Instacart Unveils 'Shopper Safety Alert' Technology, Here's What It Means

Instacart announced new safety features on Wednesday that will notify shoppers of “critical incidents” when they occur along with enhancing current features like emergency calls.

Instacart partnered with an artificial intelligence global disruption monitoring tool called Samdesk. The Shopper Safety Alert gathers data from law enforcement, social media, and local news, among other feeds, to notify shoppers of critical incidents so they can avoid the area.

The feature also automatically pauses an order if an incident occurs while they order, which prevents shoppers from entering dangerous areas. Shopping centers and malls in the U.S. are more often the sites where mass shootings and other violent events occur. Features like Shopper Safety Alert help to keep shoppers safe in case of such incidents.

“Our new Shopper Safety Alerts will help protect shoppers in the unlikely event that they face an unexpected crisis, giving them near real-time information to avoid areas that may be unsafe. This update is part of our broader commitment to shopper safety, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to help shoppers earn safely,” said Daniel Danker, vice president of shopper and fulfillment at Instacart, in a press release.

Instacart also announced an update to its in-app emergency calling, partnering with RapidSOS. The feature allows shoppers to call emergency services from within the app, and with the update they can share their location and other critical information with any emergency responders in the area.

The leading online grocery platform will also offer new safety lessons in safe shopping, driving, and delivery that will walk a user through how to report an incident on the app and best safety practices.

In cases of sexual misconduct, Instacart has partnered with RAINN to provide more lessons on prevention and reporting.

Ultimately, these updates and rollouts will lead to further safety for users in the event of an emergency and more resources to help them prepare for a dangerous event.