Food and grocery delivery has spiked during the pandemic. Apps like SkipTheDishes, Uber Eats, and Instacart have gained new users who turned to delivery out of necessity. For marketers, these apps present a new opportunity to reach consumers with ad products rich in intent and location data.

Delivery apps race to sign up retailers to their platforms: DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Gopuff each inked new deals to grow their retailer network and bring fast delivery to more customers.

Uber will call you a cab: Driver shortages and rising ride prices drive Uber to embrace the cab industry. The shift into localized services could accelerate Uber’s transformation into a super app.

On today's episode, we discuss whether Donald Trump's new "Truth Social" platform can make some noise, Facebook rebranding the News Feed, whether LinkedIn is the best social network, Uber and Lyft's rebound, how Apple changed Facebook, an unpopular opinion about Disney, where Valentine's Day came from, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of forecasting Oscar Orozco and analysts Blake Droesch and Peter Vahle.

DoorDash was once again the most downloaded US food and drink app in 2021, racking up 37.0 million downloads, 5% fewer than in 2020. McDonald’s jumped to second on the list with 24.0 million downloads, 33% more than the year prior. Meanwhile, Uber Eats dropped to third place with 21.0 million downloads.

A similar pattern has played out in the US, with Instacart, DoorDash, Uber Eats, and other platforms experiencing slower or declining sales as consumers order less food online.

Key players: Instacart Express, DoorDash DashPass, Uber One, Shipt. Common feature: Free delivery from third-party partners. What sets them apart: These delivery subscriptions provide free delivery from partnering grocers and non-grocery retailers. DashPass and Uber One also provide free or discounted deliveries from participating restaurants. Trends that Will Shape the Future of Subscriptions.

Uber Eats is partnering with Tesco to bring groceries to UK customers, with delivery guaranteed within an hour, the company announced. Uber is also expanding its partnership with Albertsons to include over 2,000 stores, per a press release. Publix has begun offering 15-minute grocery delivery in Miami through a partnership with Instacart, the delivery platform said.

At the same time, companies with a more tech-focused approach to retail, like Amazon, Reef Technology, Thrasio, and Uber, are either slowing their hiring or cutting workers in an effort to save money. Walmart outmuscles competitors: For some retailers, lacking workers is not an option.

Recent statements from Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi saying the company will treat hiring as a “privilege” also imply a hiring freeze or slowdown. Social media and video app Cameo also laid off 87 employees last week—nearly a quarter of its workforce.

For example, Uber said it is cutting back on spending and will treat hiring as a privilege, while Meta ordered a hiring freeze amid slowing growth. The big takeaway: It has been some time since there was a significant cost to borrowing money. As those costs rise, companies have no choice but to pay heed to their bottom lines.

However, unlike Uber and Instacart’s surcharge, which customers shoulder, merchants on Amazon’s platform must pay the fee, making it likely that they will pass the cost onto the consumer in the form of higher prices.

Restaurant delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats expanding into grocery, pharmacy, and convenience store delivery. The rise of quick commerce startups like Gopuff and Gorillas that use micro-fulfillment centers to deliver food and beverage items in a little as 15 minutes. Food and beverage is the second-largest category when measured by total retail sales.

While Grubhub’s sales grew 46.6% in 2020, DoorDash’s sales grew 197.9%, Postmates’ sales increased 94.1%, and Uber Eats’ spiked 107.2%. Some of Grubhub’s competitors, such as DoorDash, have diversified their businesses by moving into delivering groceries and other goods, while Grubhub’s attempts to expand its offerings have been relatively modest.

Commerce intermediaries: For those eager to jump on the quick commerce bandwagon, intermediaries like Rappi, Uber, or iFood offer their own retail media ad opportunities for marketers looking to secure top positions within the respective ecosystems. User Traffic and Engagement Analysis.

On today's episode, we discuss the actual viability of the sharing economy: What should we make of Uber's diversification efforts and are Airbnb's latest changes enough to power the company up and to the right? "In Other News," we talk about the travel industry's optimism in the face of inflation and ad spending's positive outlook in the face of recessionary fears. Tune in to the discussion with our Briefings director Jeremy Goldman.

Shared electric vehicle company Lime builds brand awareness by demonstrating the value of car alternatives in cities. Hear from Lime’s Carolyn Rosebrough, global head of communications and brand, to learn how its localized marketing approach encourages a greener way to get around.

Forty-two percent of adult respondents in Canada placed orders using apps such as Skip The Dishes, DoorDash, and Uber Eats, according to a June 2021 survey from Media Technology Monitor. Remote work is a key driver of app adoption. It was necessitated during the pandemic and persists still for many white-collar industries.

Add robotaxis to the list of upcoming Tesla products: Struggles with fully autonomous driving, delivering on schedule, and safety are huge roadblocks to Tesla’s robotaxi flex.

The company could also make open banking available to non-bank BaaS partners—it has named Uber, Apple, Walmart, and Google—further enhancing its relationship with Plaid.

As the average cost of a gallon of regular gas hit an all-time high on Tuesday, gig workers are venting frustration with companies such as Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash, per USA Today. Over 7,000 people have signed a petition asking for Uber and Lyft to raise their base rates to help offset the rising cost of gas.