Uber Eats has announced the launch of a real-time location-sharing feature for delivery to hard-to-reach spaces.

The mentioned aggregator published information about the new feature on Thursday, March 7. This solution is intended for orders in such formats as Meet Outside or Meet at the Door. In this case, couriers receive information about the location of customers in real-time. The corresponding function is activated when the order is within a three-minute away or within 100 meters of the delivery point. Consumers can opt out of the drop-off site

Currently, delivery aggregators strive to offer the simplest and most uninterrupted service to customers. Such solutions increase the level of brand competitiveness. For customers, convenience is one of the main characteristics of a digital delivery platform.

Uber Eats, an American delivery service, was founded in 2015. Currently, the company’s market capitalization is about $168 billion. The aggregator’s revenue for 2023 amounted to $12.1 billion. This indicator increased by 11% year-on-year.

The aggregator, announcing the new feature, stated that 10% of delivery orders belong to the category of hard-to-find. Couriers had difficulty finding one of the five customers during the previous three months. The new feature is designed for delivery to places such as parks, sprawling apartment complexes, and campuses. In such cases, the standard street address is insufficient information.

It is worth noting that Uber Eats is not the only delivery service provider that claims the need for a real-time location information share feature. In June 2023, Domino’s launched a pinpoint delivery system. In 2019, a similar feature was rolled out by the giant of round-the-clock retail 7-Eleven. This solution has been integrated into the 7NOW delivery app. The mentioned function is still available, which is evidence of its effectiveness and demand among consumers, confirmed by several years of experience.

Aggregators strive to offer customers the most convenient solutions within the framework of competition. In the summer of 2023, DoorDash updated its app, adding new features, including a universal search bar, a browse tab, a grocery tab, a retail tab, and the option to keep multiple carts going at once. This update is designed to make the process of using the digital platform easier and more convenient.

Virtual solutions are the most effective way to maintain customer loyalty. In the United States, a survey of more than 3,500 people found that 40% of shoppers take into account how easy it is to navigate an online store when deciding where to shop.

Grubhub, the third most popular aggregator in the US, demonstrates moderate activity in the framework of innovation. The parent company of Just Eat Takeaway is currently interested in gaining buyers. In its earnings report last week, the firm stated its desire to improve its competitiveness through means such as a continued push into new verticals.

Last year in the United States, just 1 in 20 restaurant orders were placed with a third-party delivery marketplace.