Instacart operates a grocery delivery and pick-up service in the United States and Canada. The company offers its services via a website and mobile app. The service allows customers to order groceries from participating retailers with the shopping being done by a personal shopper.
DURATION
24 Hours
AREA OF WORK
Product Design
YEAR
2023
TEAM
Self
Problem Statement
How might we design an Instacart capability that can potentially increase its user base?
Feature Conceptualization
GROUP SHOPPING
Group Shopping allows users to collaborate with others to create and place a single order for delivery or pick-up.
Overall, Group Shopping had the potential to have the most significant impact on Instacart's user base and business performance. It can encourage users to make more orders and attract new users who prefer to shop with others. The meal suggestion feature can also contribute to increasing the average order value, while the smart shopping list feature may have a smaller impact on the business.
Why?
Group Shopping will increase the number of items per order while keeping the same cost of logistics for the company and the user. This will drive higher profits for the company and is critical in times when finding a workforce for delivery is a challenge and could be a bottleneck. Allowing users to have a single combined order could save them the cost per order while bringing efficiency to the process. This will encourage more users to join Instacart, especially the ones living together and who need to go through this process frequently. Making it convenient for people to order together, will encourage more frequent orders as there will be higher engagement and probability of someone initiating an order relative to a single user.
A simple Google search states that 79 Million Americans Live in Shared Households; meaning almost 79 million adults live in a housemate-style situation.
Final Design End User Experiences
1. Users can initiate a group order by inviting others to join the order by creating a group within the app.
2. Once the group is created, users can add items to a shared cart and chat with other members to coordinate the order.
3. Users can designate a preferred delivery or pick-up time and location.
4. Each member of the group can pay for their portion of the order individually; users can also split the cost of the cart using Instacart's payment system.
User Cases
Some challenges we might face
Ensuring that payments are processed accurately and efficiently for each member of the group.
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Managing inventory and availability for large group orders, especially during peak times.
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​Providing a clear and intuitive user interface for creating and managing group orders when there are multiple users in a big household