DoorDash introduced a suite of products designed to empower merchants to manage and expand their businesses on their own channels, whether in-store or online. New products include Commerce Platform, Online Ordering Mobile Apps, and a Business Manager App, which I'll share more info about below.
The DoorDash Commerce Platform consists of five core products:
-
Drive On-Demand – The ability to offer delivery through a restaurant's own app or website. (Previously known as Drive.)
-
Online Ordering – A way to provide commission-free, digital sales and branding on their website or own branded app. (Previously called “Storefront,” which only worked on websites, not within apps.)
-
Phone Ordering – An AI-powered voice ordering system that offers menu recommendations.
-
Tableside Order & Pay – An option for customers to scan a QR code with their phone to place orders. (Previously known as Bbot.)
-
Customer Support Solutions – A dedicated delivery support platform for customer inquiries.
DoorDash's new Online Ordering Mobile Apps is an especially impressive tool that allows restaurants to create their own branded native mobile apps for placing orders on iOS and Android, instead of having to send customers to the DoorDash app. I'm curious if it will allow restaurants to integrate their existing loyalty and rewards programs into the app.
Lastly, the company launched a Business Manager App, which restaurant and store owners can use to manager their DoorDash business from their mobile phones, as opposed to just from their computer.
DoorDash's goal is to provide a seamless experience between a restaurant's marketing and ordering platforms and its fulfillment and delivery services, supporting merchants in driving more sales through their own channels instead of pushing their customers to a third party app.
Prabir Adarkar, DoorDash President and COO, said, “At our core, DoorDash is a merchant-focused company. Our mission has always been to develop products and services that empower local merchants to succeed.”
I love the direction. While competitors are battling it out for market share, DoorDash is embedding itself into merchant operations as a retail and fulfillment operating system, as opposed to a third-party platform. Very Amazon-esque.