Instacart is one of the many gig apps that make it easy to make extra money in your free time. But if you live in an area with many Instacart shoppers, you might wonder how to get more batches on Instacart.
I’ve revealed the secrets below.
How Does Instacart Assign Batches?
Instacart batches are grocery orders placed by shoppers. Each grocery order you shop for is a batch. And, as you probably guessed, some are better than others.
But how does Instacart decide which shopper gets which batch?
It all comes down to ratings. The higher your ratings are, the more batches you’ll get, and vice versa.
While you have the final say in which orders you accept, you’ll have many more opportunities if you have mostly five-star ratings.
Instacart Ratings
Ideally, you want a five-start average rating to get the most batches. This means of the last 100 batches you delivered, you received five-star ratings.
Your star rating is always an average of the last 100 orders delivered, so your rating can vary day-to-day if you’re an active shopper.
If your ratings fall below five stars, it doesn’t mean you won’t get any orders, but you might not see as many opportunities until those lower-rated reviews drop off after 100 days.
Why Am I Not Getting Batches on Instacart?
If you want to know how to get more batches on Instacart, it helps to look at the problem and solve it. So here are seven reasons you might not be getting any or enough batches on Instacart.
Low Instacart Shopper Rating
Instacart recently changed its batch priority threshold to 4.7 out of five stars. That means you won’t see batch orders first if you have an average rating below 4.7.
The batches go out to shoppers with 4.7 stars or higher. If they don’t take the order, it goes out to lower-rated shoppers next.
Low Instacart Order Volume
Like any business, Instacart has its downtimes. As you gain experience, you’ll learn the best times to deliver for Instacart and when to look at other options.
Fortunately, the Instacart app makes predicting which days you should work easy. On the ‘Peak Earning Days’ page, you can see the predicted batch volume by day for the next week, allowing you to choose your shifts wisely.
Shopper Competition
If there’s an overabundance of shoppers in your area, there might be more supply than demand. Even with a perfect five-star rating, other shoppers may beat you to the punch when accepting a batch.
Not Approved for All Order Types
Many people don’t realize Instacart has many types of batches available, and not all of them are just groceries.
For example, almost 15% of Instacart orders include alcohol. To be eligible for those orders, you must complete the alcohol certification course.
Other ways to learn how to get more batches on Instacart include:
- Using Instacart-approved cooler bags to accept orders with frozen and temperature-controlled foods
- Complete the prescription certification course and supplement large grocery batches with quick prescription runs
Not Accepting Batches Quickly Enough
Like any gig app, you aren’t the only shopper trying to get batches. If you’ve committed to a shift, have your phone near you and be ready to quickly accept a batch when it’s available.
Not Waiting in the Right Locations
Get to know your area so you know which stores offer the best Instacart batches, and position yourself near them when active on the app.
Next to the star rating, your location is another important factor. Instacart wants to provide shoppers with fast service. If they have two shoppers with a five-star rating, but one is five minutes from the store and the other is 30 minutes from it, they’ll give it to the shopper closer to the store.
But don’t just position yourself in front of any store. Know which stores are most active on Instacart, such as Aldi, Walmart, Albertsons, Sam’s Club, or Costco.
Instacart App Is Down
When the Instacart app is down, no one can do business, including shoppers. You’ll likely get an error when you open the app if it’s down, but you can check DownDetector if you want reassurance.
8 Proven Ways to Get More Batches on Instacart
Here are eight hacks to help you get more batches on Instacart.
- Position Yourself Near Instacart Hot Spots
- Improve Your Order Volume
- Work on the Busiest Instacart Days
- Increase Your Instacart Shopper Rating
- Take On Multiple Batches at Once
- Get Your Cooler Bags Approved
- Cart Star Program
- Pass Additional Certification Courses
1. Position Yourself Near Instacart Hot Spots
Hotspots in Instacart speak means you position yourself where most of the orders are at the time. Usually, this means an area with multiple grocery stores, increasing your chances of getting more orders and allowing you to be selective, choosing the highest-paying orders.
You can determine the hotspots by looking at the map in the Instacart app. The hotspots are highlighted in red. They also tell you the level of demand in the area, whether high or low.
The key is to be within 1 mile of a hotspot to have the best chance at the most orders.
2. Improve Your Order Volume
You won’t see the desired order volume if you hang out in the wrong areas. Instacart first prioritizes a shopper’s ratings and then their location. If you’re too far from a hotspot, you won’t see as many orders as someone within one mile
Pay close attention to the hotspot map to ensure you can improve your order volume so you have higher chances of more orders.
3. Work on the Busiest Instacart Days
Sundays and Mondays are notoriously the best days to shop for Instacart, but see what’s most popular in your area.
In many areas, Wednesdays are the slowest days. So, you may want to avoid shopping on Wednesdays and instead prioritize busier times like weekends and Mondays.
4. Increase Your Instacart Shopper Rating
This goes without saying, but the best thing to do when you want to learn how to get more batches on Instacart is to increase your rating.
