DoorDash launches robot delivery pilot project
DoorDash is expanding its robot delivery program with Santa Monica, Calfi.-based Coco Robotics in Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles, the San Francisco-based last-mile delivery service announced on April 10.
The new service is available for grocery and convenience orders but is currently limited to products available from DoorDash's DashMart fulfillment platform and stores, according to a DoorDash spokesperson.
That includes DoorDash's most popular items such as bananas, chicken sandwiches, mac and cheese, and more, the DoorDash spokesperson said in an email to Supermarket News.
'Coco robots are assigned to orders based on a number of variables aimed at optimizing the customer experience, but the typical delivery distance is between one to two miles. Orders within this distance will have a higher likelihood of being assigned to a robot,' the DoorDash spokesperson said.
DoorDash has already deployed the delivery bots in Helsinki, Finland, through its international arm, Wolt, and Coco has been making deliveries in Los Angeles—independently from DoorDash—since 2020.
The last-mile delivery service said the bots, which travel on public sidewalks, have completed more than 100,000 deliveries. DoorDash said it is 'advancing last-mile logistics by building the most efficient, sustainable, and scalable multi-modal delivery platform.'
'Not every delivery needs a two-ton car just to deliver two chicken sandwiches,' said Senior Director of DoorDash Labs Harrison Shih in the press release. 'We believe the future of delivery will be multi-modal, and we're thrilled to partner with Coco to expand sidewalk robot deliveries that complement the Dasher network as we continue to enhance the DoorDash experience for customers and merchants.'
DoorDash said it also plans to integrate drones into its delivery platform through its partnership with Wing, a drone delivery company owned by Google's parent company Alphabet.
DoorDash launched a pilot program with Wing in Christiansburg, Va., in March 2024 to test food delivery from fast-food chain Wendy's. That program was an expansion of a delivery service DoorDash launched in 2022 in Queensland, Australia, which includes grocery delivery.
Wing drones are already making deliveries in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area through a partnership with Walmart. Walmart added the drone delivery function to its smartphone app in June, noting at the time that it has expanded drone delivery to 75% of the Dallas-Fort Worth population.
The new tech innovations are via DoorDash Labs, which DoorDash said aims to 'ensure the most effective fulfillment method for every order while driving increased demand for local merchants and creating more earning opportunities for Dashers.'
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