Shipt's innovation lab centralizes the company’s focus on meeting the quickly evolving needs of retailers, CPGs, and customers. 

Shipt, the retail technology company known for connecting people to high-quality delivery with a personal touch, announced today, ahead of the National Retail Federation’s 2024 “Big Show,” the creation of its new innovation lab. The lab's work focuses on big thinking to centralize delivery and product experiments across the company that further the future of shopping and delivery for customers, partners, drivers and shoppers.

At its core, this lab’s experimental work aims to harness the latest and greatest in technology advances and pair them with the human connection that is so important to Shipt, making the company distinct, reliable and efficient. 

“The innovation lab brings together dedicated focus and resources so we can elevate and accelerate the ways we experiment with new technologies and exciting solutions to complement the beloved human connection that people value in delivery with Shipt," said Jon Fahrner, vice president of sales development and innovation at Shipt. “The team is energized to dream up the future of delivery that ultimately enhances Shipt’s personalized, high-quality delivery experience for partners, customers, drivers and shoppers alike.”

As the innovation lab explores and experiments to transform the future of shopping and delivery with retail and CPG partners and customers at the center, the team is prioritizing a few key themes at launch: 

The new frontiers of shopping and delivery: Because we know the retail landscape is ever-evolving, Shipt strives to explore new, cutting-edge solutions to help retail partners meet customers' needs. This includes exploring new frontiers of delivery alongside retail and CPG partners, like the role drone delivery could potentially play in the shopping and delivery experience. By experimenting with drones and other means of last-mile fulfillment, Shipt can evaluate potential use cases and strive to meet customer needs for delivery of small or urgent orders, for example.

Elevated personalization: In order to build upon the best-in-class personalization customers have grown to love and expect from Shipt, the company is also exploring different ways to deepen connections and further personalize the experience. The company’s “Cool Finds” program, for example, helps customers discover new shopper-recommended products such as pumpkin spice cereal, pizza cupcakes and whipped creamy ranch. It further virtualizes the beloved “end cap” experience for a digital customer, by increasing visibility to new products and adding to basket sizes.  

Monetizing virtual experiences: As Shipt continues researching how technology can pair with human connections, the company is also exploring how virtual experiences can further enhance the shopping experience. This creates a monetization opportunity to put CPG partners and retail brands in front of the next generation of customers in a virtual, online world beyond the company’s marketplace. Last year, Shipt teamed up with online gaming developer, Voldex, for a back-to-school shopping immersion within Driving Empire, the popular racing experience on Roblox. Having generated more than five million engagements in just the first two weeks validates the tremendous potential and Shipt’s efforts to capitalize on virtual shopping experiences in the months and years to come.

By further investing in and experimenting with the latest innovations, Shipt aims to bring more value to the delivery experience for all Shipt customers, partners, shoppers and drivers. Looking to explore more? Visit the Shipt Lounge at NRF 2024, located in the main foyer of the Crystal Palace.