Instacart to customers: We're ready to spill the beans on your shoppers

Instacart patrons can now learn more about the shoppers picking and delivering their orders, such as how often they’re on time and how many 5-star ratings they’ve received, a significant change from the current system, the delivery company announced Monday.  

“Today, customers can see limited information about you when you are shopping and delivering their orders, such as your first name and how many batches you’ve shopped," Instacart said in a blog post written for its shoppers. "Now, we’re introducing additional shopper details, which enable customers to view highlights of your unique shopping skills, further get to know you and feel confident that you will shop and deliver their order with care."

In addition to the ratings results, customers can also see:  

In a blog post to Instacart shoppers, the company said it aims to foster “a better overall relationship” between shoppers and customers.  

Instacart also will begin sharing with customers how many batches shoppers are working on per delivery. The company said in the letter to shoppers, “While you’re aware that sometimes you shop or deliver for more than one customer at once, we heard feedback that it would be helpful to share this information directly with the customer, to avoid any confusion.” 

That confusion is due in part to live delivery status updates, which are also being updated, the company explained. "For example, once you have checked out and are on your way to deliver your first order to customer A, customer B will see a message in the app that you are making another delivery first and they will be notified once you’re on your way to customer B,” the Instacart blog post noted. “We expect live delivery status improvements to lead to higher ratings and facilitate a more seamless experience for both shoppers and customers. 

Instacart is also working to help improve the experience of shoppers, particularly those exposed to abusive behavior by customers. Last year, the company enabled shoppers to report inappropriate or rude behavior from customers. "Now, we’re enhancing this feature to ensure inappropriate behavior is quickly addressed, which may include warning or suspending the customer after we receive reports,” the blog post stated. “We’ll send shoppers an email when a customer they’ve reported has received a warning, assuring shoppers that we take their concerns seriously and work quickly to take the appropriate action.” 

John Adams, vice president of Shopper & Fulfillment Product at Instacart, said in the blog post that the changes aim to build a deeper sense of community between shoppers and customers. “We recognize the care that shoppers put into shopping and delivering day in and day out, and are excited to introduce new features that shine a spotlight on that care and attention to detail for all customers to see,” Adams added.