Shipt customers can now pick 'preferred' shoppers

In a new move to increase personalization, grocery delivery company Shipt will allow customers to create a list of their favorite shoppers.

Target-owned Shipt announced Tuesday that customers who rate their shoppers with five stars after an order will have the option to add them to their "preferred shopper" list. Then if the shopper accepts the request, that shopper will be prioritized to fulfill the customer's future orders.

Shipt said the feature is the first of its kind. Shoppers are Shipt's independent contractors who fulfill customers' shopping 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," said Karl Varsanyi, chief experience and product officer at Shipt, in a statement. "Preferred Shoppers helps customers get the exceptional service they enjoy again and again."

Shipt already attempts to pair customers with shoppers they have used, but the new feature would improve the pairing ability.

In a test, Shipt said it found the feature enhanced customer and shopper satisfaction. Customers who used it tended to order more often, rate their experiences high and report fewer issues.

The feature also benefits the workers because customers in these "preferred shopper" pairings tip more on their orders, Shipt said.

The new feature follows another customization update Shipt announced last month that allowed customers to save their dietary preferences.

Shipt's orders and the number of workers grew explosively last year during the pandemic as more first-time grocery delivery customers tried the service instead of venturing out to stores themselves. During April, May and June last year, Shipt's order volume nearly tripled from the same time in 2019.

Shipt, which had a little more than 100,000 workers in the early spring of last year, has about 300,000 independent contractors who work as shoppers.

It still remains to be seen how many people will continue to pay for delivery of groceries and other necessities as more people have become vaccinated. Analysts expect the growth in online and contactless services to start to slow back to more normal levels.

Last week, Target reported 20% growth in its Shipt services for the second quarter that, while positive, is still less than the 60% it experienced the same time last year.