Dive Brief:

• Instacart announced Monday three updates to its app that the company says will improve the relationship between customers and the company’s personal shoppers.
• The changes expand the information that customers can see about their shoppers, provide customers with more order status details and let Instacart shoppers know when a customer they’ve reported for rude or inappropriate behavior has received a warning from the company. 
• The changes are the latest as Instacart makes continual updates to its app for its customers and workers.

Dive Insight:

Instacart said that these updates are a part of commitments it unveiled last year to make the shopping experience better for its personal shoppers. 

For customers, one of the new changes lets them view more information about their shoppers, such as the number of orders the shopper has delivered on time and how much time the shopper has saved their customers. Customers will also be able to see if their shopper has shopped for them before, how many 5-star ratings they’ve gotten and compliment badges they’ve earned for things like finding good replacements and quality items, and engaging in helpful chats.

Customers will continue to be able to see information such as lifetime orders, how long a shopper has shopped for Instacart and their tier on Cart Star, Instacart’s rewards program for its personal shoppers.

Instacart said this update aims to strengthen customers’ trust in the workers picking and delivering their orders. 

The other customer-facing change gives more detailed information so they can have a better idea of their order’s status to improve the live delivery experience. For example, customers will get an in-app message letting them know their shopper is making another delivery first and then a notification when that shopper is on their way to the customer’s home. 

Instacart said it expects that change will lead to higher ratings and create a more seamless experience. 

For workers who have reported inappropriate customer behavior, Instacart will let the personal shopper know when it has given a customer a warning in order to help reassure shoppers that the company is taking action to address the complaint. Instacart said that last year it launched a batch-level feedback tool for shoppers to report inappropriate or rude customer behavior. 

“Shoppers work diligently to deliver a great experience for their customers. We want to help showcase this effort and build products that foster a deeper sense of community and understanding between customers and shoppers,” Instacart Vice President of Shopper & Fulfillment John Adams said in a statement. 

Instacart’s updates come as the company tries to keep consumer engagement with its platform high amid slower online grocery growth compared to earlier in the pandemic. The company is also competing with Uber, DoorDash and other platforms for gig workers to deliver goods to peoples’ homes.

Prior to these three updates, Instacart announced last week inflation-fighting tools for customers including a “Stores to Help You Save” section on the main screen and artificial intelligence-driven recommendations for items.