Uber Technologies has announced it will accept more payment options on its food delivery platform and roll out an AI-powered assistant to help users find deals and explore food options. Uber Eats is set to feature a dedicated section to showcase promotional offers called Sales Aisle, aiming to enhance user convenience and experience in the competitive food delivery market.

The new features are planned to roll out this year or in 2024. Uber said it has also tied up with federal healthcare programs such as Managed Medicaid and Medicare Advantage and would begin accepting relevant waiver payments on both Uber and Uber Eats in 2024. Moreover, the company plans to extend the opportunity for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2024, which provides cash benefits for purchasing food, to utilise their waivers for grocery purchases on Uber Eats.

This move underscores an industry-wide push to target low-income households and gain market share in an increasingly competitive environment. Artificial intelligence in the food delivery sector Food delivery platforms have been investing in AI as they attempt to offer a more curated service and make their apps more convenient. In May 2023, Instacart, a rival of Uber Eats, launched Ask Instacart, an AI-powered search tool designed to assist with customers' grocery shopping questions.

This feature was made possible in partnership with OpenAI, the creator of the AI chatbot, ChatGPT. Furthermore, DoorDash is also working on an AI chatbot called DashAI, aiming to speed up food ordering, Bloomberg News reported in July 2023. Recent developments from Uber In August 2023, communication solutions company, Safaricom, announced a partnership with Uber that was set to enable Kenya-based riders to pay for trips through the mobile money service M-PESA. The news followed a separate collaboration with Uber Eats which allowed consumers to pay for deliveries leveraging M-PESA, and delivery people to also have their earnings received through the same service. In May 2023, Uber partnered with Amazon, enabling Amazon Echo device owners to leverage Alexa to track the status of Uber Eats orders.

US consumers would be able to track the status of Uber Eats orders, with the new integration unlocking real-time, hands-free order tracking for Echo users throughout the country. Uber Eats integration with Alexa provides timely updates on critical points within the delivery process, beginning when an order is being prepared through to when the driver is arriving, as well as when the order is delivered. Financial infrastructure platform for businesses, Stripe, also announced an expanded global partnership with Uber looking to improve payment performance and reduce costs. Under the agreement, Uber is expanding its strategic payments collaboration with Stripe across its top markets, including the US, Australia, and Japan, extending its usage of Stripe’s payments platform with an aim to provide customers with flexible payment methods for Uber Rides and Uber Eats.

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