Internet-based grocery firm Instacart has introduced a safety feature for “shoppers” who will be alerted to critical incidents nearby that are “unsafe”.
According to an announcement from the tech-based grocery firm on Wednesday, the “Shopper Safety Alert” feature will tell “shoppers” and customers of any accidents happening near to where they are.
“Shoppers” for Instacart work to fulfil a customer’s order by collecting grocery items at a nearby store and then delivering them to an address via car.
According to Instacart, if a customer is in the middle of an order when a situation occurs, Instacart will pause it – and stop customers from ordering at a store, in smaller areas of a neighbourhood, or regions.
The shopper carrying out the order will meanwhile get “real time” information about the situation on the Instacart app, so that they can avoid the area.
Daniel Danker, Instacart’s vice president of shopper and fulfilment, explained that it was thanks to a partnership with samdesk, a data intelligence firm that creates real-time crisis alerts.
“We want Instacart to be a place where shoppers can earn safely, and we believe technology allows us to support shoppers in entirely new ways,” Mr Danker said in an announcement.
“Our new Shopper Safety Alerts will help protect shoppers in the unlikely event that they face an unexpected crisis, giving them near real-time information to avoid areas that may be unsafe.”
He went on to say that the “Shopper Safety Alert” feature “is part of our broader commitment to shopper safety,” after concerns about the safety of Instacart workers.
As reported by BuzzFeed News, shoppers argued in 2018 that removing the ability to see a customer’s address was an apparent danger and Instacart was forced to roll back removing the information.
Instacart became increasingly popular during Covid, with sales in April 2020 almost 300 per cent higher than a year before, according to reports.
It is among the biggest online grocers in the US and a part of a boom in app-based delivery services.
