Introducing customer preferences to make it easier to get it right
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We know you work hard to get your customers exactly what they want, putting care into every order. This commitment to quality is what sets Instacart shoppers apart, and we strive to best support you in delivering excellence. That's why we're rolling out a new feature to make it easier for you to serve your customers with less guesswork. Starting today, customers can set preferences with a new feature, Preference Picker, on select items—like banana ripeness—so you'll know exactly what to look for.
Built-in preferences for smarter shopping


If the exact preference isn’t available in-store, pick the closest match and indicate what you found in-app. Then, take a photo of what items you picked. We’ll automatically share what you found and the photo with the customer in chat so they can stay informed and you can focus on shopping.
If a customer’s preference is not available, your shopping quality score is protected. Your score won’t be negatively impacted if you accurately select what you’re able to find and snap a photo.
Supporting multiple types of preferences
Customer preferences can vary by item type and we’re here to help support you in getting them right. In addition to banana ripeness preferences, we also support avocado ripeness preferences and deli meat slice thickness preferences.

When it comes to avocados, everyone has different plans for them. Now you'll see preferences that tell you exactly what stage of ripeness your customer needs based on firmness, whether it’s "Not ripe/Very firm", "Almost ripe/Slightly firm", or “Ripe/Ready to eat”. Check what ripeness level is available by giving avocados a gentle squeeze near the stem.

When a customer orders custom sliced deli meat, you'll see their preferred slice thickness, if specified, right in the app—whether they want it shaved “Very thin”, sliced “Thin”, or cut “Medium”. You can let the store’s deli counter know the preferred slice thickness when requesting your customer’s custom sliced meat.
Looking ahead, we aim to expand customer preferences to additional items to continue providing you with information that can help make it easier to get it right.
More resources to support delivering excellence
Learn more about the new customer preferences experience in Carrot Academy and access additional resources on our website.
Instacart
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Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,800 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 100,000 stores across more than 15,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.



