Dive Brief:
- Instacart said in a Tuesday blog it will pilot a feature for customers that lets them select their favorite personal shoppers to fulfill online orders.
- Select customers and personal shoppers in the U.S. and Canada will receive notifications in the coming weeks to test the feature, which lets customers “favorite” repeat shoppers and have the option to schedule future orders that will be fulfilled by people who have been favorited. Personal shoppers will be able to see which customers favorited them and can remove themselves from that person’s list, if they choose.
- Instacart is experimenting with this feature at a time when e-commerce apps are trying to promote loyalty and also boost incentives for their gig workforces.
Dive Insight:
Instacart said the new feature was spurred by feedback from both customers and personal shoppers who said they want the ability for customers to be able to select specific shoppers when placing orders.
Instacart said that the tool aims to help customers and shoppers develop deeper relationships with each other, and that it will test the “long-sought-after” favorite shopper feature “throughout the coming months.”
Other e-commerce companies have turned to similar features to help further customize experiences for customers and clients as well as create new opportunities for connection between them and workers.
In 2021, Target-owned launched the ability for its customers to pick their favorite personal shoppers, who would then become prioritized to handle their future orders. Last month, Shipt spotlighted the Preferred Shopper option as one of the tools and offerings among its recently updated dashboard for its membership program.
Shipt has pointed to its Preferred Shopper tool as one of the key ways it’s looking to boost loyalty among its customer base and stand out among other e-commerce fulfillment players.
Uber, meanwhile, has a favorite driver feature that lets riders select preferred drivers after a trip.
