Instacart Updates Features for Shoppers

Delivery service Instacart has revamped its rating system and added new features for shoppers buying the customer’s favorite private brands.

The new rating system will require Instacart shoppers to maintain a 4.7 average rating or above for batch prioritization. Instacart is forgiving more ratings for reasons that may be outside of a shopper's control, including if a customer consistently rates shoppers below 5 stars. Instacart is also introducing a new "Your stats" screen that shows helpful information about a shopper's experience on the platform, including their average customer rating, customer feedback, and statistics like how many orders they've completed. 

In addition, shoppers will see a new section within the Shopper app that will provide them with information about batch accuracy, including details about items found, replacements, and more. A shopper's accuracy information does not have any impact on their rating or access to batches, but it can provide valuable insights into their shopping experience on the app.

Because location is the most important factor in a shopper's access to batches, shoppers will also now see text in the app notifying them when they are close enough to a store location to see available batches. When a shopper enters a store's designated vicinity, text will appear in the app to let them know that they are ideally situated, and if they can expect to see batches from this retail location in the near future. The app may also show other recommended store locations nearby that have higher batch availability, in case they would prefer to move to another nearby store location.

Finally, Instacart will now solicit batch-level feedback after each batch shoppers complete. As part of this feedback, shoppers can share if they had an issue with a customer and would no longer like to be paired with them moving forward. If a shopper notes that they had a rude customer, they will have the option to block that customer from their list of batches moving forward, giving the shopper more ability to customize their experience.

"Our reimagined ratings system was developed in close collaboration with the shopper community to better support their needs," said John Adams, Vice President of Shopper & Fulfillment Product at Instacart. "It's incredibly important to us to nurture a community built on best intent — deepening the trust between shoppers, customers, and all of us at Instacart. By delivering on shopper feedback to make the customer ratings system even more fair, accurate, and reliable, we're taking another step in ensuring that shoppers feel heard and supported through their experience."

Instacart partners with more than 750 national, regional and local retail brands to offer online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 70,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America.