Instacart Adds Shopper Safety Feature To App

Instacart, the online grocery marketplace, has added a safety app to ensure its shoppers are protected amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Francisco-based company announced on Friday (May 22).

Instacart has partnered with ADT Inc., the Florida security company, to link shoppers to emergency services that promises to provide urgent assistance in times of need. In addition, the app has a new shopper identity verification feature with an updated contactless delivery offering, and other perks such as discounts on cell phone coverage and roadside assistance.

“The health and safety of the entire shopper community remains a top priority and it’s critically important we continue to evolve our offerings for shoppers to ensure they have the personal protective equipment and resources they need inside and outside of the aisles to help keep them safe,” Instacart President Nilam Ganenthiran said in a statement. “These new features, safety tools, and resources we’re introducing today will help ensure shoppers have the support they need during and after the COVID-19 crisis.”

The “Get Emergency Assistance” button connects shoppers with emergency services and lets first responders know the shopper’s location.

“The ADT mobile safety solution integrates seamlessly into the Instacart Shopper app, providing peace of mind and safety to on-the-go shoppers and their customers,” said Leah Page, vice president of mobile security and strategic projects at ADT, in a statement. “At ADT, we believe everyone has the right to feel safe, and through this partnership, we’re proud to help protect Instacart’s shopper community.”

In addition, the companies say shoppers can easily report an issue that may occur while shopping or delivering with the incident reporting function.

Last month, as reported here, Instacart hired 300,000 more workers to fill the crushing amount of orders received since the onset of the pandemic.

At the time, the company announced mandatory employee wellness checks and boosted efforts to ensure the safety of its workforce. Instacart said it expected to hire another 250,000 workers by the end of June.