Uber Eats Enhances User Experience with AI-Powered Features and Customer Incentives

Uber Eats now lets merchants message customers about their orders | TechCrunch

Uber Eats announced on Wednesday that it will now allow restaurants and merchants to chat with customers to help prevent issues with orders. The app is also introducing new AI tools for merchants, and is inviting users to submit photos of their orders if the item doesn't yet have a menu image. With the new "Live order chat" feature, merchants can message customers in real-time to do things like confirm replacements for sold-out items, clarify special requests, and check in on dietary or allergy preferences. Uber states that users can't initiate chats with merchants, as customers can only message merchants if they have contacted them first. Live order chat is available for both delivery and pickup orders, and ends once the food has been handed off to a courier or customer for pickup. The launch of the new feature comes three months after Uber Eats rival DoorDash announced the ability for merchants to chat directly with customers to resolve order issues. As for the new AI tools for merchants, Uber Eats is launching AI-powered summaries of customer reviews to make it easier to understand feedback at scale. Plus, Uber Eats is rolling out AI-generated item descriptions for menus to help users make informed decisions when deciding what to order. The app will also use AI to enhance low-quality food images by improving lighting, resolution, framing, and plating. For example, if there's a photo of food in a takeout container, Uber Eats might use AI to generate an image of the same dish on a plate. In addition, Uber Eats will now encourage users to snap a photo of their delivery. The company says it's doing this because it's aware that customers are more likely to order a dish when they are able to see what it looks like. If a customer's photo is chosen and published, they can get $3 in Uber Cash if they live in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, or the U.K. To submit a photo, users need to tap the "Add Photos" button on the rate order screen after their order is delivered.

Uber Eats Adds New Perk: Upload Your Food Pics, Get Uber Cash

On food delivery apps, it's common to find menu items without photos. Since images heavily influence what customers order, Uber Eats is offering perks to those who add their own pics. If a restaurant doesn't have an image for a menu item, customers can snap a picture after delivery and earn $3 in Uber Cash if their photo gets selected. Uber Cash balance can be used for both Uber rides and food or package deliveries. To get started, tap "Add Photos" on the rate order screen; it appears you can share up to five photos for each food item. Alongside its new perk for customers, Uber announced a set of AI features for vendors. To help restaurants present their food better, Uber's AI will now automatically detect and enhance low-quality images with better lighting, resolution, framing, and plating. Restaurants can also use AI to write menu descriptions and summarize customer reviews. The AI tool will highlight strengths and areas of improvement. The platform is also getting a Live Order Chat for customers. These chats can only be initiated by restaurants, and are intended to help increase order accuracy by checking in on special requests, dietary preferences, and allergies. They can also be used to provide real-time updates about replacements for out-of-stock items. Uber Eats also shared its latest merchant impact report, which says the platform completed 140 million orders and generated $9.4 billion in revenue from the US in 2024.