Shipt is a same-day delivery service offering grocery delivery, household essentials, and products from local stores. Founded in 2014 by Bill Smith in Birmingham, Alabama, and acquired by Target Corporation in 2017, Shipt connects customers with personal shoppers who hand-pick items and deliver them in as little as one hour. The service partners with major retailers including Target, Costco, CVS, and Petco. Users can browse store catalogs, build shopping lists, communicate with their shopper in real-time, and track delivery progress. Shipt offers both membership-based pricing with unlimited free deliveries over $35 and per-delivery ordering for non-members. Personal shoppers can make substitutions and communicate about product availability during the shopping trip.
Grocery Apps
Shipt provides same-day grocery and essentials delivery with personal shoppers, real-time chat, and partnerships with Target, Costco, and other major retailers.
Shipt differentiates itself in the crowded delivery space through its personal shopper model -- dedicated shoppers who hand-pick items and communicate in real-time about substitutions and availability create a more personalized experience than warehouse-picked alternatives. Target's ownership provides a natural anchor partnership, and coverage across Costco, CVS, and Petco expands utility. One-hour delivery windows are impressively fast. The iOS app (4.8 rating) reflects strong user satisfaction. The real-time shopper communication, including photo sharing of available alternatives when items are out of stock, adds a human touch that algorithmic alternatives lack. However, the membership model at a significant annual cost makes Shipt expensive for infrequent users, and per-order pricing for non-members is steep. Geographic coverage remains more limited than Instacart. As a general shopping app, the focus is firmly on grocery and household delivery rather than broader retail. Product selection depends entirely on partnered retailers in your area. For frequent grocery delivery users in Shipt's coverage areas, the personal shopper experience justifies the premium.