TECHNOLOGY
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
BATCHED DELIVERY ORDERS TAKE LONGER, HURT FOOD QUALITY SECRET SHOPPERS IN A STUDY FROM
INTOUCH INSIGHT WERE FAR LESS SATISFIED WHEN THEIR MEAL ARRIVED AFTER OTHERS WERE DROPPED OFF ALONG THE WAY— A COMMON PRACTICE FOR APPS LIKE DOORDASH, UBER EATS AND GRUBHUB.
BY JOE GUSZKOWSKI
T hird-party delivery providers’ practice of bundling multiple orders in one trip slows delivery times and hurts customer satisfaction. That’s according to The Path to Third-Party Excellence, a soon-to-be-published report from researcher In- touch Insight, which used secret shoppers to place 600 delivery orders from restaurants and convenience stores across the U.S. The orders were split evenly among the three big third-party delivery apps—DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub—and restaurants/c-stores. The wide-ranging study provides a unique look at order batching, a tactic that has long been used by restaurant delivery apps but is rarely discussed on earnings calls or in the press. The Intouch Insight shoppers were instructed to order from whatever establishment they wished, but they weren’t allowed to use a paid membership or pay extra for direct delivery. The results showed that 12% of orders were picked
20
RESTAURANT BUSINESS OCTOBER 2024
Powered by FlippingBook