Dive Brief:
- DoorDash has launched the DoorDash Commerce Platform, which allows restaurant partners to pick and choose between five products to meet their business needs, the company said Wednesday.
- In addition to the commerce platform, DoorDash added Online Ordering Mobile Apps, a product through which merchants can create their own branded mobile apps.
- The platform includes two other new products: Phone Ordering, an artificial intelligence ordering system; and Customer Support Solutions, a dedicated platform for customer inquiries. The commerce platform also includes renamed products: Online Ordering, previously known as Storefront; Drive on Demand, previously known as Drive; and Tableside Order and Pay, previously known as Bbot.
Dive Insight:
DoorDash’s Commerce Platform is meant to provide a “comprehensive set of tools that allow merchants to create direct channels,” Prabir Adarkar, president and COO of DoorDash, said in a statement. The platform covers online, phone and in-store ordering, he said. Among the biggest additions to DoorDash’s product suite is a tool allowing its restaurant partners to create their own native mobile apps, especially with 60% of U.S. consumers ordering delivery or takeout once a week.
DoorDash has long offered the ability for merchants to create turnkey websites for online ordering; the option to create an app could help drive additional sales as 90% of consumers spend their time on their phones using apps, according to MobiLoud. Mobile apps also have a higher conversion rate compared to websites, and have better engagement rates.
The company also updated its Business Manager app, which first launched in 2021. Based on merchant feedback, the app now offers quick access to payouts and sales tracking, a personalized homepage feed with recommended actions for their stores on DoorDash, and marketing campaign management and reporting.
DoorDash has been focusing on ways to help restaurants drive sales, and added discounting tools in July to help restaurants drive off-peak traffic. It also added automated phone ordering for restaurants in August 2023.
