Dive Brief:
- Instacart announced Thursday several updates to streamline the delivery process.
- Delivery workers can now leave eligible orders at customers’ doorsteps if the customers don’t show up to collect their orders. Previously, workers were directed to bring the orders back to the store.
- The other new tools include a new scanning feature for multi-order batch confirmations and letting workers know if pets are at residences.
Dive Insight:
As competition heats up among third-party delivery providers for grocery partners, Instacart is rolling out features for its delivery workers that it says will make their jobs “easier, safer, and more efficient.”
With the new drop-off feature, workers who haven’t received a response after 10 minutes from a customer about accepting a delivery will be prompted to leave the order and take a photo of where they put it. Instacart said it will notify the customer about the drop-off and give them the photo and a timestamp.
Meanwhile, a new in-app scanning feature aims to reduce the chance of mix-ups with multi-order batch confirmation, Instacart said. Going forward, some orders may require workers to scan a particular item in that order before finalizing the delivery to ensure better accuracy.
Instacart also said it is now letting workers know if pets are at a customer’s residence and is notifying customers to secure pets before their delivery arrives. Communication about whether pets are at a delivery address is “one of the top pieces of feedback we hear” from workers, according to the company.
Instacart said the updates will roll out over the coming weeks.
The updates come as Instacart faces ongoing competition from rivals such as DoorDash and Uber for grocery partners and workers. Recently, DoorDash expanded alcohol delivery to more grocery partners, while Uber unveiled a new feature that allows people to add caregivers to their Uber app so they can book rides and buy medical supplies, groceries and over-the-counter items.
Instacart reported strong first-quarter results in May, with sharp year-over-year growth for its total revenue, number of orders and gross transaction volume.
