DoorDash announced a new program for college students and a “flamin’ hot” incentive to get more memberships.
Under the newly announced plan, college students would be able to get all the same perks as the full price DashPass for a rate of $4.99 per month ($48 annually) instead of the typical $9.99 per month ($96 annually).
Students under the DashPass would get free delivery on eligible orders with a minimum price floor and 5 percent back in the form of DoorDash credits on pickup orders. Students would also get exclusive perks and menu items. One such item was also announced with the launch of the student DashPass: Buffalo Wild Wings’ new Doritos Flamin’ Hot Nacho Wings.
The menu item will be available for delivery for a limited time exclusively for DashPass members, and it seems to be a clear invitation for students craving something fried, spicy and salty after a night out.
The wings certainly fit with college student delivery habits, which DoorDash also shared. Students love to order later; 65 percent order food between 9 and 10 p.m. and almost 20 percent order after 11 p.m.
They’re also more likely to order during finals week or those last few weeks of the semester; 71 percent of students said they were more likely to order delivery when cramming.
Snacks were the most ordered items, with about 90 percent of students saying they used DoorDash to order snacks. Electrolyte drinks and painkillers were also top ordered items, and condoms were in the mix, too. Twenty-five percent of students said they ordered them via rush delivery.
Whatever they’re ordering, they do it frequently. In all, 70 percent of students surveyed by DoorDash said they ordered third-party delivery weekly, and, incredibly, according to DoorDash, they order on average of four times per week.
Certainly, if they’re ordering that much, locking them into a single service via membership is logical for DoorDash or any other provider. As seen with other campus-focused programs like Facebook did long ago or Snackpass is doing today, those habits are sticky.
When asked, DoorDash wouldn’t say how many of these student DashPass members they hoped would become lifelong DashPass-ers, but it’s certainly an aggressive price cut to draw students in and keep them in the fold.
