Dive Brief:
- Shipt named Raj Kapoor as its next CEO, effective Oct. 18, according to a Wednesday press release.
- Kapoor served as the e-commerce company’s chief operating officer from 2022 to 2025, when he departed to work for parent company Target as the retailer’s senior vice president of marketplace.
- Shipt’s new leader comes at a time of innovation for the e-commerce operator as it continues to bolster its artificial intelligence capabilities.
Dive Insight:
Kapoor succeeds current Shipt CEO Kamau Witherspoon, who has led the company for four-plus years and decided to step away to pursue the next phase of his career, according to the press release. Witherspoon will remain through late October to support the transition.
During his three-year run as COO, Kapoor scaled Shipt’s fulfillment engine, improved quality and service, and led day-to-day operations, the announcement stated. At Target, Kapoor drove profitable growth, expanded assortment and improved the customer experience on Target Plus.
Shipt is a wholly owned subsidiary of Target, which acquired the e-commerce company in 2017.
Like Kapoor, Witherspoon also spent time at Target, serving more than 15 years within the Target enterprise, the press release said. During Witherspoon’s tenure as CEO, he integrated the Shipt marketplace as a benefit for members of the Target Circle 360 loyalty program.
“I’m excited to rejoin Shipt, work with Target and our partners, and lead a team whose care and dedication I know firsthand,” Kapoor said in a statement. “My focus is simple: enhance convenience for our customers, empower our shopper and driver community, and strengthen business performance across our offerings.”
AI has been a major development area for Shipt in recent months. In September, the company debuted Ask Shipt, an AI-powered shopping assistant available on its app and website that can build a grocery cart using a conversation with a customer or an uploaded photo. Ask Shipt can also identify ingredients based on a picture of a dish, plan a meal for a party, follow prompts about staying under a certain budget and surface promotions.
A month earlier, Shipt announced an AI integration with ChatGPT and Claude that offers similar autonomous tools for shoppers.
