Instacart Introduces "Shop Talk" -- A New Virtual Community For Shoppers

"Shop Talk" Offers Real-Time Engagement Platform for Shoppers, New Learning Resources and Product Feedback Channels

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Feb 19, 2020, 11:00 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Instacart, a North American leader in online grocery, today announced Shop Talk, the new virtual community for Instacart shoppers. Shop Talk is a virtual community that brings shoppers and the company together, providing a space for open conversation, discussion, sharing, and learning.

Within Shop Talk, shoppers will be able to discuss anything related to Instacart, whether they are new to the platform and want advice from more seasoned shoppers, have questions about how to address unique situations, or want to share their experiences with fellow shoppers.

Along with discussion opportunities, shoppers can also leave direct feedback about the Shopper app in the form of Shopper Ideas. The ideas that receive enough upvotes from the community will be presented directly to the Instacart team on a quarterly basis for consideration to be incorporated into the Shopper app.

"Instacart shoppers are picking and packing from the aisles of tens of thousands of grocery stores across North America every day. Each of those shopping experiences is an invaluable opportunity for us to listen, learn, and use feedback to develop a better shopper experience," said Sean Twersky, Senior Director of Operations at Instacart. "With Shop Talk, we're providing an online community where shoppers can engage with each other and the broader Instacart community. Whether it's a new shopper looking for advice or a seasoned shopper with a great idea for a new app feature, every shopper has something to offer. We look forward to bringing together this diverse group of individuals to make the shopper community even stronger."

Within Shop Talk, shoppers can access several new features that will help them connect with each other and directly with the Instacart community:

Shopper Ideas - As the most frequent users of the Shopper app, shoppers often have the best ideas about how the product can be enhanced to make their experience even easier. Shoppers with an idea for a new feature can submit it to Shopper Ideas. Ideas that receive enough upvotes by the shopper community will be considered by the Instacart team to be incorporated in the Shopper app.
Shopper Chat - As the new virtual home for shoppers, Shop Talk will provide an opportunity for shoppers to chat about anything and everything Instacart-related. Whether they want to discuss their experiences shopping, share best practices with other shoppers, or receive advice from more veteran shoppers, shoppers will find something helpful to chat about in Shop Talk.
Shopper Groups - Shoppers can also participate in shopper groups to talk about issues that are most relevant for them in a smaller setting. For example, shoppers participating in the beta test of the Shopper app can discuss new features before the app is rolled out to the entire shopper community, giving them an opportunity to share more openly with a small group of other shoppers.
Bravocado - Featuring profiles of the shopper community, Bravocado lets shoppers learn about the diverse individuals who shop with Instacart. All shoppers have unique stories, backgrounds, and reasons for shopping, and Bravocado helps shoppers get to know each other and celebrates the diversity that makes the community special. Shoppers who want to be profiled can submit themselves or nominate a friend to be considered.
Badges - As shoppers reach certain milestones within the Shop Talk community, they can earn different types of badges to highlight their progress. Badge milestones include number of posts, how much advice they've given other shoppers, the number of likes they've received from other shoppers, and more.

Shop Talk has been piloted with a select group of shoppers over the past several months, resulting in an active user base of more than triple the average for similar virtual communities. Shoppers spend an average of almost an hour a month in Shop Talk, viewing an average of more than five pages in each visit.

Along with Shop Talk, Instacart is introducing a host of new resources for shoppers, furthering its commitment to improving the overall shopper experience.

Instacart is adding new lessons to Carrot Academy, the online resource for shopper learning, on relevant shopper-focused topics. These new lessons join existing subjects on picking high-quality items, making great replacements, and communicating with customers. The robust Carrot Academy library now includes more than 15 optional lessons to help shoppers learn best practices.

Instacart has also refreshed its shopper website, shoppers.instacart.com, to highlight the unique reasons shoppers choose to shop with Instacart and feature members of the shopper community who wish to share their story.

With more than 175,000 active shoppers, the Instacart shopper community delivers from more than 25,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

About Instacart:
Instacart is a North American leader in online grocery and one of the fastest growing companies in e-commerce. Instacart's same-day delivery and pickup services bring fresh groceries and everyday essentials to busy people and families across the U.S. and Canada in as fast as an hour. Instacart has partnered with more than 350 beloved national, regional and local retailers, including Albertsons, ALDI, Costco, Kroger, Loblaw, Publix, Sam's Club, Sprouts, Walmart Canada, and Wegmans, among others, to deliver from more than 25,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America. Instacart's delivery service is available to more than 85% of U.S. households and 70% of Canadian households. The company's cutting-edge enterprise technology also powers the e-commerce platforms of some of the world's biggest retail players, supporting their white-label websites, applications and delivery solutions. Instacart offers an Instacart Express membership for unlimited free delivery on orders over $35. For more information or to start shopping, visit www.Instacart.com.

SOURCE Instacart