How Do i Make Instacart Faster?
It is very convenient to use an online delivery service for groceries. This is because of the much-valued time that it can save you, in addition to the hassle.
With a huge customer base, Instacart is not an exception to this concern by its esteemed customers.many people ask, how do I make Instacart faster?
Unfortunately, today people wish to have their orders delivered even faster than what most of the best and largest grocery delivery services in the United States (U.S) can offer.
First, when people opt for online delivery services, they want to save on time and do other things instead.
It, therefore, does not come as a wonder when customers wish to speed up their preferred grocery delivery service.
It is indeed possible to speed-up the time that is taken to deliver your orders in Instacart.
Although the company handles bulk volumes of orders, each order is handled single single-handedly by a specific shopper.
This means that it is possible to have the order delivered on time if the customer considers a few things.
Measures that are in place by the company can scarcely be found among their competitors in the market.
The company has been keen to the needs of the clientele and had to develop a workable solution.
This is meant to ensure that the customers do not miss the convenience they get through making their orders through this great company.
Read on to familiarize yourself with some tricks you can apply to get services faster.
Why Does Instacart Seem To Be Too Slow?
There are several reasons why Instacart can be perceived to be slow. Let’s address one of the possible causes of this. First, market dynamics are hinged on supply and demand.
These are key tenets in any business. Any imbalance in this tenet will cause ripples in the market.
Due to the high demand for the services offered by Instacart, it is not always possible to deliver all orders on time.
Although this happens only a few times, 10% of the orders, it is not a good thing for any customer.
The good side of it is that 90% of all Instacart orders are delivered on time. But how does it happen?
Instacart has employed shoppers who handle your order and ensure it gets to you within the specified time frame.
Over the years, this company has built a solid customer base, meaning that their orders increase by the day.
Unfortunately, the number of shoppers is unable to cover all the orders at times. This happens on peak delivery times.
Peak delivery hours are a tricky area for any grocery delivery company that wants to stay afloat, considering the market trends and demands.
A company that does not seek a way to address its peak delivery times is destined for failure.
Instacart has conducted market research and was compelled by the market dynamics to address this issue effectively yet timely manner.
With a practical redress to the peak delivery times, late delivery will be a thing of the past. That will happen sooner than later.
However, have you known that you can make Instarcart faster? You ask, how do I make instacart faster? Read on to know-how.
How Does Instacart Delivery Work?
From the company’s advertisements, you can expect your delivery in as little as one hour. This sounds incredible.
But is it always true? As in all businesses, the law of demand and supply is very operational in Instacart.
The success of this one-hour delivery advertisement solely depends on the drivers (supply) and the orders coming in (demand).
At peak delivery times, it is possible to wait for about 5 hours. On the other hand, off-peak deliveries can be expected in about one hour or two.
Many people have discovered the market dynamics and found a way to go round it. For instance, many people are now embracing ordering ahead of time.
When you order ahead of time, you are traveling the greatest and best route in Instacart. Indeed, it is an added advantage to order ahead of time since you will never lack stuff.
Last-minute orders can be very frustrating, especially if they are done during peak delivery hours.
As already implied, Instacart is one of the best online grocery delivery services in the US. Unfortunately, its delivery times may at times leave you frustrated.
Since many people are switching to grocery delivery and pickup, it is high time Instacart addressed this issue.
All the same, it is important to mention this problem is peculiar to Instacart. Indeed, its competitors experience the same problem.
How Do You Make Your Order?
The brains behind Instacart grocery service are to solve the shopping needs of its customers virtually. From the Instacart platform, you will be able to order your products.
Since it is impossible to deliver items virtually, they will physically deliver your items to your specified destination.
With Instacart, the app is one solution to your purchase needs. From the app, it is easy to order. After you order, you set a delivery window in the same app.
After this, you will be able to pay and even tip from the app. From the app, you are allowed to select your preferred store you wish to order from.
Additionally, you can add specific items to your order. Shoppers, who are actually Instacart employees, go out and buy the stuff on your behalf.
On top of buying for you, they will also pay for you and afterward deliver it to you.
This they do, driving their car. They can also stage it for pickup if that is the option that you have selected.
If a shopper cannot find one of the items that you ordered in a particular store, they will generally visit another store to cater to your need.
