Beginning this week, Shipt members now have the option to make their same-day delivery of groceries a more personal experience through the online retailer’s Preferred Shoppers feature that pairs customers with highly rated Shipt shoppers of their choice.
Customers who rate their shopper with five stars after an order is delivered will have the option to add them to their Preferred Shopper list. If the shopper accepts the request, that shopper will be prioritized to shop for the customer’s future orders. The feature is available as a Shipt membership perk, and customers can learn more or upgrade to membership here.
“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 & product officer at Birmingham, Ala.-based Shipt, an independently operated unit of Target Corp. “Preferred Shoppers helps customers get the exceptional service they enjoy again and again.”
Shipt customers who rate their shopper with five stars after an order is delivered will have the option to add them to their Preferred Shopper list.
The nationwide rollout of the Preferred Shoppers program comes after a successful test that showed that the new offering greatly enhances customer and shopper satisfaction, quality of service and order frequency, Shipt said.
Shipt customers who were paired with regular shoppers for their same-day delivery needs ordered more often, rated their experience high and described fewer issues with items. Approximately 95% of Shipt members in the pilot used it right out of the gate and reported higher satisfaction in their same-day delivery experiences. Customers in these Preferred Shopper pairings are also tipping more on their orders, as a thank you to their shoppers for a high level of individualized service, according to Shipt.
“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,” said Varsanyi.
Acquired by Target in December 2017 for $550 million, Shipt provides personal shopping and delivery services in more than 5,000 U.S. cities, accessible to 80% of the nation’s households. Its retail partners span the grocery, alcohol, kitchen goods and household staples, pet care, health and wellness, and business products segments.
While initially focused on traditional grocery retailers such as H-E-B, Meijer and Hy-Vee, Shipt also offers home delivery from its parent company Target, as well as such diverse retailers as Rite Aid, Petco, Office Depot and OfficeMax, CVS Pharmacy and Costco Wholesale.
