Dive Brief:

• Shipt said Monday it has added a pair of features to its platform: the ability for shoppers to build individualized lists of products they want to buy and the option to select items to be automatically added to their cart on a regular basis.
• The e-commerce delivery provider is also offering limited-savings programs, including a reduced annual membership fee and $20 off orders from certain grocery chains for members of Target’s paid membership program.
• Shipt is sharpening its pitch to shoppers as it deals with robust competition from companies like DoorDash and Instacart against a backdrop of lackluster consumer interest in grocery delivery services.

Dive Insight:

Shipt’s latest moves reflect an effort by the e-commerce company to build momentum by doubling down on convenience.

The company’s new “Lists” feature lets customers add items to their cart in bulk, while the “Auto-Add to Cart” capability allows people to have essential goods like toilet paper and paper towels automatically show up in their cart once a week, every other week or monthly. Shipt’s system will remind people to purchase the items that appear in their cart with email and push notifications, the company said.

Shipt is also looking to draw more shoppers to its membership program, which offers perks like fee-free delivery on orders of at least $35. The company is offering access to the program, which normally carries a $99 annual fee, to all customers for $49 per year from June 27 to July 4.

In a nod to Shipt’s ownership by Target, the company is offering $20 off grocery purchases of at least $100 to members of Target’s paid membership program, Target Circle 360. The deal runs from June 23 to June 29 and is valid on orders from grocery chains including Meijer, Publix, H-E-B, Dierbergs, Winn-Dixie, Harris Teeter, Hy-Vee and Cub.

Shipt is stepping up its efforts to draw grocery shoppers amid intense competition from other e-commerce providers, with Instacart, DorDash and Uber all ramping up deals, tools and services to attract customers.

In a sign of the impact the competition has had on Shipt, the company last October eliminated about 3.5% of its filled positions and closed multiple open roles as it reacted to changes in the e-commerce sector. It described the job cuts as a response to the rapidly changing e-commerce environment.