Instacart announced plans to introduce additional safety measures for its growing shopper community, including new in-app shopper wellness checks as well as the expansion of its COVID-19 extended pay policies for all shoppers and bonuses for in-store teams. The company also announced plans to bring on an additional 250,000 full-service shoppers over the next two months to meet the continued consumer demand for grocery delivery and pickup in North America with the intention to return to one-hour and same-day delivery.
"Instacart has become an essential service for millions of families relying on us to help deliver their groceries and household goods in the wake of COVID-19," said Apoorva Mehta, founder and chief executive officer of Instacart. "Overnight, we've become a necessity for millions of people and our teams are working tirelessly to launch new products that speed up our service and open up more delivery windows for customers. We're committed to getting back to one-hour and same-day delivery speeds, and in order to do that, we're continuing to grow our shopper community to meet the surge in customer demand. We recognize these are extraordinary times and we take our responsibility to safely serve shoppers and customers very seriously. We're focused on continuing to provide safe and flexible earnings opportunities for shoppers, while also making it possible for more families than ever before to access grocery delivery."
The company's new steps to support the health and safety of Instacart shoppers are:
- Shopper In-App Wellness Check: In an effort to make it easier for shoppers to more closely monitor their health during this time, Instacart shoppers will have access to a daily, in-app wellness check designed to help survey shoppers for any COVID-19 related symptoms. If a shopper completes the wellness check and confirms they are healthy, they may resume shopping on the platform. If a shopper confirms symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, coughing, or difficulty breathing), they will be logged off the platform for the day and instructed to contact their physician.
- Extending COVID-19 Pay for Part-Time Employees and Full-Service Shoppers: To support shoppers who are affected by COVID-19, Instacart is offering up to 14 days of pay for any full-service shopper or part-time employee — including in-store shopper, shift lead, site manager, or Instacart Care agent — who is diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed in individual mandatory isolation or quarantine, as directed by a local, state, or public health authority.
- Extending Bonuses for In-Store Teams Until End of COVID-19 Crisis: The last several weeks have been the busiest in Instacart's history due to the increased customer demand for grocery delivery across North America. During this time, Instacart has been increasing pay for employees with new bonuses for all in-store shoppers, shift leads, and site managers. These bonuses are determined by the number of hours worked and range from $25 to $200. These bonuses have been extended for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis to further support the in-store shopper community during this critical time.
- Making it Easier for Active Shoppers to Access Health and Safety Kits: Instacart is continuing to provide personal protective equipment to all active shoppers with health and safety kits that include face masks and hand sanitizer. These health and safety kits were sourced and developed with several third-party manufacturers in consultation with medical and infectious disease experts. Instacart will begin rolling out new in-app messaging that makes it easier for all active shoppers to request a free health and safety kit directly from the Instacart Shopper app.
In addition to the new shopper safety measures, Instacart also shared that the company plans to bring on an additional 250,000 new full-service shoppers. One month ago, Instacart announced that it was bringing on 300,000 new full-service shoppers and, in the weeks following that announcement, the company quickly met that goal, growing its shopper community to more than 500,000 people today. With order volume growing by more than 500 percent year-over-year last week and average customer basket sizes increasing by 35 percent, the company plans to bring on more shoppers across North America to meet the continued surge in customer demand. Instacart will be focused on scaling its shopper community in key areas with the most consumer demand right now including California, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, and Toronto.