This may impact the delivery schedule is a great way. It is important to note that some items are not delivered, like tobacco.
Does The Instacart Platform Promise a Set Delivery Time?
From Instacart’s platform, customers are allowed to set delivery windows. In normal circumstances, the window gives a range of five hours from the time you order.
The delivery windows available on the platform run between 9 am and midnight. This may seem like a contradiction of what is seen from the advertisements.
From the ads, it is shown as “as fast as an hour.” Although this may not always be the case, placing your order earlier will always guarantee timely delivery.
What Is Instacart Doing to Address The Delivery Concerns?
The year 2020 was a good year for Instacart. They have seen the demand for their services surge. Many grocery services enjoyed such surges due to the Covid- 19 pandemic.
Fortunately, Instacart has come up with a way to address the late delivery concerns. They recently launched two additional features.
As the late delivery is occasioned by an increase in demand due to the few shoppers, the company has decided to hire more shoppers to handle the increased number of orders, especially during peak delivery times.
Why does Instacart take too long to deliver?
As mentioned earlier, Instacart delivers on time most of the time. This year alone, Instacart delivery service has seen a 300% increase in demand for their services.
This is not a small thing to address, by all means. On the other hand, the average order has grown by 35%. Astonishingly, the company still delivers on-time 90% of the orders.
There are times the platform says that there are no delivery times available. This is a good thing as it means there are no shoppers to do your shopping and delivery.
This comes as a good gesture since you will not order when they know your order will be late.
One reason the company was slow was that they did not turn down any orders, but now, they won’t take the order when they know it will be extremely late.
Another reason why the company is slow is that the system, like other systems, can get overwhelmed. As long as the demand outstrips the shoppers, this happens.
So, How can I speed up my Instacart order?
As we have seen above, 2020 saw the company introduce two services to address the surge in demand.
The purpose of the new services is to improve on the time taken to deliver orders.
From the “Fast & Flexible” window, you can have your order delivered instantly. Actually, the first available Shopper will do this.
This is different from the other sections of the app, where orders are scheduled for the asset window.
Consequently, you can make use of this new feature to speed up your delivery.
Additionally, you can use the option “Order Ahead” on the platform. Unlike what is available elsewhere in the app, you can now place your order two weeks ahead of time.
Since the previous delivery window was seven days, this comes as a great solution to address the speed.
There is also a very effective way to ensure faster delivery from Instacart. If you check the “Leave at My Door” box, you can be sure of faster delivery.
This is because the shopper will not wait to have somebody in the home, hence freeing time to serve other customers.
For regular Instacart users, it is best to join Instacart Express. With instacart Express, you are assured of timely deliveries.
In addition to this, you will not be charged the normal per shop delivery fees. To join this program, you will only need an annual subscription of $99.
Can you add notes for items in your order to make it faster?
When you make an order in Instacart, kindly bear in mind that the company sources the items from stores in the neighborhood.
Consequently, there are times that an item may not be found in a particular store.
When this happens, more will always be spent looking for the item in other stores. As already implied, that has a time implication attached to it.
But you can quickly address this by adding a small note to your order. It is effortless to add a note to your order so that the shopper knows exactly what to do when the item you ordered is not in stock.
You will realize that the app saves your preferences, and it saves you time for the future when making similar orders.
Conclusion
Instacart, as a grocery delivery service provider, has weaknesses that are not peculiar to it.
A problem with delivery times in the company has been a concern to those who highly value this company.
As a company grows, it is not uncommon to have such challenges in the market. It is important to have a practical and realistic way of addressing the issue before it gets out of hand.
As of now, the company cannot be said to be lax in this endeavor.
Indeed, most of its competitors drag behind in addressing similar and sometimes same issues; Instacart has made deliberate efforts to address these delivery-related issues permanently.
However, there is a need for customers to be aware that there is a role for them to play in this well-meant venture.
As customer makes their order, this is a critical time that may ultimately impact the delivery time.
The customer needs to look at the time they choose for their items to be delivered.
Additionally, the 2-week delivery option where you can order two weeks ahead of time is quite timely.
There is no better time like this that this feature has been made available. By use of these features, customers will receive their orders on time.