Instacart Just Added Two New Delivery Features That Make It Easier to Get Groceries Right Now
Instacart has launched two new features, including Fast and Flexible delivery for shoppers at home, as well as an Order Ahead feature.
The delivery app allows you to shop local grocery stores, specialty retailers, and pharmacies from the comfort of your home.
COVID-19 has not affected operations, but Instacart officials say there are a few things you can do to better locate open delivery times during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
With national health experts now advising Americans to stay out of grocery stores for the next two weeks if they can, many of us are looking for ways to shop for groceries without leaving our homes. Instacart is one of the largest, most widely available grocery delivery services across the United States – the delivery app partners with most supermarkets, local speciality shops, and even pharmacies in your area, including membership stores like Costco and BJ's Wholesale. But the company is facing challenges when it comes to meeting the high demand for grocery delivery right now. On April 8, the grocery delivery provider launched two new features to hopefully help shoppers get their deliveries faster, especially if they plan to shop in advance: Fast & Flexible and Order Ahead.
Apoorva Mehta, Instacart's founder and CEO, says the company has seen customer demand soar over the last few weeks — and customers are ordering more than ever. Average orders are 25% larger than they were a month ago, and the platform has seen 300% growth since last year at this time. "The launches of Fast & Flexible and Order Ahead allow us to speed up our delivery service for customers and ultimately offer more flexibility based on how people are shopping right now," he says.
Below, we're answering the most commonly asked questions about Instacart's grocery delivery service, including how they're pivoting services during the COVID-19 pandemic. We're also breaking down the two new features for you.
How does Instacart work?
Instacart allows customers to shop at local grocery stores via a mobile app or their website, creating a virtual shopping cart that is later fulfilled by a "personal shopper" on a designated day. Normally, Instacart offers same-day delivery within a five-hour window for customers who need groceries sooner rather than later. Shoppers can head to the store of your choice and later deliver the order all in one day using their own car — or you can also plan an order in advance for delivery on a different day.
Since Instacart doesn't sell any groceries itself, your shopper will notify you in the app if something you've purchased is out of stock or unavailable, and will work with you to find a suitable replacement.
What stores does Instacart work with?
It all depends on where you live. Local grocery stores in your area — including small businesses like liquor stores or gourmet butchers — may partner with the platform to allow Instacart shoppers to deliver their goods. But it has relationships with many of the major big-box retailers that Americans know well, including Aldi, Wegmans, Kroger, Safeway, Giant supermarkets, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, and regional options like Publix. Customers are able to place delivery orders in 5,500 cities across the country, with offerings from more than half of all the grocery stores in the U.S. and Canada.
If you want to see which grocery stores deliver in your area, enter your zip code here. Instacart also partners with membership-only stores that offer bulk items, including Costco, BJ's Wholesale, and Sam's Club, allowing you to shop at these stores without having to buy a membership outright. Plus, you can find other retailers in some areas, such as Sur La Table, among others.
How much does Instacart cost? Are there any fees?
Instacart allows you to place orders for grocery delivery even if you do not sign up for one of its memberships, which includes Instacart Express, priced at $99 annually or $9.99 a month. Shopping without a membership often results in higher delivery and service fees per order, which can range based on your order's subtotal and how fast you need your groceries delivered.
If you have an Express membership, you'll enjoy free delivery on orders that are more than $35. Moreover, you'll avoid many of the fees that non-member shoppers are subjected to, including busy pricing, which is an extra charge that occurs when Instacart shoppers are facing more orders than usual, as well as free one-hour delivery (which normally comes at a surcharge). Orders under $35 may be subject to a delivery fee between $3.99 and $9.99, depending on how soon you'd like to receive it and if you have a Express membership (which lowers this fee).
Groceries priced on Instacart are often directly set by retailers — and some users have reported that in certain cases, items sold within the app are marked higher than they would be in store. Since Instacart users can shop at warehouse grocers that they'd normally have to fork over a membership fee to, including Costco, items are priced higher in this case to reflect that discrepancy. A 2015 Recode report indicates that Costco items on Instacart's platform in Manhattan were marked up by 15%, but markups can vary based on location. Normally, Instacart will notify its users when it has implemented a surcharge, but it's something to keep in mind — you may be paying more for the added convenience of digital shopping.
Is tip included?
Tipping is not included in service fees or Express membership costs, but tips are strongly recommended, especially now when demand is higher than ever. Instacart allows you to tip directly in the app itself, and often recommends leaving a tip that's proportionate to your total bill, with percentage options that are automatically calculated. A word of caution: Instacart automatically selects a default tip of 5% for new users, and you'll need to adjust your tip before you select a final checkout. You can also add custom tips altogether. A new feature allows returning customers to have tips already set to a default amount they used on their last orders.
When do Instacart's delivery times open?
Instacart officials tell Good Housekeeping that delivery times open on their app automatically on a rolling basis, based on a formula that considers the store's volume and shopper availability. As delivery times become available, customers will see these delivery options become immediately available on Instacart. If you're having trouble finding a delivery slot for your groceries, Instacart officials advise that you check delivery times frequently throughout your day.
If you are shopping in advance, Instacart has now added Order Ahead capabilities on its app that allows customers to place orders two weeks in advance. Previously, shoppers could only shop one week in advance. The extension might allow you to seamlessly plan to restock pantry staples without anxiously stockpiling your kitchen right now, flooding the app with non-crucial orders. The new Order Ahead feature is currently available in select cities and will be rolling out across North America within the coming weeks.
Is Instacart still delivering during the coronavirus pandemic?
In a statement provided to Good Housekeeping, Instacart officials confirm that its shoppers are still delivering to customers right now, despite the COVID-19 outbreak. To keep shoppers and customers better protected, Instacart began offering contactless delivery last month, which allows customers to authorize a shopper to leave their order outside their door, on their porch, or in their building's lobby, rather than traditional face-to-face delivery.
What is Fast and Flexible delivery?
Historically, shoppers had to place orders for particular delivery time slots on any given day, usually same-day orders or those within two-hour windows of time. But as demand recently surged, these time slots were being booked almost immediately, and many days in advance — some shoppers weren't able to place orders at all due to delivery schedules being completely booked up, according to the Post Crescent.
Instacart's new Fast and Flexible feature allows customers to select a wider delivery window that allows shoppers to deliver more orders outside of a strict schedule. If selected, shoppers will be able to receive their order by the first available shopper, which means they'll have an estimated delivery range that can be within a 48-hour window. They'll be notified when their order is being shopped and when it'll be delivered at any point in that window.
Instacart officials say they'll continue to offer 2-hour and same-day delivery windows for customers who are looking for them. But if you or a family member are home throughout the day, the Fast and Flexible delivery option might help you get your groceries sooner, as these are assigned on an available basis.
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