Shipt Introduces Preferred Shoppers Feature
Shipt has debuted Preferred Shoppers, a feature that lets members of the delivery service pair up with particular Shipt shoppers. Customers who rate a shopper with five stars after an order is delivered can now add the shopper to the customer’s Preferred Shopper list. If the shopper accepts the request, that shopper will be prioritized to shop for the customer’s future orders.
“The more often a shopper shops for a customer, the more they learn about that customer’s wants and needs and are able to deliver a tailored shopping experience,” noted Karl Varsanyi, chief experience and product officer at Birmingham, Ala.-based Shipt. “Preferred Shoppers helps customers get the exceptional service they enjoy again and again.”
The company developed the feature after hearing from shoppers and customers alike that they wanted to be paired more often with those they know and trust. Preferred Shoppers is now rolling out nationally after what Shipt referred to as “an incredibly successful test that proved that this offering greatly enhances customer and shopper satisfaction, quality of service, and order frequency.”
The test revealed that Shipt customers who were paired with regular shoppers for same-day deliveries ordered more often, rated their experience highly and reported fewer issues with items. About 95% of customers used the new pairing feature as soon as it was available and reported higher satisfaction in their same-day delivery experiences. Customers in these Preferred Shopper pairings also tipped more on their orders.
“Shipt shoppers are a real differentiator, and as we grow and evolve, we’ll focus on features that help shoppers regularly connect with customers and empower an unmatched, personalized same-day delivery experience in the industry,” added Varsanyi.
In July, the company released nationwide a new dietary preferences feature on its mobile app and website to better enable customers to discover and buy items in line with their lifestyle and shopping needs.
Through a community of Shipt shoppers and a mobile app, Shipt provides personal shopping and delivery of fresh foods, household essentials, wellness products, office and pet supplies, and is available to 80% of households in more than 5,000 U.S. cities. Shipt is an independently operated, wholly owned subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Target Corp., which is No. 6 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
