Dive Brief:
- Uber Eats has partnered with Amazon to allow consumers to use Amazon Echo devices to track their order status in the U.S., the company said last week.
- The integration will provide real-time, hands-free order tracking from preparation to delivery.
- Uber Eats also has voice integrations with Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri, which were added within the past year.
Dive Insight:
Uber Eats has been expanding its use of new technologies within the past year to increase customer access, including via autonomous vehicles and partnerships with stadiums and airports. The Alexa integration was designed to offer convenience to consumers. Users can set how they want to receive updates and how many Alexa devices they want to activate to provide notifications when an order’s status changes. Consumers can also choose to have Alexa change to yellow when there is a notification and ask “Alexa, what’s my notification?”
These various activations could help the company boost partnerships and differentiate from its competitors. Restaurant Dive conducted a search of Alexa Skills and did not find DoorDash or Grubhub listed. Other restaurants on Alexa include Domino’s and Panera, however.
Uber Eats in the U.S. and Canada has been growing its selection of merchant partners in recent quarters, especially with small- and medium-sized businesses, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said during prepared remarks about Q1 2023. Active merchants in these countries increased 10% year-over-year. The company’s Uber One subscription program has helped with lowering the cost to consumers, and adoption reached an all-time high last quarter, he said.
Uber also redesigned its app during the past quarter to allow cross-platform access to its mobility and delivery platforms. That update included a new home screen and personalization, according to the company’s Q1 2023 earnings release.
