines shopping experience for delivery drivers
Instacart is trying to simplify compensation and organizational processes for its delivery personnel.
The grocery technology company is introducing a new returns experience for shoppers (Instacart’s term for workers who fulfill online customer orders at partner brick-and-mortar stores) designed to help them fulfill and get compensated for returns quicker and easier.
Now, if a customer isn’t available to accept delivery of their alcohol or prescription items, delivery personnel will be able to manage the entire return directly within the shopper app, without needing to contact the Instacart Care team. Once a shopper marks the item as unable to be delivered, they will see a new return flow directly in the app that will guide them back to the store location and give instructions on how to return the item.
After completing the delivery back to the store, the shopper will automatically receive a return payment in the app. Simplified returns are now available for alcohol and prescriptions in all states except California.
In addition, when an order needs to be reimbursed, shoppers will receive an automatic push notification to begin the process. All previously uploaded receipts will be automatically attached, eliminating the need to re-upload receipts and other supporting information to get reimbursed.
Additionally, shoppers will be able to view the processing status within the app, so they will know when to expect reimbursement.
Organizing the Instacart shopping experience
Instacart is also introducing two new app updates intended to help shoppers stay organized. First, the company is implementing a new “move item” feature. When completing multi-order batches at select retailers, they will receive a notification after checkout if they have mistakenly checked out an item with the incorrect customer’s order.
This is designed to help ensure that customers receive all of the items they purchased, leading to fewer customer complaints and higher ratings for shoppers. This feature is currently available with Wegmans, Publix, and Schnucks, and Instacart says it expects to add more retailers in the future.
Second, Instacart shoppers will now be able to filter items by customer with the launch of shopping list filters. With this feature, they can view an individual customer’s shopping list at a glance, helping identify which items correspond to each respective order to ensure they have gotten all of the right items for each customer.
Instacart develops new shopper support offerings
According to Instacart, these updates were developed in response to shopper feedback. During 2022, Instacart has introduced a number of new benefits and perks for shoppers. Most recently, the company launched peak earning days, a feature providing them with information about certain days that will offer higher earnings opportunities in specific areas, so they can plan for the week ahead.
In July, the company launched Cart Star, a new rewards program for its shoppers. Every qualifying shopper in the Cart Star program will receive tailored rewards and offerings through third-party partners, as well as directly within the Instacart platform.
In May, Instacart began requiring shoppers to maintain a 4.7 star-average rating or above for prioritization in fulfilling delivery batches. Previously, Instacart prioritized shoppers with the highest rating possible. The company also said it is forgiving more ratings for reasons that may be outside of a shopper's control, including if a customer consistently rates shoppers below five stars.
Shoppers will also now see text in the Instacart shopper app notifying them when they are close enough to a store location to see available batches. Other features Instacart has added for shoppers this year include new shopper app features and several upgrades to the customer tipping process.
“We’re introducing these new product updates to provide even more support to shoppers while they shop on the Instacart platform,” said John Adams, VP of Shopper & Fulfillment Product at Instacart. “We’re dedicated to developing important updates that simplify the shopping experience and make earning on our platform as easy as possible.”