On-Demand Everywhere: More Flexibility for all Shoppers

Over the past year, we’ve been piloting On-Demand, a new, more flexible way to shop. Shoppers consistently tell us that flexibility is the number one reason that draws you to shopping with Instacart. As shoppers, you want the ability to choose your own schedule, leave the platform whenever you want, and choose the batches you want to work. In fact, a recent survey showed that more than 80% of shoppers value flexibility above all else when it comes to shopping with Instacart. That’s why we introduced On-Demand nearly one year ago, to give shoppers the ability to pick up a batch whenever and wherever is best for you.

As we’ve introduced On-Demand in nearly every market where Instacart is available, we’ve heard from thousands of shoppers who appreciate the flexibility it offers.

“On-Demand provides the freedom to choose timing, location, and full-service shopping or delivery-only. It has been a load lifted and freedom given.” -Craig, Richmond, Va.

Now, we’re bringing On-Demand everywhere, so every shopper has even more freedom and flexibility to choose the batch you want to shop at the best time for your schedule. With On-Demand, there’s no need to pre-select hours — simply open the Shopper app and begin shopping.

Shoppers in On-Demand only zones will be offered batches based on your average customer star rating, with the highest rated shoppers getting to view and accept batches first. By prioritizing batches in this way, we are recognizing shoppers’ high-quality service and encouraging others to aim for the best possible experience for customers.

Along with this transition, we think it’s important to give shoppers the resources and tools you need to shop On-Demand. We’ve introduced a new optional lesson on Carrot Academy to help shoppers understand how On-Demand works and what makes it the best way to shop. To access this lesson, visit the “How Am I Doing?” page in the Shopper app, and click on “Improve your skills with lessons.”

Throughout the last year, we’ve learned a great deal from shopper feedback and used those learnings to help improve the On-Demand shopping experience. We look forward to bringing On-Demand to every region in the coming months, and as we do so, continuing to listen to shopper feedback and updating the product to make it even better tomorrow.

Instacart

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.