We’re in the full swing of December peak shopping. And, here at Shipt, we’re focused on making these final shopping days as easy, cost-effective and stress-free as possible. How do we do it? We spoke to Raj Kapoor, chief operating officer at Shipt, to discuss how Shipt is saving the day for gift-givers and retailers alike in the home stretch of the holiday season. Check out our conversation below!

What’s top-of-mind this holiday season and how is Shipt helping? 
We know there’s a lot on people’s minds this season – customers are picking up gifts to complete their shopping lists and many who do independent contractor work are looking for earnings opportunities. 

With inflation being such a big topic this year, customers in these last few days are still looking for deals. So, to meet them where they are, we have several enticing last-minute deals like offering customers the annual $99/year Shipt membership for $49/year and $10 off orders of $25 or more for those last minute gifts like books, toys, beauty products and more. And for those holiday meal items like hams, seafood and side dishes, we’re also offering $20 off orders of $100 or more. On top of all of that, Shipt has in-store shelf pricing from Target, Sephora, Walgreens, Petsmart and others so that customers get the same great price with delivery as they would shopping in store aisles. And lastly, holiday surcharges aren’t a thing at Shipt, so we’re here for any order big or small, planned or last-minute. 

This holiday season, we’ve also been working with partners to ensure we have availability and earnings opportunities for shoppers and drivers with Shipt who want to deliver last-minute items. We’re ready to meet the demand in these last few days across all lines of our business.  

That’s exciting to hear about those deals! How is Shipt making it easier for customers to build their baskets with its product features and tech? 
Over the past year, we’ve made some investments in upgrading our search capabilities to help make finding products and building baskets even easier. 

Most recently, we introduced a new tool to help customers with gifting ideas: AI-Powered Search. Our new approach delivers qualified search results to help customers with their gifting and hosting ideas this holiday season. 

And this is on top of the friendly shoppers with Shipt who are known for going above and beyond to personalize every order and make sure customers have what they need. 

Prepping for a season of shopping takes a village. How did Shipt’s preparations for the holiday season set the company up for success in the last couple weeks of gift-giving and holiday hosting?
We know, at our core, that customers, retailers and brands turn to Shipt, because they trust us to help them meet their needs and that’s never more true than during the holiday season. That’s why we’ve been working with our partners all year to get ready for the holidays. This year, orders around the country that are placed before 4 p.m. local time on Sunday, December 24, will be delivered in as soon as one hour.

It’s simple - delivery is very important to customers. Seventy-three percent of respondents in our recent survey say it’s important for brick-and-mortar stores to offer delivery*. And, not only is delivery important, but at this time of year especially, reliability and accuracy are crucial when it comes to the customer experience. In our survey, 74 percent of respondents said that reliability of delivery impacted where they shopped online.* 

That’s why, just in time for the holidays, we launched real-time order tracking. Now, customers can receive live updates as a shopper moves through the shopping list. We also helped prepare for this peak holiday season across all business lines by sharing holiday shopping tips and tricks with shoppers, by working with some retailers to make it even easier for shoppers to cruise through checkout and by streamlining operational processes in sortation centers to ensure drivers could load vehicles and get on the road in a timely fashion. 

Wow, sounds like Shipt has been working hard behind the scenes with partners! What makes Shipt stand out during this time of year? 
We hear time and time again that two-way communication means so much during the last few days of the shopping season. 

Our customers appreciate the lengths shoppers with Shipt go to fulfill and personalize their orders, especially during the holiday gift-giving season. When shoppers communicate with customers live during a shop it makes last-minute order substitutions easier and on-the-fly additions a breeze. For example, last year in the week leading up to Christmas Day, we saw a spike in customers forgetting to pick up batteries, and we anticipate shoppers will likely have lots of text conversations with customers on last-minute items again this year. 

Across our business lines, we’re also better equipped to manage the inevitable holiday happenings in these last few days. We have a highly engaged network of independent contractors, which is key to our ability to flex as needed during these peak seasons for our retailers. And, over the years, we’ve tested and learned and continue to invest in all we can do to create a great, reliable experience for customers, shoppers and drivers, retailers and brands. 

*Survey Methodology
This online survey of 3,000 U.S. adults who celebrate a winter holiday was commissioned by Shipt and conducted by market research company OnePoll, in accordance with the Market Research Society’s code of conduct. Data was collected between October 10 and 13. All participants are paid an amount depending on the length and complexity of the survey. This survey was overseen and edited by the OnePoll research team, who are members of the MRS and have corporate membership to ESOMAR and AAPOR.