Aim for a perfect rating of five stars. Fortunately, Instacart has a rating forgiveness program too.
If a shopper receives a low rating due to circumstances outside their control, such as low inventory or bad weather, Instacart won’t include it in their average rating. They also drop ratings below five stars given by shoppers who have given below five stars to the last three shoppers.
This ensures the rating system is fair and that Instacart builds a community that can trust one another.
5. Take On Multiple Batches at Once
Instacart allows shoppers to shop multiple orders simultaneously, which is a great way to increase your hourly rate.
However, use caution.
You must be able to shop for both orders within a reasonable time, keep them separate and deliver them to the right address. In other words, you must be organized and able to multi-task to maximize your ability to take multiple batches.
Most shoppers take up to two batches at a time, but if you’re experienced and capable, you may take three or four batches if you’re lucky enough to get that many batches at the same store.
6. Get Your Cooler Bags Approved
Instacart doesn’t require Instacart-provided cooler bags, but they must approve the bags you use for temperature-controlled orders.
As you can imagine, it’s a precise process because they must ensure food safety, but if you provide adequate info and pictures on the bag, you’ll have a good chance of approval and being able to take batches others cannot.
7. Cart Star Program
To reward the top shoppers and encourage more shoppers to provide exemplary service, Instacart began the Cart Star program, which rewards the highest-rated shoppers for a job well done.
They offer rewards such as cashback at gas stations, discounted oil changes, and premium discounts to top service providers. They also offer recognition opportunities for priority access to the best batches.
8. Pass Additional Certification Courses
If you feel you’ve maxed out all the steps above to get the most batches on Instacart, consider getting your alcohol or prescription certification.
Orders with alcohol may pay you much higher tips and base pay because of the higher order cost, and prescription orders can be a nice add-on during downtime.
What If I Still Don’t Get Batches?
Consider your alternatives if you’ve completed the above steps and still don’t get batches.
First, consider contacting customer support. They may or may not have the answers you need. But they can provide insight into the demand in the area you shop, tell you where you may get more orders, or provide other ways to get more batches unique to your area.
Finally, consider getting approved in multiple gig apps to maximize your time. If you only like grocery shopping, consider Shipt if they are in your area, or if you don’t mind picking up restaurant orders, sign up for DoorDash, Grubhub, or Uber Eats. You can then toggle between the apps, taking advantage of whichever has the highest demand.
Next Steps:
FAQs
How Does Instacart Decide Who Gets Batches?
Instacart prioritizes shoppers with the highest ratings when sending out batches. Five-star rated shoppers will have first dibs on orders versus those with lower orders.
The Instacart threshold for prioritization is 4.7 stars. While that doesn’t mean shoppers with less than 4.7 stars won’t get batches, there may not be as many available.
Can You Take Multiple Instacart Batches at Once?
You can take multiple Instacart batches at once. Just be careful to pay attention to detail and provide excellent customer service. Grabbing two batches at once to increase your earnings but then providing bad customer service will backfire on you.
Instead, only take the orders you know you can give incredible attention to detail.
How Many Instacart Batches Can You Do in a Day?
You can make your own schedule on Instacart and take as many batches as possible. The key is not to take batches for which you can’t provide excellent customer service. If you overload yourself, you could hurt your Instacart rating.
What Is the Best Way To Get Batches on Instacart?
The absolute best way to get batches on Instacart is to have a 5-star rating. When customers love you, Instacart will reward you with more batches. If you provide mediocre service, you’ll have less access to batches.
How Do You Get Multiple Batches on Instacart?
Instacart sends out double or triple batches, letting shoppers know what’s involved in each order to help you decide if you can do it. Before accepting multiple batches at once, ensure you have enough car space to transport the order.
Does Instacart Punish You for Not Accepting Batches?
No, Instacart never punishes shoppers for not accepting a batch. They recognize that shoppers have different thresholds of what they can handle or where they want to drive.
What Is the Highest Paid Instacart Batch?
Typically, the highest-paid Instacart batches are those with the most items. But, this can vary by area, as some areas pay drivers more, especially if you deliver great customer service and receive large tips.
What if I Accidentally Accepted a Batch on Instacart?
You can cancel a batch by clicking ‘cancel batch’ in the app if you haven’t arrived at the store and started shopping. This affects your cancellation rate, which may affect how many batches you receive if it gets too high.
What Time Does Instacart Release Batches?
Instcart batches begin when the area’s stores open, which can be as early as 7 AM in some areas. Since competition is usually low during that time, you may have a better chance of getting more batches.
Why Are My Batches So Far Away?
Sometimes the Instacart app glitches and sends you batches that are too far for you to handle. When this happens, turn your phone onto airplane mode for one minute and refresh the Instacart app. This should fix the issue.
Is Getting More Instacart Batches Worth It?
The more Instacart batches you have, the more money you make! Plus, you have a better chance of having a high Instacart rating to have first priority at batches since the rating averages the last 100 batches.
