Online food delivery platform Uber Eats South Africa has introduced the “Add-On” feature on its mobile app, to allow customers to place two orders from different food establishments, and have them delivered by one courier.
The service, which was piloted from June, is now available nationwide.
In the past, local Uber Eats customers were not able to order items from multiple stores or eateries in a single order.
The new service, which is available in several markets across the globe, allows customers to add a second order to their food basket, without an extra delivery fee.
It is only available on food and grocery orders.
Customers can either order from two restaurants or two convenience food stores, or one of each – and have both orders collected and delivered by one courier.
Uber Eats says the new addition forms part of its strategy to meet consumers' evolving needs in offering a diversification of categories, as the food delivery app morphs into a digital mall.
Daniele Joubert, head of growth and consumer operations, Uber Eats Sub-Saharan Africa, tells ITWeb that once the first food order has been made, the customer is given 10 to 15 minutes to make a second order from a list of nearby food outlets.
“The Add-On feature allows users to get two food or grocery orders delivered together by the same delivery person without a separate delivery fee and without delay. Not every order will see an Add-On option, and the feature will pop up for a limited time.
“This feature is valuable because a lot of the times when our customers order their food, they may want to add a coffee, or something else that may not be available from the restaurant they have ordered from. So, they can now add something from a store which is along the same route, without additional charges.”
The Add-On feature only allows orders from a maximum of two outlets.
Over the years, Uber Eats has gained valuable insights into the individuals, families and communities it targets, adds Joubert. These point to the evolving needs of local consumers based on their dynamic day-to-day realities, and the services are customised according to the South African context.
Uber Eats aims to transform into a digital mall, adding new verticals to its category offerings, to now include florists, beauty product merchants, women’s apparel stores, stationery and jewellery.
“We have aspirations of building an ‘app of the future’ by creating a virtual mall experience that goes beyond just food.
“It’s quite an exciting time for us, considering some unconventional businesses − such as Era by Zinhle, Thabooty’s and Exclusive Books − that we have on-boarded on the platform. This shows the array of diverse goods and services that people are willing to get at the touch of a button,” adds Joubert.
To support merchants listed on the app, Uber Eats has partnered with the African Management Institute to offer learning opportunities for Uber Eats restaurant partners through the institute’s Growth2Go Academy.
The initiative is focused on delivering growth for Africa's on-demand food businesses and “foodpreneurs” by empowering them to overcome barriers and achieve business growth goals.
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