Uber has enhanced its grocery delivery features to boost and better assist its force of gig workers.
Uber Eats launched “Shop and Pay” about a year ago, which allows delivery couriers to opt-in to receiving trips for retailers, to shop, check out and deliver items.
After assessing feedback, the company recently released several updates, including the ability to pay for items via digital card provided by Uber through Apple Pay or Google Pay. Before the update, shoppers had to use a pre-authorized physical card or pay with their own funds and get reimbursed.
According to Uber, in a recent survey, 92% of shoppers said digital payments were easy to activate, and 88% said it was easy to check out.
The company also addressed the most cited issue among delivery shoppers—dealing with out-of-stock items. Now when couriers indicate they can’t find a requested item in-store, the app displays a list of suggested substitutions based on similar brands.
“In testing, shoppers have let us know that the new experience is a win, among other things, it reduces their in-store time considerable—a win for earners and for their hungry customers at home,” said Therese Lim, senior director of product management for grocery and new verticals at Uber.
“It was great to have replacement options right when I pressed ‘unavailable’ for the item,” said an Uber Eats courier in a press release. “The previous way of being required to take a picture of nearby items just wasn’t as useful.”
The changes also inform the shopper, prior to accepting the job, what unique items are requested and whether any are heavy or fragile.
“With 100,000 grocery and new vertical storefronts across the world, our ambitions are big, and we’re committed to helping consumers find more of what they’re looking for on the app. Building a strong experience for shoppers—guided by their feedback—will be critical to our success, and we’ll keep it a top priority,” Uber stated in a release.
